Universal repair template
Authorize the investigation. Stop before the repair.
Define the complaint, diagnostic tasks, access, fee or NTE limit, reassembly and restoration, findings report, and the separate customer decision required for repair.
The short answer
Permission to find the problem is not permission to fix anything found.
A diagnostic authorization should be useful even if the result is “source not confirmed within this stage.” Define the deliverable as documented observations, tests completed, access used, current status, findings or remaining hypotheses, and priced next options.
If disassembly or opening is involved, say what may be disturbed, what is consumed, how reassembly or temporary protection works, whether original condition can be restored, and what finish or performance remains excluded.
Universal blank form
Diagnostic work authorization
Use stable project, equipment, and revision IDs so the later repair estimate links back to the exact findings.
Create a diagnostic approval with JobSign →- Customer, site, and authority
- [Customer/owner/manager, property or equipment location, requester, signer, authorized additional-work contact]
- Customer complaint
- [Customer’s words, first noticed, frequency, conditions, affected area/equipment, prior events/work, current status]
- Subject identity
- [System/component/vehicle/appliance/area ID, manufacturer/model/serial/VIN or photos where appropriate]
- Authorized diagnostic tasks
- [Visual/operational tests, readings, scans, isolation, removal, limited opening/disassembly, sample or specialist scope]
- Access and disassembly
- [Exact area/component, maximum opening, consumed seals/parts, reassembly price/time, temporary cover, original-condition limitation]
- Fees and limits
- [Dispatch/minimum, fixed fee, labor/equipment rates, after-hours/travel, included time, NTE, warning threshold, payment]
- Stop conditions
- [Limit reached, different system, unsafe/regulated condition, larger opening, unavailable data/tool/part, permit, specialist required]
- Findings deliverable
- [Observations, tests/results, confirmed vs. unresolved condition, photos/data, current operating/safe status, recommended options]
- Not authorized
- [Repair, replacement, parts, refrigerant, concealment, permanent restoration, code upgrade, additional damage, third-party work]
- Next decision
- [Separate repair/reassembly/access estimate, selected/declined option, deadline, storage/return/temporary status if applicable]
- Approval and copy
- [Authorization statement, names/authority, signatures, dates/timestamps, delivery, linked invoice and repair revision]
Adapt this form to the actual trade, license, safety, product, contract, consumer, estimate, permit, data/privacy, environmental, and jurisdictional requirements. It does not prescribe diagnostic methods.
Five mini examples
Same boundary, different trade.
No-cooling diagnosis only
Authorize normal-hours evaluation of identified indoor/outdoor system, accessible controls, airflow, electrical and operating observations. No parts, refrigerant-circuit service, repair, access cutting, or replacement. Deliver findings and options; stop at diagnostic fee.
Dishwasher leak investigation
Authorize pull-forward only if accessible under stated cabinet/floor assumptions, visual and operational evaluation, and temporary return to safe/status condition within $260. No cabinet/floor modification, plumbing/electrical repair, contaminated-water remediation, part replacement, or guarantee of reinstallation if concealed damage prevents it.
Intermittent circuit complaint
Authorize qualified diagnostic observations and listed non-destructive tests for identified circuit/equipment, coordinated outage, and findings report. No energized repair, new circuit, panel modification, wall opening, device replacement, permit work, or code conclusion. Stop for a different circuit, unsafe condition, or access need.
Ceiling stain source unknown
Authorize accessible fixture/connection observations, listed tests, and one customer-approved opening up to 12 by 12 inches at marked location if needed. Diagnosis and temporary protection only. Pipe repair, drying/remediation, tile/cabinet work, and finish restoration require separate approval.
No-start mobile diagnosis
Authorize dispatch to stated location, vehicle identity/complaint verification, accessible scan and electrical/mechanical diagnostic checks within safe mobile scope, and findings report. No tow, parts, repair, teardown, programming, fuel handling, recovery, or guarantee vehicle can be made operable onsite. Customer controls safe location/access and approves next estimate separately.
Pre-send audit
Seven questions keep diagnosis from becoming unlimited work.
- 01
Is the complaint preserved in the customer’s words?
A reported symptom is not yet a confirmed cause.
- 02
Is the exact system, component, vehicle, or area identified?
Prevent one authorization from silently expanding to the whole property or machine.
- 03
Are permitted tests and access bounded?
Name the maximum opening, disassembly, outage, operation, and specialist scope.
- 04
Can cost stop before the ceiling?
State rates, included time, NTE, what counts, warning threshold, and who may approve more.
- 05
Are reassembly and restoration honest?
Identify consumed parts, temporary protection, time/cost, and original-condition limitations.
- 06
Is the findings deliverable complete?
Require tests, evidence, confirmed/unresolved condition, current status, and next options.
- 07
Does repair require a new yes?
List unauthorized work and link the later estimate, selection, or decline to this diagnostic record.
Research basis
Regulated repair examples reinforce staged consent.
The FTC advises consumers to ask about diagnostic charges and written estimates that identify the condition, parts, anticipated labor, and approval before exceeding a specified time or amount. California BAR provides a detailed state-specific model: teardown estimates identify disassembly, cost, reassembly, consumed parts, restoration limitations, and time; repair then needs a later itemized estimate and authorization.
California automotive rules do not govern every repair trade. Their durable lesson is documentation architecture: specific job, price boundary, recorded authorization, identifiable supplemental records, and additional approval before additional charges or repairs.
- FTC: diagnostic charges and written estimates ↗
- California BAR: estimates, teardown, authorization, and records ↗
- California BAR consumer guide: teardown and additional work ↗
Documentation guidance only, not diagnostic, repair, safety, licensing, consumer-law, warranty, or legal advice. Verify requirements for the actual trade and jurisdiction.
Diagnostic authorization questions
What is a diagnostic work authorization?
Permission for a defined investigation with stated access, fees, limits, findings, exclusions, and stop point before repair scope is known.
Does it include repair?
Not unless a specific repair and price are expressly included. Usually the findings lead to a separate estimate and customer decision.
How should destructive diagnosis work?
Define exact disassembly/opening, consumed parts, reassembly cost/time, restoration limitations, temporary protection, and added-approval trigger.
How is diagnostic cost controlled?
State fixed fee or rates, minimum/travel/after-hours charges, included time, NTE, warning threshold, and stop before exceeding it.
Diagnosis before repair
Give the customer one clear investigation to approve.
JobSign helps repair pros define the diagnostic boundary, attach findings, present the next option, collect signatures, and share the PDF.
Explore repair approvals →