Prevent breakdowns and optimise your business with a maintenance plan

What is a maintenance plan?

Maintenance plan: definition

The maintenance plan is a document that summarises :

• procedures
• resources
• and the planning of maintenance tasks for an asset.

It is drawn up as part of a maintenance strategy, following an analysis phase (audit) of :

• the equipment
• the company's maintenance policy
• and production or service objectives.

Each stage must be scrupulously respected to guarantee the effectiveness of the plan!

Updated regularly, it is incorporated into a maintenance contract in the case of subcontracting.

💡 Each maintenance field must be clearly defined for better organisation!

To help you visualise better, here is an example of a maintenance plan. 👇

What are the 5 types of maintenance?

There are five main types of maintenance, each with its own specific features and applications.

Let's take a closer look at each of them. 👀

#1 Preventive maintenance

Preventive maintenance involves carrying out planned interventions to avoid breakdowns and failures before they occur.

This includes:

• regular inspections,
• meter checks
• cleaning,
• adjustments
• and parts replacement.

#2 Corrective maintenance

Corrective maintenance is carried out after a breakdown or failure has been detected.

Its aim is to restore the equipment to normal operating condition as quickly as possible.

#3 Conditional maintenance

Also known as predictive maintenance, conditional maintenance is the set of technical operations programmed to anticipate malfunctions according to certain criteria:

• regulatory provisions requiring periodic checks on certain equipment or infrastructures to comply with standards,
• Manufacturers' recommendations, which are very important for applying the warranty or quality assurance in the event of a breakdown;
• observations following use: the technical behaviour of equipment (reports) and feedback from users (user experience).

⚠️ The maintenance plan is an essential part of preventive maintenance. It is called the preventive maintenance plan. It defines the intervals to be respected between each intervention to avoid breakdowns.

There are two sub-types of preventive maintenance:

• Systematic maintenance (according to a schedule or frequency of use),
• conditional maintenance (depending on the condition or state of the equipment).

#4 Improving maintenance

This form of maintenance aims to improve the reliability and performance of equipment by making modifications or improvements based on feedback analysis and user feedback.

#5 Curative maintenance

Corrective maintenance is similar to corrective maintenance. It simply takes a more systematic and planned approach to correcting recurring problems and preventing them from recurring.

Objectives of the maintenance plan

Regardless of the type of maintenance, an intervention can be experienced as a real constraint, whether it is managed in-house or outsourced. 😩

The maintenance plan therefore makes it possible to lay a sound foundation and :

• improve equipment reliability and performance,
• reduce breakdowns,
• reduce maintenance costs,
• avoid any loss of production, time and money,
• maintain contractual or regulatory quality of service,
• ensure staff safety,
• optimise stock management and the purchase of replacement parts,
• coordinate work and ensure good relations between the customer and the service provider,
• guarantee customer satisfaction,
• monitor the progress of equipment and summarise instructions.

The challenges of maintenance

Maintenance represents a major item of expenditure in certain sectors that require equipment specific to production:

• industrial maintenance
• pharmaceutical
• food processing
• petrochemicals
• aeronautics,
• hydraulics,
• construction, etc.

Without equipment in good working order, these activities are seriously handicapped and customer satisfaction is severely tested. 😮‍💨

The motivation and commitment of employees must also be taken into account: if equipment is not in good working order - the daily tools used by employees - working conditions and the human climate are clearly degraded.

What should be included in the maintenance plan?

Implementing maintenance requires rigour. 🤓

The maintenance plan is no exception to the rule! Zoom in on the contents. 👇

General and responsible information

• Date drawn up ;
• Location
• Those responsible for drafting, checking and approving.

Equipment concerned

• Its rate of use (number of hours of use/operation per day),
• its performance
• the condition to be maintained
• history,
• the failure rate observed,
• the existence of insurance or a guarantee.

Personnel and context

• The skills and availability of the technical staff;
• the context in which the maintenance plan was drawn up: receipt of spare parts, breakdowns, etc.

Objective and inventory of work

• The objective of the maintenance plan;
• the inventory of work to be carried out: the list of tasks to be carried out, with designations, frequency (according to the manufacturer's instructions and history) and resources.

