How to run maintenance cost reports
Requirements
- Available on: Orbit, Odyssey, Cosmos
- Roles: Owner, Admin, Manager
The reports
Go to Dashboard → Reports. Four tabs cover maintenance spend:
| Tab | Answers | Use it to |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | What work has been done, and what is outstanding? | Review activity and backlog |
| Asset Costs | What has each asset cost in total? | Find the expensive individual assets |
| Category Costs | Which classes of asset consume the budget? | Decide where to change your maintenance strategy |
| Dept Costs | Which units are carrying the cost? | Allocate budget and challenge outliers |
All export to CSV, Excel, or PDF.
Where the numbers come from
Every figure traces back to a service record, created either directly or automatically when a work order is closed.
There is no third source. Costs that were never recorded do not appear.
Reading the reports usefully
Start with Category Costs. It tells you which class of asset is absorbing the budget — usually more actionable than a single expensive asset, because it points at a strategy problem rather than a one-off.
Then Asset Costs within that category. Is the whole class expensive, or is one asset dragging the average?
Use Dept Costs for accountability conversations, not for comparisons between departments with different recording habits.
Use the Maintenance tab for the backlog. Outstanding work is a leading indicator; spend is a lagging one.
From report to decision
A high-cost asset is not automatically a replacement candidate. Compare its maintenance spend against its purchase price — that ratio is what cost risk measures, and it is the number that supports a decision.
Common mistakes
Reporting on a period where work orders were left at Completed. Their costs are not in the numbers. Only closed orders write service records.
Reading department comparisons as performance data. They measure recorded spend, which depends on recording discipline.
Ignoring zero-cost records. Warranty work recorded at zero is what proves maintenance happened without spend. Blank costs are a different thing and hide real spend.
Looking at spend without looking at the backlog. Low spend with a growing overdue list is not good news.
Troubleshooting
The cost tabs are locked. Cost analytics need Orbit or above.
Costs look far too low. Check whether work orders are being closed, and whether materials are being logged as materials rather than mentioned in notes.
A department shows no cost. Its assets probably have no department set. Filter the asset list for assets with no department.
I can't see Reports. Viewing reports needs Manager or above.
The Maintenance tab is missing. It needs maintenance access — Orbit or above.
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