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What is the Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF), and how does it relate to equipment reliability? It tells us how long a machine or system typically runs before it breaks down. MTBF is the average time between failures of a repairable system during normal operation. Engineers and maintenance teams use MTBF to plan repairs and predict when parts might fail. A higher MTBF means a system is more reliable and breaks down less often, helping companies save money on repairs and avoid unexpected downtime. Source: WorkTrek MTBF is useful for many types of equipment, from factory machines to computer servers. It helps businesses make smarter choices about when to replace parts or upgrade systems. By tracking MTBF, companies can improve their maintenance strategies and keep their operations running smoothly. What is MTBF Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) is a key metric in reliability engineering. It helps predict equipment performance and plan maintenance schedules. MTBF impacts product design, quality control, and operational efficiency. Definition and Fundamentals MTBF stands for Mean Time Between Failures. It measures the average time a repairable system operates between failures. The metric is calculated by dividing the total operating time by the number of failures. For example, if a machine runs for 1000 hours and fails twice, its MTBF is 500 hours. A higher MTBF indicates better reliability. Engineers use this data to improve designs and maintenance plans. MTBF applies to repairable systems. Mean Time To Failure (MTTF) is used instead for non-repairable items. How to Calculate MTBF The MTBF formula is simple but powerful. It's calculated by dividing the total operational time by the number of failures: MTBF = Total Operational Time / Number of Failures Source: WorkTrek For example, if a machine runs for 1000 hours and fails five times, its MTBF is 200 hours. This formula assumes the system is repairable and can be returned to service after each failure. Mean Time To Failure (MTTF) is used for non-repairable items. It's important to note that MTBF is an average. Some failures may occur sooner, while others may happen much later than the calculated MTBF. Common Pitfalls in MTBF Calculation Several mistakes can lead to inaccurate MTBF calculations: Ignoring partial failures or minor issues Including planned downtime in operational hours Not considering the system's age Using too small a sample size Source: WorkTrek Another common error is applying MTBF to non-repairable items. For these, MTTF should be used instead. Some organizations focus solely on MTBF without considering other reliability metrics. A holistic approach that includes metrics like Mean Time To Repair (MTTR) provides a more complete picture of system reliability. Data Collection and Analysis Accurate MTBF calculation relies on thorough data collection. Organizations need to track: Total operational hours Number of failures Dates and times of failures Repair times Illustration: WorkTrek / Data: Deloitte Maintenance management systems often automatically collect this data. Regular equipment inspections and operator reports also provide valuable information. Analysis should consider the operating conditions and environment. Factors like temperature, humidity, and usage intensity can affect failure rates. It's crucial to define failure clearly, and this definition should be consistent across all data collection efforts. Differences Between MTBF, MTTF, and MTTR MTBF, MTTF, and MTTR are related but distinct concepts: MTBF: Applies to repairable systems. Measures average time between failures during normal operation. MTTF (Mean Time To Failure): Used for non-repairable items. Represents the average lifespan before failure. MTTR (Mean Time To Repair): Measures the average time needed to fix a failed system. Source: WorkTrek These metrics work together to give a complete picture of system reliability. For example, a product with high MTBF and low MTTR would be available. Engineers use these measures to optimize maintenance strategies and improve overall system performance. Importance of MTBF in Reliability Engineering MTBF plays a crucial role in assessing equipment reliability. It helps engineers: Predict failure rates Plan preventive maintenance Compare different designs or products Set reliability targets Estimate spare parts needs Source: WorkTrek A high MTBF in manufacturing can lead to less downtime and lower costs. For consumer products, it can mean fewer repairs and higher customer satisfaction. MTBF data guides warranties, service contracts, and product lifecycle management decisions. It's essential for industries where failures, like aerospace or healthcare, can be costly or dangerous. MTBF in Product Design and Development MTBF plays a key role in creating reliable products. It guides design choices, shapes maintenance plans, and helps meet reliability goals. Incorporating MTBF into Design