Hold Reason
A hold reason explains why a work order has temporarily stopped progressing while remaining valid and open.
What this term means in maintenance
A hold reason explains why a work order has temporarily stopped progressing while remaining valid and open.
Common hold reasons
Examples include:
- Waiting for parts
- Waiting for shutdown
- Waiting for information
- Waiting for approval
- Waiting for vendor
- Safety restriction
- Production restriction
- Engineering review
- Temporary repair in service
Practical example
A repair is placed on hold because the machine cannot be released until the weekend shutdown.
Hold status
The hold reason should remain visible with an owner, next action, and review date.
Aging
On-hold work should still be reviewed for age and risk.
Common mistake
Using on hold without a reason or next action creates inactive work that remains hidden in the system.
How this term differs
Hold Reason is the reason valid work is temporarily unable to progress. It is related to Work Order Status, Work Order Cancellation, and Work Order Closure, but these terms describe different records, measures, roles, strategies, or decisions and should not be used interchangeably.
Related concepts
Related maintenance terms
Keep exploring connected CMMS, reliability, and maintenance planning terms.
Work Order Status
Work order status shows the current stage of maintenance work, such as open, in progress, on hold, completed, closed, or cancelled.
Maintenance Delay Code
A maintenance delay code is a controlled classification explaining why approved work cannot proceed or finish as planned.
Maintenance Escalation
Maintenance escalation is the controlled process for notifying higher authority or additional functions when work, risk, delay, or failure exceeds defined limits.
Glossary FAQs
- What is a hold reason?
The reason an open work order has temporarily stopped progressing.
- What should accompany an on-hold status?
Reason, owner, next action, and review date.
- Should on-hold work continue aging?
Yes. It should remain visible for age and risk review.