Planning and monitoring recommendations

• the maintenance schedule, including :
  • their nature: inspections, checks, visits, repairs, etc. ;
  • their operating mode ;
  • the resources required ;
  • diagrams if necessary;
  • instructions for preparing the installation and the worksite;
• follow-up recommendations, including the report and the information to be entered into the tool (CMMS or other).

A work order will be drawn up for each job scheduled in the maintenance plan.

See all software CMMS

How do you draw up a maintenance plan? 5 key steps

#0 The prerequisites for effective maintenance

First and foremost, you need a number of things:

• competent human resources
• material and technical resources (monitoring, software, etc.),
• Good communication between service providers and customers, or between the maintenance team and the production team,
• good internal organisation :
  • appointment of a maintenance manager
  • good internal communication,
  • definition of a maintenance policy, etc.

#1 Define preventive operations

The first step is to identify and define the preventive maintenance operations required for each piece of equipment.

• Manufacturer's recommendations: follow the specific recommendations to ensure the longevity and performance of the equipment.
• Regulations: comply with standards and legal obligations to guarantee safety and compliance.
• Equipment behaviour: analyse historical data and trends to anticipate maintenance needs.

#2 Define systematic maintenance operations

This stage involves structuring regular maintenance operations by specifying :

• the frequency, by drawing up a schedule for recurring operations ;
• the resources required, including equipment and personnel;
• step-by-step procedures for each operation;
• the chronology, by organising the tasks sequentially to optimise efficiency.

#3 Define conditional and predictive maintenance operations

It is important to plan interventions based on the actual condition of the equipment. ☝️

• Parameters: identify the variables to be monitored (temperature, vibration, etc.).
• Alarm thresholds: determine the limits that will trigger action.
• Data acquisition method: set up systems to collect and analyse data continuously.
• Frequency: plan regular checks based on the data collected.

#4 Draw up a preventive maintenance file

Centralise all relevant information in a comprehensive file, including :

• technical details and maintenance history
• strategies and stages for each type of intervention
• documentation of work carried out to ensure traceability.

#5 Determine the optimum workload

Finally, it is crucial to calculate and optimise the workload to ensure effective maintenance. 💪

• Workload assessment: analyse the time and resource requirements for each operation.
• Resource optimisation: allocate resources to avoid overloads and under-utilisation.
• Monitoring and adjustment: continually evaluate and adjust plans based on feedback and developments.

Tools for monitoring your maintenance plan

Forget Excel spreadsheets and paper forms, maintenance policies are tending to be digitised through the use of mobile tools and cloud-based solutions.

Time-saving, traceability, data analysis and real-time monitoring make it much easier to keep track of maintenance work and compliance with the maintenance plan.

And if you're already convinced, the choice is yours! Here is our selection based on three types of software: service management software, CMMS software and data analytics software.

Job and route management software

Job management software enables service providers, particularly in maintenance, to :

• optimise the organisation and planning of work,
• facilitate monitoring and communication between the various stakeholders: activity managers, teams in the field and customers,
• simplify maintenance documentation (dematerialised work orders, addition of photos and attachments, transmission of work reports, etc.).

BigChange

BigChange, the leader in service management software, is aimed at all companies managing breakdown, maintenance or installation operations.

Drag-and-drop scheduling simplifies the organisation of rounds and saves time. Field teams can access the schedule via the mobile application.

On their smartphones, technicians can consult the history of their work, access data on the equipment to be maintained or check the stock of spare parts. The entire maintenance operation is traced step by step, so that the work order can be printed out automatically.

Go paperless with BigChange! The software digitises the entire commercial and operational chain, from the first call for service to the final invoice. Its strength lies in its CRM module, which improves customer relations and follow-up: you can manage your maintenance contracts and recurring maintenance deadlines, consult your customers' equipment and carry out all your commercial management without changing tools.

Ermeo

Ermeo is an intuitive, no-code web and mobile solution that helps you manage your work, making it ever more efficient. Get full visibility and traceability of actions carried out in the field thanks to dashboards, so you can prioritise and optimise your work more effectively, and keep your equipment up to date.

