Requests verses Work Orders

Requests and Work Orders serve two distinct functions in SeeClickFix 311 CRM, but their specific purposes can sometimes be confused. In this guide, we list the purposes for both Requests and Work Orders.

Requests 

• Requests are created by users who are not responsible for the completion of work. These users could be public residents, call-takers, elected officials, or city staff.
• Requests are inherently ambiguous and not immediately actionable - they need to be triaged and converted into assignable work by an individual who is responsible for the completion of the work.
• Requests are associated with an initial submitter, who is the customer of a workflow and requires separate communication from that which is needed to accomplish the work.
• Requests are reactive and mostly unpredictable.
• Requests can have associated Work Orders.
• Requests can also be resolved without associated Work Orders.

Work Orders

• Work Orders are created by users who are not responsible for the completion of work.
• Work Orders are clear and actionable.
• Work Orders represent a specific set of activities and thus can be quantified in terms of time and material cost.
• Work Orders are used for planning and can help to set predictable work schedules.
• Multiple Work Orders can be associated with one Request.
• Work Orders can be created independent of Requests.

Resources

• Request Management help section
• Work Orders help section