What a work order is
A quote is an offer. A work order is what happens when they say yes. Same job, different paper. The quote told the client the price. The work order tells the crew what to do, what to bring, how to get in, and when to stop and ask.
On the Oak Street bathroom — exhaust fan and four downlights — the quote is Q-1847. The work order is the same scope without the rates. If the crew only has the price, they will guess the exclusions.
What belongs on it
Keep it boring. Fancy status fields are how the actual instruction goes missing.
- Client, site and a one-line job that matches the quote
- The quote number, so the office can find the offer that was accepted
- Scope as lines, not a paragraph
- What to bring, access notes, start time and crew
- When to stop: if the quote excluded chasing, write that on the work order
Work order vs quote vs invoice
The quote is the offer. The work order is the instruction. The invoice is the bill. Sending the invoice as the work order is how extras get done for free. Sending the quote as the work order is how the crew never sees the access notes.
If the job changes on site, stop. Write a variation. Get a yes. Then finish. That rule belongs on the paper they take into the ceiling.
When it becomes the invoice
When the work order closes, the invoice should already know the lines. Hours and receipts that landed on this job belong here, not in a weekend reconstruction.
The work order template is the paper. The jobs board is where that paper lives once it is a real job.