How to Create and Manage Work Request Templates
Define reusable templates that control how work requests behave once created — whether they need manual approval or carry straight through to an official work order with the right assignees, priority, and parts defaults already applied.
Quick Summary
Go to Settings gear → Work Request Template to create templates that pre-fill request fields, control approval behavior, set carry-through defaults for official work orders, and optionally configure parts replenishment workflows.
Why Templates Matter
Without templates, every work request follows the same generic path: someone submits it, an approver reviews it, and the approver manually fills in work order details. This works for small teams but breaks down when:
- high-volume requests repeat the same information every time
- low-risk requests waste approver time on routine review
- different request types need different assignees, priorities, or SOPs
- parts replenishment requests need supplier and quantity context carried forward
- form automation routes submissions into work flows that need to be consistent
Templates solve these problems by capturing the operational knowledge once and applying it every time the template is used.
Before You Begin
- You must be an Organization Admin or Owner
- Or have permission to manage work request settings
- Work Request Templates are available on Basic plan and above
Understanding Template Behavior
Every template defines two key things: what happens at submission and what carries into the work order.
Approval Modes
| Mode | What Happens | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Approval gate | Request waits for manual review before a work order is created | High-risk work, unfamiliar request types, requests needing human judgement |
| Straight-through (auto-approve) | Request is approved immediately and the official work order is created with template defaults | Low-risk routine work, trusted request sources, form automation flows |
Template Kinds
| Kind | Purpose |
|---|---|
| General | Standard maintenance requests, fault reports, service requests |
| Parts replenishment | Inventory-driven requests with supplier, quantity, and reorder context |
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Open Work Request Templates
- Click the Settings gear () at the bottom of the sidebar
- Under Work Requests, select Work Request Template
- The template management page shows all existing templates with summary cards
You will see summary counts at the top:
| Card | Shows |
|---|---|
| Templates | Total number of templates |
| Straight-through WO | Templates that auto-approve into work orders |
| Approval gate | Templates that require manual approval |
| Parts replenishment | Templates configured for inventory restocking |
Step 2: Create a New Template
- Click Create Work Request Template (top right)
- The template form opens in a guided flow
Step 3: Fill In Basic Details
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Yes | Template name visible to users (e.g., "Routine HVAC Maintenance") |
| Priority | No | Default priority: None, Low, Medium, or High |
| Location | No | Default location for requests using this template |
| Description | No | When and why to use this template (max 255 characters) |
Step 4: Choose Template Kind
Select the template kind:
| Kind | When to Use |
|---|---|
| General | Most templates — maintenance, fault reports, cleaning, inspections |
| Parts replenishment | When the request is specifically for restocking parts inventory |
If you choose Parts replenishment, additional defaults appear later in the flow.
Step 5: Configure Approval and Carry-Through
This is where you decide how the template behaves once a request is created.
Auto-Approve Toggle
Turn on Auto-approve request if this template should create the official work order immediately without waiting for manual approval.
Use auto-approve for templates where:
- the work is routine and low-risk (e.g., filter replacement, scheduled cleaning)
- the request source is trusted (e.g., form automation with known scope)
- all defaults are pre-configured so no human decision is needed
- the operational team is ready to receive work orders without a review step
Keep the approval gate for templates where:
- the work may be high-cost or high-risk
- the request needs human judgement before committing resources
- priority or assignee may need to change based on current workload
Carry-Through Defaults
When the template creates a work order (either after approval or immediately via auto-approve), these defaults are carried over:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Official WO priority | Priority level on the resulting work order |
| Default assignees | Team members or teams who will receive the work order |
| WO expiry after hours | How many hours before the work order expires |
| Enable work order notifications | Whether the receiving team gets notified when the WO is created or reassigned |
| PTW required | Whether the work order requires Permit To Work controls |
These fields save approvers and operations managers from filling in the same information repeatedly.