Designers use MTBF to make products that last longer. They pick parts with high MTBF values to boost overall product life. Reliability calculations help find weak spots in designs. Teams can then fix these issues early on. MTBF targets guide choices about materials and parts. Designers may use stronger materials or add backup systems to achieve MTBF goals. Testing is key to checking if products meet MTBF targets. Teams run stress tests and long-term trials to verify reliability claims. MTBF and Preventive Maintenance MTBF helps plan when to do maintenance. It shows how often parts might fail. Teams use MTBF to set maintenance schedules. They replace parts before they're likely to break. Source: WorkTrek This cuts down on sudden breakdowns. It also makes products last longer. MTBF data helps decide which parts to keep in stock. It shows which items might need replacing soon. Smart maintenance based on MTBF can save money. It reduces downtime and extends product life. Role of MTBF in Design for Reliability (DfR) Design for Reliability (DfR) uses MTBF to make products that last. It's about building reliability into products from the start. DfR teams set MTBF goals early in design. They then work to meet or beat these targets. They use tools like Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) to find potential issues, which helps prevent problems before they start. MTBF guides choices in DfR. It might lead to using more durable parts or adding safety features. DfR also uses MTBF to compare design options. The choice that offers the best MTBF often wins. MTBF and Risk Management Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) plays a key role in risk management for industrial and electronic systems. It helps predict equipment reliability and informs maintenance planning to reduce downtime risks. MTBF as a Risk Indicator MTBF serves as an important measure of system reliability. A higher MTBF suggests lower failure risk, while a lower MTBF indicates higher risk. Companies use MTBF data to: Identify high-risk components Plan preventive maintenance schedules Estimate spare parts inventory needs Calculate potential downtime costs Source: Infosec-Reading By tracking MTBF trends over time, organizations can spot declining equipment performance early and take action before failures occur. MTBF also helps compare reliability between different equipment options. When choosing new systems, a higher MTBF often means lower long-term risk. Integrating MTBF with Risk Assessment MTBF data enhances broader risk assessment efforts. It provides concrete numbers to support risk analysis and decision-making. Risk managers can use MTBF to: Quantify the likelihood of equipment failures Estimate the financial impact of potential downtime Prioritize risk mitigation efforts MTBF calculations factor into Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis. This helps predict long-term operational risks and costs. Combining MTBF with metrics like Mean Time To Repair (MTTR) gives a fuller picture of risk. Together, they show both failure frequency and recovery time. Regular MTBF reviews allow companies to adjust their risk management strategies. As equipment ages or conditions change, MTBF helps keep risk assessments up-to-date. Case Studies Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) is a key metric used across various sectors to measure system reliability. Its application and significance vary depending on the specific industry and the critical nature of the equipment involved. MTBF for Data Centers Regarding large server farms and data centers, MTBF plays a huge role in understanding when to maintain or replace equipment. Heat, usage, and even human error can cause equipment failure. Illustration: WorkTrek / Data: The Raw Review A great example of a company that employs this practice while publicly publishing its data is BackBlaze. It has tracked failure rates across various hard drives for several years and published the results on its website. This data has been invaluable for the company and, due to their generosity, to the rest of the data center industry. MTBF in Aerospace and Defense MTBF is critical for safety and mission success in aerospace and defense. Aircraft manufacturers use MTBF to design reliable systems and plan maintenance schedules. General Electric Transportation Systems is using data analysis to improve its products. As highlighted in this detailed case study by NASA, it continuously collects customer field reliability data and stores it for analysis. They use this data to continuously adjust MTBF calculations for their equipment in the field, which helps greatly reduce equipment failure. Challenges in Applying MTBF MTBF analysis has hurdles in real-world applications. Issues arise from the metric's inherent limitations and how people interpret the data. Limitations of MTBF Analysis MTBF calculations assume constant failure rates, which rarely occur in practice. This can lead to inaccurate predictions for complex systems. Maintenance