During their rounds, operatives can easily access all the equipment documentation directly on their mobile or tablet, as well as their work orders and the history of interventions to optimise the time spent in the field.

They enter technical information, photos and observations directly into the Ermeo application, using standardised, dynamic forms. Inspection reports are then automatically generated and sent to the relevant managers.

This means that operators can spend more time on value-added tasks where their expertise is required, and less time on administrative tasks. As a result, Ermeo users are reducing their re-intervention rate by 70%, and improving operational efficiency by 20%.

Kizeo Forms

Kizeo Forms is another solution on the market. Its purpose is to help you digitise and standardise all your documentation, whether you are a service provider or an in-house maintenance manager, whatever your sector of activity.

Create your own forms (work reports, delivery notes, site monitoring, etc.), transmit information in real time to your teams, automatically generate your reports in Word or Excel format and share them with your customers.

The solution also offers features such as automatic geolocation, electronic signature and time-stamping of photos.
Customisable, Kizeo Forms also allows you to integrate your customer or product databases on its platform, for more complete management.

Praxedo

Praxedo is a service management solution used by more than 40,000 users who handle 100,000 interventions every day. Dedicated to companies with mobile technicians, the software offers an advanced web-based planning interface and a comprehensive mobile application that works even off-network to adapt to the environment of technicians in the field.

The software takes preventive maintenance into account, with detailed information on each intervention, such as the technicians involved, the equipment used, the stock of spare parts, any anomalies detected, etc. Access the history of interventions in just a few clicks on an ergonomic, easy-to-use interface to save time and increase efficiency.

Other features, such as real-time monitoring of the progress of the work, electronic signatures and the ability to send work reports in charted PDF format, are a real plus for your customer satisfaction and your brand image. The application also takes into account last-minute planning and adapts in real time, depending on the availability and skills of the technicians, to ensure rapid response.

CMMS software

Computer-aided maintenance management software, or CMMS, specialises in the predictive and corrective maintenance of equipment. Like work management software, it offers functions such as personnel management, scheduling, work requests and follow-up.

It can also be used to organise preventive and regulatory interventions, equipment management, stock management, purchasing and reporting.

openGST

openGST, for example, is a practical, intuitive CMMS software package with an unlimited number of users. This solution is aimed at all types of businesses (maintenance companies, property managers, retail chains, etc.) that want to manage their maintenance plans as effectively as possible.

openGST's ergonomic design includes a service module for prioritising and tracking service calls, as well as scheduling service personnel and recording tasks.

In addition, a mobile application has been developed to enable users to report problems with their equipment directly to this service module. As a result, communication is more fluid and responsiveness is improved.

Twimm

Other CMMS software specialises in a particular sector of activity. Take Twimm, for example, which helps property companies to optimise the maintenance process, carry out work and reduce associated costs.

Teams in the field are equipped with the mobile application, which is updated in real time with the platform as schedules are modified and work is requested.

It also offers a maintenance contract management module, a quotation/invoicing module and an energy management module (monitoring the energy consumption and performance of buildings).

Data analytics software

Smart maintenance, or connected maintenance, is in a different league and meets much more advanced needs. If you're looking for a predictive maintenance solution, predictive analysis software is the way to go.

InUse combines a form of CMMS with advanced analysis of machine data using IoT (Internet of Things) and predictive algorithms.
Specialising in the industrial sector, the solution enables the right procedures to be triggered at the right times, for optimum efficiency and reduced maintenance costs.

You can view your machine data using sensors installed on sensitive equipment.
Based on the data collected, you decide whether to trigger immediate action in the field or to suggest future action to operators on site, depending on the production context, by guiding them through checklists.

See all software CMMS

Maintenance, a strategic factor in your productivity

Whether you're in production or in the provision of services, your equipment ensures that you maintain a high-quality offering and that your customers are satisfied. One breakdown, one delay, and the whole company suffers.

The maintenance plan has a decisive role to play in anticipating potential problems and looking after your assets. Rather than being reactive, it enables you to be proactive.
Yes, it requires a bit of budget and time, but neglecting this aspect can be costly to your brand image, your competitiveness and the motivation of your teams. Your productivity, in short.

Adopt a paperless management tool and let us know how much you've saved!