Priority

Priority defines the urgency and importance of a Work Order or Work Request. It helps planners and technicians decide what work needs attention first and supports effective planning, scheduling, and resource allocation in Samurai CMMS.

Priorities are used for visibility, filtering, and planning guidance. They do not automatically change scheduling or status.

What Priority is

Priority is a classification applied to a Work Order or Work Request to indicate how urgent the work is.

Samurai CMMS includes default Priorities:

• None
• Low
• Medium
• High

These can be customised to suit organisational requirements and workflows.

Priority fields

The following fields are used when configuring Priorities.

The Scheduling Lead Time is informational and does not enforce rules.

How Priority works

A Priority is selected on a Work Order or a Work Request.

When a Priority is assigned:

• The Priority Name and Color are shown on the Work Order / Work Request
• The Scheduling Lead Time (Days) is associated with the Work Order / Work Request
• Planners can filter and group Work Orders / Work Request by Priority
• Lead time guidance helps plan parts ordering and scheduling

Priority does not automatically reschedule work or enforce deadlines.

Common uses for Priority

Priority is commonly used to:

• Distinguish urgent work from routine maintenance
• Support daily and weekly planning
• Identify work that requires early parts ordering
• Manage workload across teams
• Filter and sort Work Orders in planning views

Creating and editing Priorities

Priorities are created and managed in the reference tables.

To create or edit a Priority:

1. Navigate to Reference Tables → Work Order Tables → Priority.
2. Select + Add Priority or edit an existing one.
3. Enter the Priority Name.
4. Select a Colour.
5. Enter a Scheduling Lead Time (Days).
6. Save the Priority.

Assigning Priority to Work Requests

Priority is assigned directly on the Work Request.

To assign a Priority to a Work Request:

1. Go to Work Management → Work Requests
2. Click + Add Work Request or edit an existing one.
3. Select the appropriate Priority from the Priority field dropdown.
4. Save the Work Request.

Assigning Priority to Work Orders

Priority is assigned directly on the Work Order.

To assign a Priority to a Work Order:

1. Go to Work Management → Work Orders
2. Click + Add Work Order or Edit an existing one.
3. Select the appropriate Priority from the Priority field dropdown.
4. Save the Work Order.

Where Priority applies

Priority is used in:

• Work Request records
• Work Order records
• Panel and Table views
• Filters and dashboards
• Planning and scheduling workflows

Priority does not apply to Tasks or Events.

Example of Priority in use

A breakdown Work Order is raised for critical equipment.

The planner:

• Sets Priority to High
• Uses the Scheduling Lead Time to identify urgent parts ordering
• Filters the Work Order list by High Priority to manage work

Routine inspections may be set to Low Priority for later scheduling.

Pre-requisites

Before using Priority:

• Priorities must exist in the reference tables
• Users must have permission to edit Work Orders
• Colour and Lead Time conventions should be agreed

Important considerations and best practices

• Use Priority consistently across the organisation
• Avoid creating too many Priority levels
• Use Scheduling Lead Time to support planning conversations
• Do not rely on Priority alone to manage compliance or safety work
• Review High Priority Work Orders regularly
• Changing Priority does not affect historical data

Priority provides a clear, visual way to manage urgency while supporting effective planning and decision-making.