Maximo Open Forum

Maximo provides a warning out of the box when a work order is closed that is referenced on a PO that is not fully received. You could add additional logic (such as an automation script) to fully prevent this status change if desired. 

Generally, I recommend customers don't close work orders via a manual process. I've seen too many situations where users bulk close work orders and there's no good way to recover them. Edit history can be used but it's quite painful. Normally I recommend an escalation that looks for things like the work order is in a COMP status, has not been modified in X days (30, 90, etc.), is not referenced on an open PO, etc. 

I agree wholeheartedly with Steven.  Remove the Close Work Order action from (almost) all users, except for Sys Admins and MAYBE a Power User you really trust to understand the whole Work Order lifecycle.  Create an Escalation to do the Close action.  Set the Escalation's WHERE clause to affect only WOs that don't have anything left "open" -- unapproved Labor Transactions; references in MRs, PRs, POs, or Invoices where those records aren't closed out; possibly even if it has Children WOs with any of those same symptoms; etc.

Maximo provides a warning out of the box when a work order is closed that is referenced on a PO that is not fully received. You could add additional logic (such as an automation script) to fully prevent this status change if desired. 

Generally, I recommend customers don't close work orders via a manual process. I've seen too many situations where users bulk close work orders and there's no good way to recover them. Edit history can be used but it's quite painful. Normally I recommend an escalation that looks for things like the work order is in a COMP status, has not been modified in X days (30, 90, etc.), is not referenced on an open PO, etc. 

Maximo provides a warning out of the box when a work order is closed that is referenced on a PO that is not fully received. You could add additional logic (such as an automation script) to fully prevent this status change if desired. 

Generally, I recommend customers don't close work orders via a manual process. I've seen too many situations where users bulk close work orders and there's no good way to recover them. Edit history can be used but it's quite painful. Normally I recommend an escalation that looks for things like the work order is in a COMP status, has not been modified in X days (30, 90, etc.), is not referenced on an open PO, etc. 

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Steven Shull
Naviam
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Thank you @Steven Shull. Does that mean then that you would filter out COMP work orders from the List View screen in Work Order Tracking or Quick Reporting?  

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Danny Richardson
Maximo Administrator Manager
Technimark LLC
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-29-2025 10:48
From: Steven Shull
Subject: OPEN PO Alert before Closing a WO

Maximo provides a warning out of the box when a work order is closed that is referenced on a PO that is not fully received. You could add additional logic (such as an automation script) to fully prevent this status change if desired. 

Generally, I recommend customers don't close work orders via a manual process. I've seen too many situations where users bulk close work orders and there's no good way to recover them. Edit history can be used but it's quite painful. Normally I recommend an escalation that looks for things like the work order is in a COMP status, has not been modified in X days (30, 90, etc.), is not referenced on an open PO, etc. 

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Steven Shull
Naviam

I recently had a similar requirement while migrating our triggers off our DB into automation scripts. It's an launch point on the status attribute. Here is a starter template for what I came up with. I'm still testing it before moving into production. But I think it's pretty close to the workflow that you're looking for. 

With that said, we don't allow our users to manually close work orders.  All they can do is put them into a "Completed" status. We then have a batch job that will run 90 days after they are in that status to finally close them.

