Work Order Approval
Work order approval is the authorized decision that proposed maintenance work is valid, appropriately prioritized, and permitted to proceed.
What this term means in maintenance
Work order approval is the authorized decision that proposed maintenance work is valid, appropriately prioritized, and permitted to proceed.
What approval may confirm
Approval may confirm:
- The maintenance need is valid
- The scope is understood
- The asset is correct
- Priority is appropriate
- Duplicate work does not exist
- Budget or authorization is available
- Safety or production impact is understood
Practical example
A supervisor reviews an operator request for a leaking gearbox, confirms the asset and risk, and approves a corrective work order.
Approval versus planning
Approval allows the work to proceed into planning. It does not mean the job is ready for execution.
Approval authority
Different approval levels may apply to routine work, shutdown work, capital work, or high-risk work.
Common mistake
Automatically approving every request creates unnecessary backlog and weakens prioritization.
How this term differs
Work Order Approval is the authorization decision that permits valid work to proceed. It is related to Work Request, Maintenance Request Triage, and Maintenance Notification, 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
A work order is an authorized record that defines maintenance work to be performed, including the asset, priority, scope, assignee, instructions, labor, parts, status, and completion evidence.
Maintenance Request Triage
Maintenance request triage is the rapid review of reported work to confirm validity, risk, priority, ownership, and the next action.
Work Order Priority
Work order priority is the assigned urgency used to determine how quickly maintenance work should be reviewed, planned, scheduled, and executed.
Glossary FAQs
- What does work-order approval confirm?
That the maintenance need, scope, asset, priority, and authorization are valid.
- Is approval the same as planning?
No. Approval allows work to proceed; planning makes it ready for execution.
- Should every request be approved?
No. Duplicates, invalid requests, and non-maintenance issues may be rejected or redirected.