--- sourceDocument: Yokohama Field Service Management sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/yokohama/field-service-management Release : - yokohama ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Yokohama Field Service Management ft:clusterId : - fsm bundleId : - fsm workflow : - Customer and Industry --- # Manage work orders # Manage work orders {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Yokohama Updated January 30, 2025 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Manage work orders Work orders in ServiceNow Field Service Management represent requests for off-site work that require coordination and tracking. Users with appropriate roles can create work orders either from scratch or by generating them from existing records such as cases, incidents, changes, problems, project tasks, or other work orders. Work orders facilitate structured management of tasks and resources to fulfill off-site service needs efficiently. Show full answer Show less ## Creating Work Orders Users with the **wminitiator** or **wminitiatorqualifier** roles can create work orders. There are multiple creation pathways: * **From existing work orders:** Allows for handling scope changes by copying relevant fields and potentially using the original as a template. * **From other record types:** Incidents, problems, changes, cases, and project tasks (with Project Portfolio Management integration) can serve as sources, automatically copying key related data. Created work orders can be filtered by attributes like qualification group, location, priority, and state to organize and manage similar requests. ## Work Order Templates Templates enable authorized users to automate the creation of work orders along with associated tasks and part requirements, streamlining the process and ensuring consistency. ## Managing Work Order Tasks Tasks and part requirements can be created for work orders, even in the draft state, allowing work to proceed without full qualification if necessary. ## Closing, Cancelling, and Deleting Work Orders * **Closing:** Work orders close automatically when all associated tasks are completed. * **Cancelling:** Used when work is no longer needed or the work order duplicates another. * **Deleting:** Should be avoided except for error cleanup, as closed and cancelled work orders remain inactive but retained for tracking. ## Additional Features * **SLAs:** ServiceNow SLAs track service levels provided by individuals and groups for work orders. * **Linear Assets:** Special capabilities exist to create and manage work orders for inspecting linear assets, helping maintain asset reliability. * **Planned Work:** Work orders can be generated for scheduled or on-demand planned work based on work schedules. * **Qualification:** Work orders require qualification to ensure tasks are created and assigned, which can occur automatically or manually. Work orders are requests for off-site work. Users with the appropriate roles create the work orders and provide the necessary information needed for the work order tasks. Then other users qualify those work orders and create the tasks necessary to complete the work order. ## Creating work orders {#c_ManageWorkOrders__CreatingWorkOrders} If you have the wm_initiator or wm_initiator_qualifier role, you can create work orders. You can create entirely new work orders, or you can create a work order from another record. Work orders can be created from these other record types: case, incident, change, problem, or project task. They can also be created from another existing work order. For each record, you can create only one work order. Work orders created from another existing work order : If the scope of an existing work order changes during the execution phase, you can create another work order from it. Analyze whether the scope change can be managed by adding additional tasks instead of creating another work order. When you create a work order from an existing work order, the following information is copied from the original work order: * Work order record reference (in the Initiated from field) * Affected CI * Caller * Location * Priority * Short description * Description {#c_ManageWorkOrders__ul_kps_15k_2r} Because some information is copied from the original record, an existing work order can be used as a template to create new work orders. Work orders created from an incident, problem, change, or project task record : If an incident, problem, change record, or project task must be assigned to an off-site agent and tracked, you can create a work order from it. Some information from the original record is copied automatically into the new work order. {#c_ManageWorkOrders__table_b5b_2nk_2r__entry__2} | Record type | Fields copied to the work order | |-|-| | Incident | * Incident record reference (in the Initiated from field) * Caller * Location * Priority * Short description * Description {#c_ManageWorkOrders__ul_f1y_fnk_2r} For more information, see [Integration with Incident Management](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/LfOsjOSEg8soJVM~7oNQVA "With ServiceNow Incident