The Engineer’s Diary, Off His Desk
A complaint from any department becomes a work order against a location, with a name on it and a closing note. The blocked drain outside the theatre stops waiting behind a fan in the office.
Written in the order they were heard
The maintenance diary is a book on one desk. Complaints go in as they arrive, which is not the order they matter. Nobody above the engineer can see that list, so when the administrator asks what is pending, the answer is whatever he remembers.
What a work order carries
The location, exactly
Ward, floor, block, room or theatre, rather than a description somebody has to interpret at nine at night.
Trade and urgency
Electrical, plumbing, civil, lift, air-conditioning. Each type carries the response time you set for it.
Your engineer or an outside vendor
Lift and air-conditioning work usually leaves the building. The job stays in your queue while the vendor holds it.
Material taken from the store
Pipe, bulbs and fittings issued against the work order, so consumption has somewhere to sit.
Closed with what was done
Not closed with a tick. The note says what was repaired or replaced, and it is still there the next time that tap leaks.
What the administrator sees on Friday
- Jobs past their response time, and who is holding them
- Complaints by location, so the block with a plumbing problem shows itself
- Work still open with an outside vendor, and the AMC it falls under
- Material issued against work orders, ward by ward
- Repeat complaints at the same point, which usually mean a proper repair was never done
Frequently asked questions
Does it schedule preventive maintenance?
Partly, and it is worth being clear. Daily and weekly rounds run as checklists, and whatever fails a check becomes a work order on the spot. Equipment service and AMC dates sit on the machine’s own record. Anything beyond that is worth discussing before you buy.
Can an AMC vendor be given the job directly?
The work order records the vendor it went to and stays open in your queue until your own team closes it with a note. Chasing him on the phone is still a phone call.
Can we see what a repair cost us?
Material issued from the store against each work order is on record, and vendor bills sit with the purchase orders. Labour from your own team is not costed unless you ask for that.
Our engineer is not comfortable with computers.
He works from a phone list of his own jobs, and closing one is a line of text. The administrator then sees the queue without having to ask him for it.
Tell us what you need.
Send a short brief and one of our engineers will come back to you — usually the same day.
- No obligation
- We reply the same working day
- Your details stay private