Introduction
Field work is rarely performed by a single technician. Whether restoring power after a storm, performing maintenance on critical assets, conducting inspections, or executing large-scale repairs, organizations depend on crews working together to complete work safely and efficiently.
While work is often assigned to a crew, mobile work execution has traditionally focused on individual technicians. This creates challenges around visibility, collaboration, work execution, and effort reporting.
To address these challenges, Maximo Mobile Technician now introduces Crew Work Order Support, enabling technicians to access, execute, and report work assigned to their crew directly from the mobile application.
Industry Problem
Why Crew-Based Work Creates Unique Challenges.
Across industries such as Utilities, Oil & Gas, Transportation, Manufacturing, and Facilities Management, work is frequently assigned to crews rather than individuals.
Typical Crew Structure
👨💼 Crew Supervisor
👷 Crew Members
Common Operational Questions
- Who can access crew-assigned work?
- Can work continue when the supervisor is unavailable?
- How should multiple contributors report their effort?
- How do organizations handle changing workforce availability?
Business Impact
Without dedicated crew support, organizations often experience:
- Delays in work execution
- Limited visibility into assignments
- Dependence on specific individuals
- Inaccurate or delayed reporting
- Reduced workforce flexibility
The result: crews spend more time coordinating work and less time performing it.
Industry Solution
Crew Work Order Support extends crew-based work execution directly into Maximo Mobile Technician.
What Does This Enable?
✓
View Crew Work Orders
Access all crew-assigned work from a single dedicated list.
✓
Accept, Reject, or Reassign
Manage crew work order assignments without depending on a single person.
✓
Track Travel Activities
Start and stop travel tracking directly from the mobile app.
✓
Execute Work Activities
Run work execution flows for both current and future crew members.
✓
Report Individual or Crew Effort
Flexible labor reporting that adapts to how work was actually performed.
✓
Dynamic Workforce Availability
Support Future Crew Members who become available earlier than planned.
Crew Work Order Display
Meet "Assigned work for crew"
A dedicated Crew Assigned Work Orders list provides visibility into all work assigned to a crew — accessible to every member of that crew directly from the mobile application.
| Role |
Access to My Crew Work Orders |
| Crew Supervisor |
Full access — view and manage all crew work orders |
| Crew Member |
Full access — view and action crew assignments |
| Future Crew Member |
Individual access - view and action as individual member |
- Better visibility into crew assignments
- Shared awareness of upcoming work
- Reduced effort searching for assignments
- Improved collaboration across the crew
Crew Work Order Acceptance, Rejection, or Reassignment
Managing crew assignments should not depend on a single individual. Maximo Mobile Technician distributes assignment management across crew roles.
| Action |
Crew Supervisor |
Crew Member |
Future Crew Member |
| Accept |
Yes |
Yes |
— |
| Reject |
Yes |
Yes |
— |
| Reassign |
Yes |
— |
— |
A crew member arriving on-site before the supervisor can immediately accept the assignment and prepare for execution — eliminating unnecessary delays.
Crew Work Order Actions
Once a Crew Work Order has been accepted, technicians need the ability to execute and track work activities.
| Action |
Crew Supervisor |
Crew Member |
Future Crew Member |
| Start Travel |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Stop Travel |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Start Work |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Stop Work |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Offline Capability — Work Anywhere, Connected or Not
All four actions — Start Travel, Stop Travel, Start Work, and Stop Work — are fully supported in offline mode. Field crews operating in remote locations, underground facilities, or areas with limited connectivity can continue executing and tracking work without interruption. Actions are queued locally and automatically synchronized with Maximo when connectivity is restored.
No connectivity? No problem. Crew work execution continues seamlessly — data syncs automatically when back online.
Real-World Scenario
Imagine a technician who is scheduled to join a crew next week. Another assignment finishes early, additional support is needed, and the technician becomes available today.
Instead of waiting for assignment dates to change, they can immediately start travel, start work, stop work, and stop travel — all from the mobile app.
This enables organizations to quickly leverage available resources while maintaining proper assignment ownership.
