Work orders and tenant requests

In Chapter 2, Smart Building Operations and Controls, we briefly covered work orders and how they are at the center of any maintenance and operation system. They are a simple tool to define a task that needs to be completed, from scheduling, assigning, and tracking job tasks to completion. Digital work order systems allow work orders to be completed on a smartphone. The status of the workflow is updated at each step using IoT, barcodes, QR codes, and other smart sensors. Work orders are used to provide real-time status and prioritization, and they provide a digital record that can be used for invoicing, audits, and historical record keeping.

Figure 5.1 – A sample tenant request form

While that simple definition focused on the building owners and operators’ perspectives of the work order, this chapter will focus on the tenant’s perspective. Dozens of new software applications have been introduced in just...