Step 6: Configure Parts Replenishment Defaults (Parts Kind Only)
If you selected Parts replenishment as the template kind, additional fields appear:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Preferred supplier | The supplier to use for restocking this part |
| Default replenishment quantity | How many units to reorder |
| Quantity mode | How the quantity is calculated |
Quantity mode options:
| Mode | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Fixed quantity | Always reorder the same amount |
| Reorder gap | Reorder the difference between reorder point and current stock |
| Max minus on-hand | Reorder enough to reach maximum stock level |
These defaults help the operations manager act quickly when a replenishment request arrives instead of looking up supplier and quantity information each time.
Step 7: Save the Template
- Review all settings
- Save the template
- The template appears in the management list
Your template is now available for use in work request creation and form automation routing.
Managing Templates
Template List Columns
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Template subject |
| Kind | General or Parts replenishment |
| Description | Template description |
| Approval & carry-through | Shows whether auto-approved or requires approval |
| Official WO outcome | Summary of what the resulting work order looks like |
| Updated at | Last modification date |
Edit a Template
- Find the template in the list
- Click the Actions menu
- Select Edit
- Make changes and save
Delete a Template
- Find the template in the list
- Click the Actions menu
- Select Delete
- Confirm the deletion
Deleting a template does not affect existing work requests or work orders already created from it. However, any form automation rules pointing to this template will need to be updated.
How Templates Work with Form Automation
Templates become especially powerful when combined with Form Automation. You can:
- Route all form submissions through one template — every response follows the same operational flow
- Route different answers to different templates — use conditional rules so a fault report goes to one template while a cleaning request goes to another
- Use auto-approve templates for trusted flows — when a public form submission should create a work order immediately without human review
When selecting templates in the form automation step, templates marked as straight-through work order path are designed to auto-approve safely and carry defaults into the official work order without a manual stop.
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Routine Filter Replacement with Auto-Approve
Situation: Your facility has a public form for tenants to request air filter replacements. These are routine, low-risk, and should not wait for manual approval.
Solution:
- Create a template named "Filter Replacement"
- Set priority to Medium
- Set default assignees to your HVAC maintenance team
- Turn on Auto-approve request
- Enable work order notifications so the team knows immediately
- Link this template in your form automation
Result: When a tenant submits the filter replacement form, a work request is created and immediately approved. The official work order appears in the HVAC team's queue with the right priority and assignees — no approval bottleneck for routine work.
Example 2: Emergency Plumbing with Approval Gate
Situation: Plumbing emergencies need human review because the cost and scope vary significantly.
Solution:
- Create a template named "Plumbing Emergency"
- Set priority to High
- Keep auto-approve off (approval gate)
- Set default assignees to the plumbing contractor team
- Set WO expiry to a short window (e.g., 4 hours)
Result: The request is flagged as high priority and lands in the approver's queue. The approver can review the situation, adjust scope if needed, and approve when ready. The work order inherits the right team and urgency without the approver retyping everything.
Example 3: Parts Replenishment for HVAC Filters
Situation: When HVAC filter stock drops below reorder point, your team needs a standardized way to request restocking from a preferred supplier.
Solution:
- Create a template with kind Parts replenishment
- Set preferred supplier to your HVAC filter vendor
- Set quantity mode to Reorder gap
- Turn on Auto-approve request if restocking is always approved
- Enable notifications so the inventory team is alerted
Result: When a replenishment request is created (manually or via automation), the template carries supplier context, reorder quantity, and team assignment into the flow. The operations manager can act immediately instead of looking up supplier details.
Plan Requirements
| Plan | Work Request Templates |
|---|---|
| Lite | Not available |
| Basic | Available |
| Professional | Available |
| Enterprise | Available |
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Cannot access templates | Missing admin permissions | Contact your organization admin or owner |
| Template not appearing in form automation | Template may be deleted or not saved | Verify the template exists in Settings → Work Request Template |
| Auto-approve not working | Template has auto-approve disabled | Edit the template and enable Auto-approve request |
| Assignees not carried to work order | Default assignees not set on template | Edit the template and add Default assignees |
| Parts defaults not showing | Template kind is set to General | Change the template kind to Parts replenishment |
Related Articles
- How to Automate Work Requests from Forms
- How to Use Public Request Tracking
- How to Configure Sequence Numbering
- How to Manage Parts and Suppliers
- Settings Overview
Need help? Contact Infodeck Support