Question
Can technicians create ad-hoc or corrective maintenance work orders in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central’s maintenance management functionality?
Ad-Hoc Maintenance Work Orders Can Be Created
Technicians can create ad-hoc maintenance work orders directly from mobile devices in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Maintenance requests can be submitted, reviewed, and approved to generate work orders as part of this process.
The Maintenance Manager app extends native capabilities by enabling mobile creation and approval of corrective maintenance work. This ensures unplanned tasks are managed within the system. Business Central itself requires production order licensing to operate this functionality.
How Ad-Hoc Maintenance Work Orders Are Managed
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central uses production orders to manage maintenance work, but it lacks a straightforward way for technicians to initiate non-scheduled maintenance directly from mobile devices. This is because maintenance management typically depends on formal work orders tied to scheduling and costing.
Maintenance Manager expands capabilities by allowing technicians to create ad-hoc maintenance work orders from mobile devices. Technicians can submit maintenance requests, which can then be optionally reviewed and approved before becoming formal work orders. This bridges gaps in handling unplanned or corrective maintenance.
The system relies on production orders within Business Central to represent maintenance work orders, combined with role-specific mobile interfaces for technicians. It includes exposed APIs and Power Automate integration to support automated workflows around work requests and ad-hoc order creation.
Using these features requires Business Central premium user licenses, due to reliance on production order functions. Without this extension, Business Central does not enable complete mobile creation or approval of maintenance tasks directly on devices.
If the mobile interfaces or app are not installed or configured, technicians cannot create ad-hoc maintenance work directly and must rely on pre-created orders. If users lack appropriate permissions in Business Central, they cannot generate or approve maintenance requests. Ad-hoc work order creation is not available outside the Maintenance Manager app extensions.
Related Tools Enhancing Maintenance Work Management
Maintenance Manager provides the primary capability for creating and managing ad-hoc and corrective maintenance work orders via mobile devices and within Business Central. It integrates work order scheduling, parts planning, and task assignments.
Graphical Scheduler can be used to view maintenance tasks alongside production schedules but does not provide work order creation. Shop Floor Insight allows technicians to report time and consumption on assigned work orders, enhancing execution but not creation of new work orders.