Work plans - user guide

1. Overview

The Work Plan Module automates recurring maintenance by generating work orders on a defined schedule.

Each Work Plan combines three elements:

Plan Setup – What the plan covers
Recurrence Rules – When work orders are created
Work Order Templates – What each generated work order contains

Once activated, the system automatically creates work orders according to your defined schedule and rules.

2. Accessing Work Plans

Navigate to:

Work Orders → Plans
(or Work Plan, if renamed in your environment)

You will see a list of existing plans and their status.

Plan Status Definitions

Status	Meaning
Draft	Configured but not active
Running	Actively generating work orders
Paused	Temporarily stopped

3. Creating a Work Plan

Step 1 – Open the Plan List

Go to Work Orders → Plans
Click New Plan (or + Create).

Step 2 – Plan Setup

Define the identity and scope of the plan.

Required Fields

Plan Name
Use a clear and specific name
Example: Quarterly Transformer Inspection – Site A
Sites
Assets
Subassemblies

These define where the plan applies.

Best Practice:
Keep plans focused. One maintenance intent per plan is easier to manage than one oversized plan.

4. Recurrence Configuration

Recurrence controls when work orders are generated.

4.1 Enable or Disable Recurrence

Choose:

With recurrence
No recurrence

If recurrence is disabled, the plan runs once (one-time plan).

If enabled, recurrence defaults to Interval-based.

4.2 Recurrence Types

1. Interval-Based

Repeats at a fixed interval from the first occurrence.

Example:
Every 3 months starting January 1.

2. Based on Last Finished

The next cycle starts when the previous work order is completed.

Example:
If a monthly task finishes late, the next one shifts accordingly.

Use interval-based for strict schedules.
Use based-on-last-finished for execution-driven cycles.

4.3 Frequency

Set:

Interval number
Time unit

Supported units:

Years
Months
Weeks
Days

Examples:

Every 1 month
Every 2 weeks
Every 365 days

4.4 First Occurrence Date

Defines the anchor date for the schedule.

All future cycles are calculated from this date.

4.5 Planning Window

(Earliest Start → Latest Finish)

This defines the planning boundaries for each generated work order.

Field	Meaning
Earliest Start	When the work order becomes schedulable
Latest Finish	Due date (calculated from Earliest Start + duration)

This window defines when planners are expected to execute the job.

4.6 Creation Offset (Optional)

You may configure:

Create X days before Earliest Start

This allows:

Early visibility in planning
Advanced crew or vessel scheduling
Procurement preparation

Important:
The planning window still anchors to Earliest Start → Latest Finish.

4.7 If Previous Work Is Not Completed

Choose system behavior when cycles overlap:

Option	Behavior
Create anyway	Generates next work order regardless
Cancel previous	Cancels unfinished prior work
Cancel next	Skips the new cycle

Choose carefully. This setting directly affects workload volume and backlog.

4.8 Timeline Preview

Once recurrence settings are configured, a visual timeline displays upcoming cycles.

Use this to verify:

Frequency accuracy
Alignment with operational windows
Long-term workload balance

5. Work Order Templates

Work Order Templates define exactly what each generated work order contains.

They mirror standard Work Order fields in the legacy UI.

5.1 Core Work Order Fields

These define identity and classification.

Name (Required)
External ID (Read-only if already set)
Type (Required)
Priority (Required)
Work Package (Required if enforced by company settings)

The Type determines which custom fields become available.

5.2 Planning Dates (Recurrence-Controlled)

If recurrence is enabled:

Earliest Start
Latest Finish

These are locked in the template and automatically derived from recurrence settings.

This prevents date misalignment.

5.3 Assignment Scope

Templates inherit scope from the Plan:

Sites
Assets
Subassemblies

Generated work orders automatically apply to these objects.

5.4 Comments

Templates support:

Public comments (visible operationally)
Internal comments (restricted use)

Use internal comments for planning notes or constraints.

5.5 Requirements

Optional configuration:

Vessel requirements
Required qualifications or skills

These influence scheduling feasibility.

5.6 Tasks, Checklists, Materials

(Feature-Flag Dependent)

If enabled, templates can include:

Task lists
Checklist templates
Bill of Materials (planned parts)

These are copied into each generated work order.

Design templates carefully — every cycle inherits them.

5.7 Custom Fields

Custom fields are driven by Work Order Type.

Supported field types:

Text
Number
Select (dropdown)
Link
Attachment

When you change the Type, associated custom fields update automatically.

6. Saving and Activating a Plan

Save

Click Save to keep the plan in Draft.

Draft plans do not generate work.

Start Plan

Click Start Plan to:

Set status to Running
Begin automatic work order generation

Verify recurrence settings before starting.

7. Pausing a Plan

To temporarily stop automation:

Open the plan
Click Pause Plan

Status becomes Paused.

No new work orders are generated while paused.

8. Editing a Running Plan

You may update:

Plan Setup
Recurrence Rules
Templates

Important:
Changes usually apply only to future generated work orders.
Existing work orders are not retroactively modified.

9. Monitoring Plan Output

From the Work Plan list, you can review:

Current work orders
Upcoming work orders
Closed work orders

Use this to validate:

Recurrence accuracy
Workload balance
Completion compliance

10. Best Practices

Use precise, descriptive plan names.
Keep each plan focused on one maintenance objective.
Review recurrence against crew capacity.
Audit templates regularly.
Avoid overly aggressive frequencies that generate unnecessary backlog.

11. Troubleshooting

Issue	Likely Cause	Resolution
No work orders created	Plan is Draft or Paused	Start the plan
Incorrect assets assigned	Scope misconfigured	Update Plan Setup
Too many work orders	Recurrence too frequent	Adjust interval
Incorrect dates	Planning window misconfigured	Update Earliest/Latest settings
Overlapping orders	Policy set to “Create anyway”	Adjust completion policy

12. Permissions

Work Plan access requires work order create, read, edit and delete permissions.