from psdi.server import MXServerfrom psdi.util import MXApplicationException# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------# Script Name: VAL_WO_STATUS# Launch Point: Attribute - WORKORDER.STATUS - Validate# Logic: Prevents Close/Bill/Cancel if open Children or POs exist.# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------# 1. Define the "Gatekeeper" statusesstop_statuses = ['CLOSE', 'BILLPREP', 'CAN', 'COMP']# Get the status the user is trying to change to.# Return the NEW value currently in memory.pendingStatus = mbo.getString("STATUS")if pendingStatus in stop_statuses:    # 2. PM Bypass Rule    #    If this WO came from a PM (Preventive Maintenance), we skip all checks.    pmnum = mbo.getString("PMNUM")        if not pmnum:                # Get current WO details        wonum = mbo.getString("WONUM")        siteid = mbo.getString("SITEID")                # ---------------------------------------------------------        # CHECK 1: Open Child Work Orders        # ---------------------------------------------------------        where_children = "parent = '{}' and siteid = '{}' and status not in ('CAN','CLOSE','BILLPREP')".format(wonum, siteid)                childSet = MXServer.getMXServer().getMboSet("WORKORDER", mbo.getUserInfo())        childSet.setWhere(where_children)                if not childSet.isEmpty():            # We found open children! Stop the user.            params = [wonum]             # Ensure "openchildren" exists in Database Config > Messages            raise MXApplicationException("workorder", "openchildren", params)                    childSet.close()        # ---------------------------------------------------------        # CHECK 2: Open Purchase Orders (Directly on this WO)        # ---------------------------------------------------------        where_po = "refwo = '{}' and siteid = '{}' and exists (select 1 from po where po.ponum=poline.ponum and po.revisionnum=poline.revisionnum and po.siteid=poline.siteid and po.status not like 'C%' and po.status <> 'REVISD')".format(wonum, siteid)                poLineSet = MXServer.getMXServer().getMboSet("POLINE", mbo.getUserInfo())        poLineSet.setWhere(where_po)                if not poLineSet.isEmpty():            service.error("po", "openpo_on_wo")            # raise MXApplicationException("po", "openpo_on_wo")                    poLineSet.close()        # ---------------------------------------------------------        # CHECK 3: Open POs on Child Work Orders        # ---------------------------------------------------------        where_child_po = "refwo in (select wonum from workorder where parent='{}' and siteid='{}') and siteid = '{}' and exists (select 1 from po where po.ponum=poline.ponum and po.revisionnum=poline.revisionnum and po.siteid=poline.siteid and po.status not like 'C%' and po.status <> 'REVISD')".format(wonum, siteid, siteid)                childPoSet = MXServer.getMXServer().getMboSet("POLINE", mbo.getUserInfo())        childPoSet.setWhere(where_child_po)                if not childPoSet.isEmpty():            service.error("po", "openpo_on_childwo")            # raise MXApplicationException("po", "openpo_on_childwo")                    childPoSet.close()                # ---------------------------------------------------------        # CHECK 4: Open Purchase Requisitions (Directly on this WO)        # ---------------------------------------------------------        # Checks PRLINEs linked to this WO where the PR header is not Closed (CLOSE) or Cancelled (CAN)        where_pr = "refwo = '{}' and siteid = '{}' and exists (select 1 from pr where pr.prnum=prline.prnum and pr.siteid=prline.siteid and pr.status not like 'C%')".format(wonum, siteid)                prLineSet = MXServer.getMXServer().getMboSet("PRLINE", mbo.getUserInfo())        prLineSet.setWhere(where_pr)                if not prLineSet.isEmpty():            service.error("pr", "openpr_on_wo")            # raise MXApplicationException("pr", "openpr_on_wo")                    prLineSet.close()        # ---------------------------------------------------------        # CHECK 5: Open PRs on Child Work Orders        # ---------------------------------------------------------        where_child_pr = "refwo in (select wonum from workorder where parent='{}' and siteid='{}') and siteid = '{}' and exists (select 1 from pr where pr.prnum=prline.prnum and pr.siteid=prline.siteid and pr.status not like 'C%')".format(wonum, siteid, siteid)                childPrSet = MXServer.getMXServer().getMboSet("PRLINE", mbo.getUserInfo())        childPrSet.setWhere(where_child_pr)                if not childPrSet.isEmpty():            service.error("pr", "openpr_on_childwo")            # raise MXApplicationException("pr", "openpr_on_childwo")                    childPrSet.close()

Thank you @Brett Coleman.  I appreciate you sharing the script as a possible starting point.  How do you handle users seeing most recent, relative work orders if work orders stay on the list view for 90 days?  Do you teach them how to filter or do you have an automatic filter set up?

I recently had a similar requirement while migrating our triggers off our DB into automation scripts. It's an launch point on the status attribute. Here is a starter template for what I came up with. I'm still testing it before moving into production. But I think it's pretty close to the workflow that you're looking for. 

