Glossary
What is Maintenance Planning?
Maintenance planning is the process of determining what maintenance work is needed, when it should be done, what resources (labour, parts) are required and how it will be executed. It turns maintenance strategy and schedules into actionable work orders.
What it means
Planning can be short-term (this week's work) or longer-term (shutdowns, capital projects). CMMS supports planning through PM schedules, backlog and resource views.
Why it matters
- Planning converts strategy and schedules into work orders and assignments.
- It considers capacity, parts availability and priority.
- Planned work is typically more efficient than unplanned.
- CMMS provides backlog, due dates and resource views for planning.
Example in maintenance operations
A planner reviews next week's due PM, checks parts stock, creates work orders and assigns technicians. A shutdown plan lists all work, parts and labour for the outage.
Related concepts
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