managers may struggle to account for varying operating conditions that affect failure rates. Environmental factors, usage patterns, and maintenance practices can all impact system reliability. MTBF also doesn't consider the severity of failures. A minor glitch and a catastrophic breakdown are treated equally in the calculation. MTBF can be misleading for repairable systems. It doesn't distinguish between the time to first failure and subsequent failures after repairs. Misinterpretation of MTBF Data People often misunderstand MTBF as a guarantee of failure-free operation. It's an average that doesn't predict specific failure times. Some mistakenly believe MTBF represents a component's useful life, which can lead to premature replacements or delayed maintenance. Reliability engineers may face challenges explaining MTBF to non-technical stakeholders. The concept of an average time between failures can be counterintuitive. Comparing MTBF values between different types of systems or components can be problematic. Without context, these comparisons may lead to flawed decision-making. Improving MTBF Boosting Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) is key for better equipment reliability. Companies can use several methods to extend the time between breakdowns and increase overall system performance. Strategies for Enhancing MTBF Preventive maintenance programs are a top way to improve MTBF. These programs help catch issues before they cause failures. Regular checks and part replacements can stop many problems. Illustration: WorkTrek / Data: FinancesOnline Training staff is also vital. Workers who know how to use and care for equipment properly can help avoid breakdowns. This includes teaching proper startup and shutdown methods. Another important strategy is using high-quality parts. Better parts often last longer and work more reliably. While they may cost more upfront, they can save time by reducing failures. Data analysis can reveal patterns in equipment failures. By studying this info, companies can spot weak points and fix them before they cause problems. Role of Quality Control Strong quality control helps boost MTBF by ensuring all parts and processes meet high standards. This starts with careful supplier selection. It is crucial to choose vendors who provide reliable parts. Incoming inspection of parts and materials helps catch defects early, preventing the use of faulty components in equipment. Regular testing during production can spot issues before products are finished. This allows for quick fixes, improving overall quality. It's key to set clear quality standards and ensure they're followed. This applies to both the manufacturing process and the finished products. Impact of Technological Innovations New tech can significantly improve MTBF. Sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) devices can track equipment health in real-time. This allows for predictive maintenance, catching issues before they cause failures. Advanced materials can make parts more durable. For example, new alloys or composites might resist wear better than traditional materials. Improved design software lets engineers create more reliable products. They can test designs virtually, spotting potential weak points before anything is built. Artificial intelligence and machine learning can analyze vast amounts of data. This helps predict when failures might occur, allowing for proactive maintenance. Future Trends in MTBF Analysis MTBF analysis is evolving with new technologies and methods. The future of MTBF will likely focus on more accurate predictions and real-time monitoring. Machine learning and AI will play a big role. These tools can spot patterns in data that humans might miss. This could lead to better failure predictions and longer equipment life. IoT devices will change how we gather data for MTBF calculations. Sensors can track equipment performance in real time, creating a constant data stream that will make MTBF estimates more precise. Predictive maintenance will become more common. Instead of fixed schedules, maintenance will happen when it's truly needed. This could reduce downtime and save money. Illustration: WorkTrek / Data: Brickclay Digital twins may also impact MTBF analysis. These virtual models of physical assets can simulate different scenarios. This could help predict failures before they happen in the real world. Cloud computing will make MTBF data more accessible. Teams can share and analyze information from anywhere. This could lead to better decision-making across organizations. The focus may shift from just measuring the time between failures. New metrics might look at the impact of failures on the whole system. This could give a more complete picture of reliability. Conclusion In conclusion, Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) remains a vital metric in reliability engineering, helping organizations enhance equipment performance, optimize maintenance schedules, and reduce operational risks. As technology advances, the future of MTBF analysis will likely see greater integration with predictive maintenance, AI, and IoT, leading to more accurate predictions and proactive strategies.

