Objective 03: Planning and Scheduling Process

Question 1

Why is effective planning and scheduling crucial to the success and efficiency of a maintenance program?

Answer 1

It reduces the number and frequency of maintenance activities, which in turn eliminates delays in the production schedule, and improves task planning

Question 2

What are the detailed benefits of effective planning and scheduling?

Answer 2

1. Reduced downtime and impact on production schedules
2. Reduced time required to do the work
3. Reduced maintenance costs
4. Reduced environmental impact
5. Improved regulatory compliance
6. Improved utilization of resources
7. Improved measurement of maintenance performance
8. Improved personnel safety

Question 3

What are the steps in the basic planning and scheduling process?

Answer 3

1. Initiate Work
2. Plan Work (and Manage Backlog)
3. Schedule Work
4. Acquire and Mobilize Resources
5. Perform Work
6. Finalize Work

Question 4

In planning and scheduling, how is work usually initiated?

Answer 4

Raising a work request

Question 5

What are 3 reasons that work would be initiated?

Answer 5

1. Preventive Maintenance
2. Corrective Maintenance
3. Project or Other Work

Question 6

How is a work request generated for Preventive Maintenance?

Answer 6

1. Triggered automatically by a computer system

2. Moves immediately to the planning stage

Question 7

How is a work request generated for Corrective Maintenance?

Answer 7

1. Manual work request is raised by operations, or possibly maintenance or other group that reports failures or identifies unplanned work that needs to be done
2. These work requests should be screened and approved before passing to the planning stage

Question 8

What does Planning Work generally entail?

Answer 8

Identifying required resources

Question 9

What does Scheduling Work generally entail?

Answer 9

Deciding the most appropriate time for the work to be carried out, thus turning the work request into a work order

Question 10

What does Acquiring and Mobilizing Resources entail?

Answer 10

1. Obtaining parts and materials
2. Reserving specialized tools and support equipment
3. Identifying who will do the work
4. Transporting resources (incl. maintenance staff) to the work location

Question 11

What does Finalize Work entail?

Answer 11

Documenting the results on the work order and returning tools and support equipment, as well as unused parts and materials, to inventory

Question 12

What does Manage Backlog entail?

Answer 12

The total amount of work yet to be completed is managed and adjusted in response to changes in priorities, the addition of new corrective work, and other unforeseen factors

Question 13

What is Maintenance Planning?

Answer 13

The planner identifies all resources that needed to complete the maintenance tasks

Question 14

What items does Maintenance Planning seek to identify?

Answer 14

1. Description of tasks to be performed and their sequence (if important)
2. Length of downtime required (equipment, system, or plant)
3. Number of staff and hours needed for each type of maintenance trade or specialty
4. Types of spare parts and materials and where they are to be sourced (inventory or purchase)
5. Specialized tools and support equipment
6. Lifting equipment
7. Special safety and environmental procedures
8. Special maintenance procedures
9. External contractors and services
10. Financial account codes to which the costs are to be charged
11. Cost breakdown and total costs

Question 15

How are the items identified by the Work Order handled?

Answer 15

They are added to the work order

Question 16

When does scheduling occur?

Answer 16

After planning is completed

Question 17

What is scheduling?

Answer 17

Deciding when tasks should be done

Question 18

What factors determine the actual time it takes to complete a task?

Answer 18

1. How urgent the task is
2. When the equipment can be shutdown
3. When required material resources, e.g. spare parts, can be acquired
4. When labour resources are available

Question 19

What is the planner’s objective in scheduling?

Answer 19

1. Making the most efficient use of all resources

2. Reducing downtime by scheduling tasks on the same equipment or system at the same time

Question 20

Why is Corrective Maintenance a challenge to the scheduling process?

Answer 20

They occur unexpectedly and result in the deferral of preventive maintenance and other planned tasks

Question 21

What must a planner ascertain about Corrective Maintenance?

Answer 21

Whether it is an emergency and must be responded to immediately or whether it can be deferred until a more appropriate time

Question 22

Backlog

Answer 22

The list of all maintenance tasks that have been initiated, regardless of the stage they are at

Question 23

What does an average backlog represent time-wise?

Answer 23

3 weeks of work

Question 24

When do the most intensive and time-consuming planning and scheduling activities occur?

Answer 24

When there is a major shutdown of a facility (turnaround)

Question 25

How does scheduling for turnarounds differ from normal?

Answer 25

• More complicated

- A significant number of tasks are done simultaneously

Question 26

For what does a turnaround require detailed planning and scheduling?

Answer 26

1. Meet downtime, cost, and other objectives
2. Isolate and deactivate entire systems
3. Ensure a proper and safe shutdown
4. Manage the special safety procedures required by the amount and type of work
5. Ensure safe and timely startup of the plant