Last Updated on November 19, 2022 by maximosecrets

When an item is received you may need to perform a special inspection or if it is an asset, install and configure it. A feature of Maximo was added some years ago particularly for installing and configuring IT assets when they are received, but you may find other uses for this in a physical asset world.

I’ve created a new Job Plan SWINS01 at system level, it does not reference a particular organization or site. On the Work Assets tab, I have entered the item, S700 – A Unix server – that on receipt will trigger a work order to be created. This can be any type of item, including a service item or a tool. It also no longer needs to be a rotating item, although this function started out life as being specifically for them. For example, you may perform an audit when an outside service is performed or need to schedule training when a tool is received.

In the Purchasing Details section, I have checked the field “Create WO When Purchasing This Item” and added CM in the “Work Type of Created Work Order” field. The two purchasing fields are not enabled until you enter an item. You need also to select an organization before being able to select a work type, as work types are defined at the organization level. This will only be the organizations that belongs to the item set that was selected when you selected the item.

The Job Plan needs to be at ACTIVE state to be applied to a work order. Work Asset records can be created against an active job plan, you do not need to revise the job plan first. 

A tip – if you have multiple item sets then enter the organization first as then the item that you select can only be for the item set that the organization belongs to. If you select the item first and pick an item for the wrong item set, then you will end up having to reselect the item when you come to enter the organization and find it is not listed.

Purchase Order 1207 was created for a quantity of 2 of item S700, the Unix Server. There was a charge to a work order, and so the PO line is marked as “Issue on Receipt”. The PO was approved.

In the Receiving application I selected PO 1207 and on the Material Receipts tab used the Selected Ordered Items button to select the PO line for the Unix server, quantity of 2 was received. The action Change Inspection Status was used to move the receipt status to WASSET and then the action Receive Rotating Items used, this is what you see in the screenshot. The Autonumber button was used to create assets 2193 and 2194. After pressing OK the Receipts status is changed to COMPLETE as all items and quantities have now been received.

There is no message to say that the work order has been created. Work order 1365 was created, it is work type CM and references the job plan SWINS01, but it does not reference the asset that needs to be installed, or the locationA physical place where assets exist and where work can be performed. More that was charged on the purchase order. There is also no link between the receipt and the work order created, it isn’t the hidden REFWO field on the MATRECTRANS record, I checked this. Only one work order was created, although there were two rotating assets created, but that is what I would expect.

If you are using this function you need to make sure that the group/person who needs to do something with the work order is alerted, by using the responsibility section on the Job Plan.

In the tests I performed on Maximo 7.6.1.1 Service Items, Tools and non-rotating items also generated a work order but only if they were marked as “Issue on Receipt” on the PO line, and not destined for a storeroom. 

When there were multiple items on the same purchase order then the work orders seemed to be created together only when the last item was received, certainly all the work orders had the same reported date/time. The work order isn’t generated if it still needs to be inspected or is waiting for serialization. 

The issue with having multiple work orders created, is that you just do not know which work order relates to which item being received against which PO. The work order description is copied from the job plan description, so the best work around I can think of is to use the job plan descriptions to specify the item being received, for example, “Installation of received Unix server, item S700”. You will then be able to search for the item in the Receiving application. At least with rotating assets, each asset is marked with the PO that purchased it.