Do you feel like you’re constantly putting out fires, with one machine breakdown after another? You’re not alone. Many maintenance managers are stuck in reactive mode, dealing with unexpected maintenance issues that can destroy the day’s plans. But what if you could get ahead of the chaos and prevent costly breakdowns before they happen? You can—when you start scheduling your maintenance. Instead of waiting for something to break, you set a timetable for regular check-ups, repairs, and maintenance. Today, we will show you why this is your best defense against downtime, how to make it work, and which tools make your maintenance schedule organized and effective. Let’s jump in. Maintenance Scheduling Explained While maintenance planning involves deciding what needs to be done, scheduling ensures those tasks get done. It’s about implementing a maintenance plan and ensuring the right people do your equipment inspections, preventive maintenance, and corrective repairs on time. As such, maintenance scheduling answers two key questions: Who will perform the tasks? When will they do it? Getting these answers right keeps your machines in top condition, prevents unexpected breakdowns, and extends your equipment’s life. A good schedule also maximizes the use of your resources—especially labor. It reduces the chances of workers waiting around for tasks or being double-booked, leading to wasted time and reduced productivity. Now—who should handle maintenance scheduling? Big plants and facilities with more complex needs often have a dedicated scheduler. This person’s job is to ensure that maintenance tasks are scheduled efficiently, considering the availability of resources, their effect on operations, and the importance of each task. In smaller operations, this role might be handled by a maintenance supervisor or the maintenance planner (although that’s not ideal as planners should focus on planning future tasks). Source: WorkTrek Regardless of who’s responsible, they must have hands-on experience with maintenance work. They need to know how to prioritize tasks, estimate how long each job will take, and understand what skills are needed. This is the only way to ensure the schedule is realistic and that the right people are assigned to the right tasks. To keep everything running smoothly, it’s also important for the scheduler to work closely with the technicians. They do the work, and their insights can help fine-tune the schedule. Why Should You Schedule Maintenance You might think that scheduling maintenance is just about putting some tasks on a calendar. But in reality, maintenance scheduling is one of the most crucial things you can do to keep your plant or facility running smoothly. Let’s break down why it’s so important. Less Downtime Have you ever been in the middle of a production run, and suddenly, a key piece of equipment broke down? It’s unexpected, inconvenient, and expensive. This is what happens when maintenance isn’t properly planned and scheduled. But regular maintenance scheduling helps keep your equipment in top shape. The healthier your equipment is, the fewer surprise breakdowns you have to deal with, which means less unplanned downtime. Let’s look at what happens when you don’t schedule maintenance. One Reddit user sums it up perfectly: If you do not schedule maintenance on your machine, your machine will schedule it for you... Penny wise, pound foolish is a great expression. In other words, if you’re not proactive about scheduling maintenance, your equipment will eventually force your hand—usually at the worst possible time. When that happens, the costs can skyrocket. Research by Senseye and Siemens shows that for large manufacturers across many industrial sectors, the cost of unplanned downtime can easily exceed $100,000 per hour and reach millions. Illustration: WorkTrek / Data: Siemens Alexander Hill, Global Head of Business Development at Senseye, puts this into perspective: Unplanned downtime is the curse of the industrial sector. When expensive production lines and machinery fall silent, organizations stop earning, and those investments start costing rather than making money. Unplanned downtime is not just an immediate financial hit, and it puts your entire production schedule at risk. In 2022, a survey by Plant Services and Augury found that 36% of corporate respondents and 44% of frontline workers rank unexpected machine downtime as the biggest risk to meeting production targets. Illustration: WorkTrek / Data: Plant Services When equipment fails unexpectedly, it can mean the difference between hitting your production goals or falling short. So schedule regular maintenance to keep equipment in good condition and prevent this. Safety When you think about safety in your facility, what comes to mind? Probably things like protective gear, safety