With that said, we don't allow our users to manually close work orders.  All they can do is put them into a "Completed" status. We then have a batch job that will run 90 days after they are in that status to finally close them.

from psdi.server import MXServerfrom psdi.util import MXApplicationException# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------# Script Name: VAL_WO_STATUS# Launch Point: Attribute - WORKORDER.STATUS - Validate# Logic: Prevents Close/Bill/Cancel if open Children or POs exist.# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------# 1. Define the "Gatekeeper" statusesstop_statuses = ['CLOSE', 'BILLPREP', 'CAN', 'COMP']# Get the status the user is trying to change to.# Return the NEW value currently in memory.pendingStatus = mbo.getString("STATUS")if pendingStatus in stop_statuses:    # 2. PM Bypass Rule    #    If this WO came from a PM (Preventive Maintenance), we skip all checks.    pmnum = mbo.getString("PMNUM")        if not pmnum:                # Get current WO details        wonum = mbo.getString("WONUM")        siteid = mbo.getString("SITEID")                # ---------------------------------------------------------        # CHECK 1: Open Child Work Orders        # ---------------------------------------------------------        where_children = "parent = '{}' and siteid = '{}' and status not in ('CAN','CLOSE','BILLPREP')".format(wonum, siteid)                childSet = MXServer.getMXServer().getMboSet("WORKORDER", mbo.getUserInfo())        childSet.setWhere(where_children)                if not childSet.isEmpty():            # We found open children! Stop the user.            params = [wonum]             # Ensure "openchildren" exists in Database Config > Messages            raise MXApplicationException("workorder", "openchildren", params)                    childSet.close()        # ---------------------------------------------------------        # CHECK 2: Open Purchase Orders (Directly on this WO)        # ---------------------------------------------------------        where_po = "refwo = '{}' and siteid = '{}' and exists (select 1 from po where po.ponum=poline.ponum and po.revisionnum=poline.revisionnum and po.siteid=poline.siteid and po.status not like 'C%' and po.status <> 'REVISD')".format(wonum, siteid)                poLineSet = MXServer.getMXServer().getMboSet("POLINE", mbo.getUserInfo())        poLineSet.setWhere(where_po)                if not poLineSet.isEmpty():            service.error("po", "openpo_on_wo")            # raise MXApplicationException("po", "openpo_on_wo")                    poLineSet.close()        # ---------------------------------------------------------        # CHECK 3: Open POs on Child Work Orders        # ---------------------------------------------------------        where_child_po = "refwo in (select wonum from workorder where parent='{}' and siteid='{}') and siteid = '{}' and exists (select 1 from po where po.ponum=poline.ponum and po.revisionnum=poline.revisionnum and po.siteid=poline.siteid and po.status not like 'C%' and po.status <> 'REVISD')".format(wonum, siteid, siteid)                childPoSet = MXServer.getMXServer().getMboSet("POLINE", mbo.getUserInfo())        childPoSet.setWhere(where_child_po)                if not childPoSet.isEmpty():            service.error("po", "openpo_on_childwo")            # raise MXApplicationException("po", "openpo_on_childwo")                    childPoSet.close()                # ---------------------------------------------------------        # CHECK 4: Open Purchase Requisitions (Directly on this WO)        # ---------------------------------------------------------        # Checks PRLINEs linked to this WO where the PR header is not Closed (CLOSE) or Cancelled (CAN)        where_pr = "refwo = '{}' and siteid = '{}' and exists (select 1 from pr where pr.prnum=prline.prnum and pr.siteid=prline.siteid and pr.status not like 'C%')".format(wonum, siteid)                prLineSet = MXServer.getMXServer().getMboSet("PRLINE", mbo.getUserInfo())        prLineSet.setWhere(where_pr)                if not prLineSet.isEmpty():            service.error("pr", "openpr_on_wo")            # raise MXApplicationException("pr", "openpr_on_wo")                    prLineSet.close()        # ---------------------------------------------------------        # CHECK 5: Open PRs on Child Work Orders        # ---------------------------------------------------------        where_child_pr = "refwo in (select wonum from workorder where parent='{}' and siteid='{}') and siteid = '{}' and exists (select 1 from pr where pr.prnum=prline.prnum and pr.siteid=prline.siteid and pr.status not like 'C%')".format(wonum, siteid, siteid)                childPrSet = MXServer.getMXServer().getMboSet("PRLINE", mbo.getUserInfo())        childPrSet.setWhere(where_child_pr)                if not childPrSet.isEmpty():            service.error("pr", "openpr_on_childwo")            # raise MXApplicationException("pr", "openpr_on_childwo")                    childPrSet.close()