Management for Field Service, create work orders from an incident record and also track the progress of the work order directly in the incident record when a state change occurs or a work note is added to the work order."). | | Case | * Account * Contact * Affected CI * Location * Asset {#c_ManageWorkOrders__ul_z4k_lwp_kwb}For more information about creating a work order from the case, see Work orders in CSM Agent Workspace. | | Problem | * Problem record reference (in the Initiated from field) * Affected CI * Priority * Short description * Description {#c_ManageWorkOrders__ul_ltl_gnk_2r} | | Change | * Change record reference (in the Initiated from field) * Affected CI * Priority * Short description * Description {#c_ManageWorkOrders__ul_vjq_tgz_lr} For more information, see [Integration with Change Management](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/WM3z8AEEz7zwDlnXJ8OEHQ "With ServiceNow Change Management for Field Service, create work orders from a change request and also track the progress of the work order directly in the change record when a state change occurs or a work note is added to the work order."). | | Project task Note: Before work orders can be created from project tasks, Field Service Management must be integrated with Project Portfolio Management | * Short Description * Location {#c_ManageWorkOrders__ul_wlc_bxs_w1b} These work order fields are synchronized with the project task * State * Scheduled start * Estimated end {#c_ManageWorkOrders__ul_mdv_yxs_w1b} For more information about the synchronized fields, see [Integration with Project Portfolio Management](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/V89w7IuyULWKRM1jzE7Vlg "Link project tasks to work orders to assist with managing installation or deployment projects in the field."). | [ ] {#c_ManageWorkOrders__table_b5b_2nk_2r} Work orders can be filtered based on different attributes, such as qualification group, location, initiated from, priority, state, and so on. This help to create a group of similar work orders. * **[Apply a work order template](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/lGgyP8NR0G9nk23VT2rzKw)** Work order templates enable users with the proper roles to automatically create work orders, tasks, and part requirements. * **[Create a work order](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/EwFRwW0NIRxiF3Ciu6w8mw)** When off-site work is requested, create a work order to provide information for the agents who fulfill the request. You can create an entirely new work order, or you can create a work order from these other record types: problem, incident, change, or project task. You can also create a work order from another existing work order. * **[Example - Create task without qualifying a work order](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/9nczHLrKToZIJrKslSJg2A)** Create work order tasks and part requirements for a work order without qualifying a work order, when it is in the draft state. * **[Closing work orders and next steps](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/YM7rMsQTtsREd2KfKqyxDw)** In Field Service Management, work orders are closed automatically depending on the states of the associated work order tasks. Work orders are closed when all the tasks reach the closed state. It's helpful to understand what happens after an agent closes a work order task. * **[Cancel a work order](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/K570UO4UYwqWPdTGHwBc7g)** Cancel a work order if the work is no longer necessary or if it is a duplicate of another work order. * **[Delete a work order](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/gbU4jUXQrnk_4I0yARjldA)** For tracking purposes, you should close or cancel an existing work order that is no longer in use. Closed and canceled work orders are inactive and don't appear on work order lists. Avoid deleting a work order unless you're cleaning up errors, such as duplicate work orders. * **[Field Service Management SLAs](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/7S4eZQVLl5hyRp4xZhrpxg)** ServiceNow SLAs track the service level provided by groups and individuals. * **[Assign work orders for linear assets in Field Service Management](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/3aXimYfXuu~E27zIC~AfNg)** In Field Service Management, you can create and view work orders and work order tasks specifically for the inspection of linear assets. This enables you to systematically assess the condition of the assets and take the necessary measures to maintain the reliability and performance of the linear assets. * **[Create a work order for the planned work](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/OcW0KkliWZuwctXPaCEabg)** Planned work records enable the scheduler to create future, everyday (on regular basis), or on-demand work orders based on the associated work schedule. * **[Qualify a work order](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/BzqeyuBRs5Tk3MaFBNF9Kw)** Work orders must be qualified to ensure that work order tasks are created and assigned. The qualifying process can be automatic or manual.