protocols, and training programs. Have you considered how much a well-planned maintenance schedule contributes to safety? When equipment is regularly maintained, it’s less likely to malfunction and put your workers at risk. On the flip side, if you don’t plan and schedule maintenance, you’re forced into a reactive mode. And that’s where things get dangerous. Chris Allmond, Head of Engineering Consultancy Services at RS Integrated Supply, and an asset management expert, agrees: Reactive maintenance is the lowest level. (...) It is also very unsafe because people are often working under pressure from operations managers to get things up and running again, so they don’t step back and evaluate the inherent risks in conducting the activity. They just dive in, and that’s when people can get hurt. And when accidents happen, they’re often serious. The headlines are filled with reports from OSHA about injuries and fatalities in plants and facilities, many of which are due to poorly maintained equipment that breaks down or technicians rushing under pressure to get machines back to work. Source: Google This widespread issue affects all sectors, from manufacturing to aviation. One of the most tragic examples of this happened in 1979 with the crash of American Airlines Flight 191.  Source: X The disaster, which claimed the lives of all 271 passengers and crew on board, as well as two people on the ground, was directly linked to a maintenance decision made in haste. In an attempt to save time, American Airlines’ maintenance engineers removed the engine and pylon from the wing of a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 as a single unit, contradicting the manufacturer’s guidance that each component should be removed separately. This shortcut led to catastrophic consequences. The lesson here is clear: skipping or rushing maintenance is risky—even deadly. However, when you schedule regular maintenance, you protect your equipment and everyone in your facility. Scheduling maintenance is really just taking proactive steps to prevent accidents before they happen, rather than reacting to them after the fact. Saved Money Safety can also protect your bottom line. When you prevent accidents, you also avoid hefty safety fines. This is just one way how scheduling maintenance can save you money, but the savings don’t stop here. Unplanned downtime and emergency repairs are some of the biggest hidden costs in any operation. These emergency fixes typically cost much more than regular, planned maintenance. Frank Briganti, Director of Program Execution at CACI, has seen this firsthand: The cost of emergency repairs is usually 2-3 times larger than the cost of properly maintaining equipment. Equipment never seems to fail at the beginning of the month; it waits until you are behind schedule or have a big financial commitment to deal with. By scheduling maintenance, you can plan your labor resources more effectively and address minor issues before they become big problems. This reduces the need for emergency repairs and the associated overtime costs, keeping your budget under control. You also save money on energy. Properly calibrated and lubricated machinery operates more efficiently, consuming less energy and resources. This means lower operational costs, improved energy efficiency, and even a smaller environmental footprint. Source: WorkTrek All these translate into significant cost savings over time. But if that’s not the case, the story is completely different. What to Be Aware of When Scheduling Maintenance Scheduling maintenance is more than just picking a date on the calendar. Several potential pitfalls can throw your plans off course, and many companies struggle with these issues. In fact, a 2021 report by Plan Engineering found that 20% of companies cite poor scheduling—rarely followed through—as a key challenge in improving facility maintenance. Illustration: WorkTrek / Data: Plant Engineering This happens because of maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) inventory. Managing that is one of the biggest challenges in maintenance scheduling. It includes everything from machine oil and lubricants to spare parts like motors and gears, and safety equipment such as masks, earplugs, and hard hats. If you’re not closely monitoring your inventory, you might schedule maintenance only to discover that you’re missing a critical part, material, or a piece of protective equipment. For instance, if you schedule maintenance for a production line but realize the needed robotic arm isn’t in stock, you’re looking at costly downtime. As one industrial maintenance technician on Reddit put it: Part is $2000 and takes 8 weeks. That downtime would cost like a half million dollars. Stockpiling MRO inventory might seem like a solution, but it comes with its risks. Buying and storing excess inventory ties up capital that could be better used elsewhere in your business. Additionally, some items may become obsolete if they sit on the shelf for too long. So, it’s all