Greater workforce agility. Faster response. Better utilization of available resources.
Labor Reporting from Report Work Page
Executing work is only part of the story. Capturing labor report accurately is equally important.
The Report Work page now includes a switch control that allows users to choose how they want to report effort — adapting to the way crews actually work.
| Reporting Mode |
Description |
Best For |
| Individual |
Report effort for yourself only |
Independent activities, Future Crew Members |
| Crew |
Report effort for multiple crew members simultaneously |
Crew-based execution, coordinated team activities, simplified reporting |
Individual Labor Reporting
Best for
- Independent activities
- Individual contributions
- Future Crew Members
Crew Labor Reporting
Best for
- Crew-based execution
- Coordinated team activities
- Recording effort for multiple crew members
- Simplified crew reporting
A technician may perform independent work in the morning and contribute to a crew activity later in the day. Instead of forcing users into a single reporting model, Maximo Mobile Technician allows them to choose the method that best reflects how the work was actually performed.
Because effort reporting should adapt to the way crews work — not the other way around.
Benefits
✓
Better Visibility
View all crew-assigned work orders directly from mobile. No more searching across systems to find what your crew is working on.
✓
Improved Collaboration
Supervisors and crew members work together seamlessly. Shared access to assignments keeps the whole team aligned.
✓
Faster Work Execution
Eliminate role-based delays and start work sooner. Any crew member can accept and begin execution without waiting.
✓
Mobile-First Experience
Assignments, travel, work, and reporting in one app. Designed for field technicians on the move.
✓
Flexible Labor Reporting
Report effort individually or for the entire crew. Adapts to how work was actually performed in the field.
✓
Accurate Contribution Tracking
Capture each technician's labor report with precision. Every contribution is recorded against the right work order.
✓
Greater Workforce Flexibility
Adapt quickly to changing crew availability. Future crew members can contribute as soon as they are free.
✓
Offline-Ready Operations
Work in remote areas without interruption. All actions sync automatically once connectivity is restored.
Guide on Customizing Behavior
Organizations may choose to customize Crew Work Order list based on their implementation requirements.
Why Datasource Name Needs to Be Updated in appDefaults.js
Crew Work Order functionality relies on the crewDsList property defined in APP_DEFAULTS inside appDefaults.js. This property holds the list of crew datasources — each containing only crew-assigned work orders — and controls which assignment is prioritised when a work order is assigned to both a crew and an individual labor who is also part of that crew.
When datasource names are customized, update the crewDsList array in appDefaults.js to reflect the correct datasource name so that Crew Work Order retrieval and actions continue to function correctly.
Required only when implementing custom datasources or custom naming conventions.
Code Snippet for Reference
appDefaults.js
const APP_DEFAULTS = {
// This is list of Crew Datasources with crew saved query and each Datasource should contain only crew work orders
// It will prioritise the assignment type crew first above individual assignment
// This case will help when work order is assigned to Crew as well as individual labor and labor is part of crew as well.
crewDsList: ["crewAssignedWODS"]
}
Crew Enablement Configuration
To enable this feature, ensure Crew Operations are turned on in the Technician App configuration and that support for crew-based workflows is activated. Without these settings, crew work orders will not be visible or actionable in the mobile app.
Summary
Crew-based work is a reality across many industries, but mobile experiences have traditionally focused on individual assignments. Crew Work Order Support in Maximo Mobile Technician bridges that gap.
Key Highlights
- Crew Work Order Visibility
- Accept, Reject, and Reassign Actions
- Travel and Work Execution Support
- Individual and Crew Labor Reporting
- Dynamic Workforce Support
- Offline-Ready Operations
- Improved Collaboration and Productivity
One Crew. One Work Order. One Seamless Experience.
Whether you're a Crew Supervisor coordinating work, a Crew Member executing assignments, or a Future Crew Member contributing earlier than planned — Crew Work Order Support ensures everyone has the visibility and capabilities needed to keep work moving forward.
Because successful field operations are built on teamwork — and now Maximo Mobile Technician is too.
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