Maintenance Planning in Production and Operation Management

Planning of maintenance jobs basically deals with answering two questions, ‘what’ and ‘How’ of the job; ‘what activities are to be done?’ and ‘how those jobs and activities are to be done?’ While answering these two questions, other supplementary questions are to be answered, e.g., ‘where the jobs is to be done?’ and ‘why the job is to be done?’ etc., but all these will be helping in developing ‘what’ and ‘how’ of the job. It is very essential that engineering knowledge must be applied extensively to maintenance jobs for development of appropriate job plans using most suited techniques, tools materials and special facilities etc.

As the job planning forms the basic foundations, over which the efficiency and cost of actions depends, persons responsible for job planning should have adequate capabilities, such as, knowledge about jobs and available techniques, facilities and resources, analytical ability, conceptual logical ability and judgmental courage etc.

Steps of Job Planning

The main steps to be followed for proper job planning are:

1. Knowledge base: It includes knowledge about equipment, job, available techniques, materials and facilities.
2. Job investigation at site: It gives a clear perception of the total jobs.
3. Identify and document the work: Knowing the earlier two steps and knowing the needs of preventive, predictive and other maintenance jobs.
4. Development of repair plan: Preparation of step by step procedures which would accomplish the work with the most economical use of time, manpower and material.
5. Preparation tools and facilities list indicating the needs of special tools, tackles and facilities needed.
6. Estimation of time required to do the job with work measurement technique and critical path analysis.

Source: KumarAnil, Suresh N. (2009), Production and operations management, New Age International Pvt Ltd; 2nd Ed. edition.