A work order is a document which authorizes the production of manufactured items. Work orders can exist in five different states—from creation to completion. The five different states of work orders are listed below:
Open (O): This is the initial state a work order receives when it is first created.
Exploded (E): A work order is considered exploded once it has been opened and its accompanying work order material requirement and work order operations have also been created.
Released (R): This state describes a work order that has been released to the shop floor.
In-process (I): This is the state a work order reaches when work order material requirements have been issued to it.
Closed (C): The final state of a work order occurs when it is closed.
The creation and control of work orders is handled in this section.