Example business: a small workshop maintaining its own machines. The meter-reading example illustrates a schedule; actual intervals and work follow the equipment requirements.
1. What the process covers
Preventive maintenance is planned work intended to reduce problems before equipment fails. Corrective maintenance responds to a fault that has already occurred. Both need a clear equipment reference and work history.
Use the manufacturer’s requirements and qualified advice to choose the schedule. Some equipment is serviced by calendar date, operating hours, usage, or a combination. A software reminder does not decide whether a machine is safe to operate.
2. People and records to keep
On small screens, scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Record | Who uses it | What to keep |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment record | Supervisor | Unique reference, location, responsible person, and relevant manual or service requirements. |
| Maintenance plan | Maintenance lead | Required work, due rule, needed skills, parts, and expected downtime. |
| Work request | Operator or planner | Problem or scheduled task, priority, assigned person, and planned time. |
| Completion record | Authorized technician | Work done, findings, parts, readings, and return-to-service decision. |
3. The everyday workflow
- List the equipment. Give each maintained item a unique reference and responsible owner.
- Set the due rule. Record the service interval and how staff will collect any usage reading.
- Plan the work. Assign a qualified person, arrange parts, and agree downtime with operations.
- Perform and record. Follow the proper work procedures and record findings and parts used.
- Confirm release and next due. Record who authorizes use and calculate the next service using the agreed rule.
4. A small business example
A sample workshop has a machine scheduled for a service at 500 operating hours. Its latest confirmed reading is 480, so 20 operating hours remain before that threshold. The planner checks when the machine is likely to reach it and arranges the work.
If the maintenance policy also has a calendar deadline, the planner considers that deadline too. After service, the technician records what was actually completed. If a fault remains open, the record should not simply show the whole job as complete.
5. Checks and common problems
- Keep breakdown reports distinct from a completed preventive service; the work and due-date effects can differ.
- Do not mark a job complete merely because the scheduled date has passed.
- Record missing parts or external service delays so operations knows why work is waiting.
- Keep the return-to-service decision with an authorized person and retain any required evidence.
- Review repeated faults together instead of opening unrelated repair jobs without history.
6. Start with a simple system
Start with an equipment register, a due list, and a simple work request form. A small application can add reminders, assigned jobs, photos, spare parts usage, and a history of recurring faults.
Pilot the most important equipment first. Review overdue work, unplanned downtime, repeat faults, and the time equipment waits for parts. Keep the measures defined so a cancelled job is not counted as completed maintenance.
7. Frequently asked questions
Is preventive maintenance the same as fixing a breakdown?
No. Preventive work is planned before a failure, while corrective work addresses an existing fault. Both should be recorded against the equipment.
Can software choose a universal service interval?
Use the equipment requirements, operating conditions, and qualified advice. Software can track the agreed schedule and readings; it should not invent a safe interval.
When is a maintenance request complete?
When the agreed work and required checks are recorded, unresolved findings are handled, and the appropriate person confirms the resulting equipment status.
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