Greetings, Community! After conducting data analysis, I have found that many instances of 'breakdowns' are being categorized as 'planned' activities in our CMMS. Essentially, when equipment malfunctions today and we schedule its repair for tomorrow or the following week, it is labeled as a planned task. While this may boost the 'planned versus unplanned' key performance indicator (KPI), it does not accurately represent the actual occurrences in the field. At what point should a breakdown be classified as a planned activity? I would love to hear your insights on this matter. Thank you, Gary.
Hello Slim, I completely agree with your point that failing to plan is essentially planning to fail, even though that's not the intention. I am currently conducting a Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) study and I firmly believe that a breakdown should be considered as an unplanned occurrence. On the other hand, a preventive or predictive maintenance routine is a carefully planned event. The only situation in which a breakdown can be seen as a planned event is when the decision has been made to follow a 'run-to-fail' equipment strategy, and the subsequent failure is expected. I realize that I need to work on persuading the skeptics or those who prioritize aesthetically pleasing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Kind regards, Gary
Hello GLT, there seems to be some confusion between the terms "breakdown" and "planned" breakdown. A breakdown typically refers to an unplanned event or unexpected issue with equipment, while a "planned" breakdown involves activities following predictive maintenance (PdM) work to address potential equipment failures before they occur. Through data analysis, I have identified similar issues arising from operators struggling to differentiate between planned and unplanned maintenance. It is important to establish separate KPIs, with a typical ratio of 90% planned maintenance to 10% unplanned maintenance depending on operational needs. Thank you.
Gary, there is often confusion between Planning and Scheduling among people. Planning involves carefully thinking through the scope, steps, tools, materials, logistics, and procedures needed for a project, while Scheduling involves assigning start and end dates, resources, and ensuring all planned inputs are available. Even when planning for potential breakdowns or adopting a run-to-failure approach, the steps, resources, and necessary preparations can still be planned, with the only uncertainty being the start date. Predictive Maintenance (PdM) focuses on predicting the time of failure to schedule work efficiently. Proper planning is key to enhancing execution quality, and ideally, all tasks should be planned in advance. This can be a one-time effort for routine tasks, potentially revisited periodically. Through methods like RCM studies, we can identify required work and timing, even for strategies like run-to-failure. Effective scheduling minimizes downtime by determining the best timing for tasks and ensuring all necessary components are in place. Adhering to the schedule results in reliable performance. While some breakdowns may be unforeseeable and unlisted in the planned tasks, they can still be scheduled and managed over time with tools like Root Cause Analysis (RCA). The goal is for proactive planned work, including time-based, condition-based, breakdown, and detective tasks, to increase steadily towards perfection. On the other hand, reactive work like unplanned breakdowns should decrease over time. It is important to be cautious of Performance Indicators (PIs) that may be manipulated by certain individuals within management. Authentic performance management focuses on actual performance, not just metrics.
In addition to Vee's insights, it is important to consider the specific measurements you are aiming to achieve with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Job planning can vary depending on whether a failure mode is known or unexpected, or if the work is planned in response to an unplanned breakdown. It is crucial to properly plan and schedule work for efficient maintenance processes. This includes identifying job steps, required parts, tools, equipment, and crafts, as well as ensuring timely availability of resources at the job site. By focusing on proactive versus reactive workloads, such as inspections and preventative maintenance tasks versus breakdown maintenance, you can assess the efficiency of maintenance strategies. By fine-tuning internal KPIs to address specific aspects of the maintenance process, gaps can be identified and closed to drive overall improvement in reliability and cost-effectiveness. Taking a holistic approach to analyzing various KPIs will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the maintenance process.
quote: Through my analysis of data, I was reminded of a time when we enriched our CMMS database with various terms to enhance data analysis. One specific field, Worktype, offered four options: Breakdown Maintenance, Corrective Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, Modification Maintenance, and Other. Initially, Breakdown Maintenance was set as the default due to its placement at the top of the selection box. However, it took some time for us to emphasize the importance of using breakdown in conjunction with the priority field (Emergency, Urgent, Normal, Combined with Shutdown, Turnaround) for optimal results. Perhaps considering the option "planned" as the first choice would be more beneficial. What other alternatives can be considered for this field?
Hi Gary, it's a great point you're raising. In my opinion, the distinction between 'planned' and 'unplanned' activities should pivot around whether or not the maintenance task was identified and scheduled during a routine inspection - not when it is to be performed. If a problem is detected unexpectedly and needs to be addressed, even if the repair isn't immediate, I'd still categorize it as an 'unplanned' event since it wasn't identified in our initial preventative regime. Labeling sudden breakdown repairs as 'planned' may skew our KPIs and falsely present us as having a more proactive strategy than is actually the case.
Hi Gary, your observation is indeed striking. I believe that a breakdown should only be classified as a planned activity if we had previously recognized an issue and scheduled maintenance for it. If an equipment malfunctions and then we decide to repair it in the future, it should be classified as unplanned maintenance. Labeling a breakdown as planned only after it's occurrence might improve KPIs on paper, but it can make it hard to identify genuine areas of concern and also skew maintenance planning. Clearer and accurate categorization is crucial for making precise operational improvements.
Hi Gary, interesting discussion you've raised. I believe that planned tasks are proactive and identified during maintenance activities or inspections, not tasks that are reactive to equipment failure. If we categorize breakdowns as planned activities just because they are scheduled for repair, it generally masks the accurate portray of our maintenance efficiency. What we need is transparency in our process, even though it may show a higher number of unplanned tasks. So in my opinion, a breakdown can only be classified as planned if it was identified and scheduled for repair during a routine inspection or maintenance, and not after a sudden malfunction has already occurred.
Hi Gary, that’s a really interesting point you've raised! I think a breakdown should be classified as a planned activity only when the necessary preparations, such as parts ordering and resource allocation, are firmly in place before the equipment failure occurs. Otherwise, it feels misleading to label something as planned when it was actually a reaction to an unplanned disruption. Maybe a separate category for "scheduled repairs following breakdowns" could give a clearer picture of our maintenance efficiency while still keeping the KPIs honest. Would love to hear what others think!
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Answer: Answer: A breakdown should be classified as a planned activity when the repair or maintenance work is scheduled in advance, even if the issue occurred unexpectedly.
Answer: Answer: Categorizing breakdowns as planned activities can artificially inflate the 'planned versus unplanned' KPI, as these breakdowns would be counted as planned tasks.
Answer: Answer: Misclassifying breakdowns as planned activities can lead to inaccurate reporting, skewed data analysis, and a misrepresentation of the actual occurrences in the field, affecting decision-making processes.
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