Operators complete work orders quickly during busy shifts. Not every entry is perfect. Parts quantities might be wrong, labor hours might be estimated, or details might be missing. Work order review process in Antero creates a two-step closing workflow: operators mark work complete and submit for review, then supervisors verify accuracy and move to history. This catches errors before they corrupt inventory data or cost reports.
Why use a review process?
Without a review step, completed work orders immediately update inventory, labor costs, and equipment history. If an operator accidentally enters 10 filters used instead of 1, your inventory drops by 9 extra units and the work order shows inflated parts costs. If labor hours are logged as 2 instead of 0.2, cost reports overstate true maintenance expenses. Work order review process gives supervisors a quality control checkpoint to catch these mistakes before data becomes permanent.
How Move to Review works
When an operator finishes a work order, they open it in Antero, add all parts used, log labor hours, enter notes, and attach photos if needed. Instead of clicking Move to History (which closes the work order immediately), they click Move to Review. The work order moves to a separate “Review” queue visible to supervisors but disappears from the operator’s active work list. Inventory is NOT updated yet. Labor costs are NOT calculated yet. The work order is in limbo awaiting supervisor approval.
Supervisors review and approve
Supervisors access the Review section in Antero (visible in the work management screen or via filters). They see all work orders awaiting approval. Open each one, check parts quantities, verify labor hours match expected values, read operator notes for completeness, and confirm attachments are included if required. If everything looks correct, the supervisor clicks Move to History. NOW inventory updates, labor costs calculate, and the work order becomes finalized historical data. If something is wrong, the supervisor edits it directly in the review queue before moving to history.
Edit work orders in review
A key feature of the work order review process is that work orders in review can still be edited. If an operator logged 10 filters but the supervisor knows only 1 was used, the supervisor opens the work order, changes the parts quantity to 1, and moves to history. The corrected data goes into inventory and reports. Some plants prefer operators to fix their own errors—supervisors can communicate with operators to make corrections before final approval. Either way, the review step prevents bad data from becoming permanent.
When to skip the review step
Not all plants need a work order review process. Small teams with highly trained operators who consistently enter accurate data might use Move to History directly from work orders, skipping review entirely. Some plants use review only for high-cost work orders or work involving critical equipment, letting routine low-cost work skip review. Antero’s user permissions allow customization: restrict operators to Move to Review only, or give them access to both buttons based on role.
Typical errors caught in review
Common mistakes caught during work order review process: parts quantities entered as 10 instead of 1 (decimal point errors), labor hours logged as total time on-site instead of wrench time actually working, wrong parts selected from inventory lists, incomplete operator notes leaving no record of what was done, missing downtime entries for equipment that was offline. Each error, if finalized uncorrected, would corrupt data used for budgeting, inventory management, and regulatory reporting.
Set review expectations with your team
For work order review process to work smoothly, communicate expectations clearly. Operators should know review is not about micromanagement or distrust—it’s quality control, like proofreading before publishing. Supervisors should provide feedback when correcting errors so operators learn and reduce future mistakes. Over time, error rates drop, review becomes faster, and data quality improves across the board.
Use review for training new operators
When onboarding new maintenance staff, requiring all their work orders to go through Move to Review creates a learning opportunity. Supervisors review work orders daily, catch errors while they’re fresh, and coach operators on correct data entry practices. After a few weeks of consistent accuracy, the operator can graduate to direct Move to History for routine work. This phased approach builds confidence and competence without risking bad data early in training.
Review doesn’t affect operator productivity metrics
Work orders moved to review are considered “complete” from the operator’s perspective. Productivity metrics can count them as finished work. The supervisor’s review step is separate and doesn’t penalize the operator’s completion rate. This matters for plants tracking operator performance—review is a data quality gate, not a work completion gate.
Balance review workload
If every work order requires supervisor review, review becomes a bottleneck. Supervisors spend all day checking work orders instead of planning future work or solving problems. Balance the workload by setting thresholds: only review work orders over $500 in parts costs, or only review work on critical equipment, or only review work by new operators. Let routine low-risk work orders skip review and go straight to history. Antero’s flexibility supports any combination that fits your plant’s needs.
Why this process improves data quality
Bad data compounds over time. One incorrect parts entry doesn’t matter. Hundreds of incorrect entries destroy inventory accuracy and make reports worthless. Work order review process is the quality control gate that keeps your CMMS data trustworthy, which keeps maintenance management decisions grounded in reality instead of garbage data.
Next Steps: Implement work order quality control in Antero →
