Work order module
Work order management for electrical contractors: every stage owned and timed
ELX is cloud-based work order management software for electrical contractors, hosted and operated by Matrix and used from the browser, with no servers on your side. Your team registers or imports each utility work order, moves it stage by stage to the archive, and can see at any moment who holds it and whether it has passed its time limit.
What does the ELX work order management module do?
Built around the real path of a utility work order, from registration to extract approval.
Full work order records
Subscriber, administrative office, city, district, map location, contract, implementing agency, estimated value and attachments, with automatic numbering and a block on duplicates with the same name and work description.
Bulk import from Excel
Review every row in a grid before saving. ELX lists cities, districts and work descriptions missing from your guides, and on save skips and counts duplicate rows.
Validated relay, automatic routing
Relay checks the relay permission and the mandatory fields, notes and attachments, then routes the order: to permits only when needed, and to Projects or Connections by implementing agency.
Stage lists and distribution queues
Users claim orders from their stage list with Open, or a dispatcher assigns them from the distribution queue to a user in the order’s district. Survey, permit, execution, quality, certificate and drawing assignments trigger an instant in-app alert.
Time limits and delay justifications
A limit in days per stage. Overdue orders are colour-marked and, where settings require it, need a delay justification with files before relay.
Re-assignment
On the re-assignment screen, supervisors see who holds each order in the stage baskets and since when, then move it to another active user or remove the assignment.
Manual stage change with history
Authorised users move an order to any stage from work order to drawing and pick its new handler; a note is mandatory, and each change keeps its old value, new value and date.
Status lookup from the header
Search any order by name or number to see its stage, owner and status, with links to its full report and attachments.
How does your team work on orders day to day?
One shared workflow for the work order team, dispatchers, stage teams and supervisors.
- 1
Register or import
The work order team enters orders or imports an Excel file, then fixes missing or unknown districts with the Check issues tool on the same screen.
- 2
Claim or assign
Users claim orders from their stage list, or a dispatcher assigns them from the distribution queue in manual stages.
- 3
Work the stage and relay
The user records stage data and files, reviews files from earlier stages, and relays once the mandatory fields are complete.
- 4
Watch the time limits
Late orders stand out in stage lists, distribution screens and the dashboard; where justification is mandatory, the owner adds a delay justification with files before relaying.
- 5
Close and archive
After quality, the certificate and drawing, the order joins an extract and is archived automatically when the extract is approved.
Where do work orders get lost when tracking runs on spreadsheets and chats?
Three questions nobody can answer quickly: who holds the order now, how long it has sat in its stage, and why it is late.
ELX keeps every order on one documented path: a current stage, an assigned user, a measured time per stage, a written delay justification where settings require one, and a record of every manual stage change.
- Every order shows its current stage, owner and status.
- Only the assigned user can open an order, unless they hold “Show other users’ data”.
- Each user’s data is scoped to their branches and districts; administrators see all.
- Every manual stage change is kept with its note and date.
What does ELX record on a work order?
The core fields on the work order screen and how each is used later.
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Order name and work description | Identify the order; ELX blocks a duplicate with the same name and work description. |
| Subscriber, mobile and address | Subscriber and mobile appear in the full work order report; the address can be inserted automatically into email correspondence templates. |
| Administrative office, city and district | Choosing the office narrows the city and district lists; the order’s district decides who can be assigned. |
| Map coordinates | Pin the job site on an interactive map; the location can be viewed on the map from the order list. |
| Contract and implementing agency | The agency routes the order to Projects or Connections; each contract keeps its own item list and prices. |
| Estimated value and expected duration | The estimate drives the done-work value; the expected duration sets the days remaining or overdue on stage screens. |
| No-objection number | Entered once on the work order and shown again on the permit screen. |
| Meter data | Subscription number and number of breakers, mandatory before relay when settings require it. |
| Attachments | Gathered with every stage’s files on one screen; download one file or several as a ZIP. |
Work order management FAQ
Can work orders be bulk-imported from Excel?
Yes. In ELX you upload an Excel file with the Import button and review the rows in a grid before saving. ELX flags cities, districts and work descriptions missing from your guides, offers a downloadable gaps report, can apply one branch or contract to all rows, and on save skips rows that duplicate existing orders.
How are work orders distributed to engineers and teams?
In ELX, each stage relays automatically or manually, as the administrator sets it. In automatic stages, a user claims the order from the stage list with Open. In manual stages, the order enters a distribution queue and a dispatcher assigns it to a user listed for the order’s district and stage. For survey, permit, project, connection, quality, certificate and drawing assignments, the assignee gets an instant in-app alert and a browser notification that opens the record directly.
Can I move an order to another user or another stage?
Yes, in two ways. The re-assignment screen lists assigned orders in the stage baskets with the current user and date, and moves any of them to another active user or removes the assignment. The stage change screen moves an order manually to any stage from work order to drawing; a note is mandatory, and the old value, new value and date are logged.
What happens when an order passes its stage time limit?
In ELX, administrators set a limit in days for each stage, counted from relay or from receipt. Past it, the order is colour-marked in the stage list and distribution screen and counted as late on the dashboard; if justification is mandatory, it cannot be relayed until a reason with files is entered. See our guide to work order SLAs.
Is ELX an accounting package or an ERP?
No. ELX is a specialised operations system for utility work orders, from registration through site survey, permits, execution, quality, the achievement certificate, drawing and extracts, with each order tied to its warehouse movements. It has no general ledger, payroll, HR or purchasing. Read ERP or a specialised work order system? to compare.
How do we move from our current Excel sheets to ELX?
There are no servers to set up: ELX is a cloud (SaaS) service hosted and operated by Matrix, and your team uses it from the browser. Matrix migrates your Excel data (work orders, materials and master data), trains your users and tailors screens, reports and stages to your needs. Technical support is on WhatsApp, also reachable from a button in the ELX header. After that, your team imports new orders itself with the Import button. Start by requesting a demo.
Articles about Work order management
Utility Work Order Stages: From Receipt to Archive
A clear guide to utility work order stages: site survey, excavation permit, execution, quality, certificate, drawing and extract, plus the return paths.
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Read articleWork Order SLA: Time Limits and Delay Justifications
Learn what a work order SLA (tazmeen) is, how to set day limits per stage, when to require delay justifications, and how to catch overdue orders early.
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Set user permissions and audit trail rules for a contractor system: rights per screen and action, branch and district scope, and proof of who changed what.
Read articleWork Order KPIs Electrical Contractors Should Track
Work order KPIs for electrical contractors: pending and late orders per stage, execution status and pending extracts, to see where work is stuck and who holds it.
Read articleSaudi PDPL for Contractors: What Systems Must Handle
Saudi PDPL for contractors: subscriber and technician data in work orders, data subject rights, 72-hour breach reporting and questions for your vendor.
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Want to see ELX on your own projects?
Request a demo from our team on WhatsApp and see how work orders, extracts and warehouses run in one system.