about finding that balance—ensuring you have what you need without overstocking. Poor coordination and communication can also be a problem in scheduling maintenance. If maintenance isn’t properly communicated and coordinated, you could end up with situations where a technician is assigned multiple tasks simultaneously or in different locations, with no realistic way to complete them all. This can lead to: Rushed jobs, Missed deadlines, Poor maintenance outcomes. Communication between the maintenance team and other departments, like production and procurement, can be challenging. But doing it right is crucial for maintenance scheduling, as it ensures you have the necessary parts and can align maintenance schedules with production needs. One way to align different departments with maintenance is through regular meetings. That’s what they do at Simmons Foods, as Tim Newman, their Maintenance Manager, explains: Illustration: WorkTrek / Quote: Reliable Plant Finally, it’s essential to have accurate records of all maintenance activities. Without them, you risk scheduling maintenance too late or missing it which can, again, cause equipment failures and unplanned downtime. Good record-keeping helps track past repairs, forecast future needs, and comply with regulations. However, manually managing all this information can be overwhelming, which brings us to the benefits of using digital tools for scheduling maintenance. Improving Maintenance Scheduling with CMMS When it comes to boosting your maintenance scheduling process, a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) can really make a difference. This type of software takes a lot of the manual work off your plate. It automates scheduling, keeps track of what’s been done, and provides fresh data to help you stay on top of maintenance tasks. Take our WorkTrek, for example. Its work order management features make it easy to assign and monitor maintenance tasks, ensuring they’re completed on time. WorkTrek’s easy-to-use calendar interface lets you view and schedule activities by specific dates, days of the week, or set time intervals. Source: WorkTrek This makes organizing even the most complex maintenance schedules straightforward. Our CMMS also lets you prioritize tasks based on factors like equipment criticality, safety concerns, or operational impact. Source: WorkTrek This way, your technicians always work on what’s most important, which helps reduce the risk of unexpected breakdowns or safety issues. Handling recurring maintenance tasks—like inspections, lubrication, or filter replacements—is a breeze with WorkTrek, too. With just a few clicks, you can set up recurring schedules so these routine tasks never get overlooked. Source: WorkTrek Plus, having access to all previous maintenance data makes it easier to determine when specific equipment needs checking again and what personal protective equipment (PPE) or procedures are required. This historical data is crucial for accurate scheduling. By reviewing past work orders, you can see how long similar tasks took and use that information to create more realistic schedules. Your technicians can also add notes if something didn’t go as planned or if a task took longer than expected. This feedback lets you adjust future schedules to be even more accurate. Overall, this level of visibility and control over maintenance is why people like Damir Fabijanković, Service Manager at METUS, choose WorkTrek: WorkTrek application helped us greatly in better visibility, control, and organization of work. With the WorkTrek mobile application, our technicians have a clearer division of work tasks, which improves their efficiency. In short, a good CMMS will automate maintenance scheduling and make it more precise and reliable. Conclusion After planning, maintenance scheduling is the next logical step. When done right, it helps you avoid downtime, save money, and keep your facility safe. To get the most out of your scheduling, make sure your maintenance scheduler stays on top of inventory, communicates with technicians and other departments, and uses past maintenance data to create accurate schedules. And don't forget—providing your scheduler with the right tool will make the whole process smoother and more efficient.

Maintenance audits are an absolute must for keeping your maintenance operations efficient and cost-effective. However, the process can be pretty complex. It involves multiple steps and often even multiple people, so it’s easy to overlook some things or miss some crucial steps. That’s where this ultimate maintenance audit checklist comes in. It will walk you through every step you need to take to assess your maintenance procedures and pinpoint potential inefficiencies quickly and easily. Follow it, and you will never miss a thing. Review Current Maintenance Policies Are your current maintenance guidelines and standards transparent and easy to follow? And how effective are they in the first place? Review all your documentation, including historical upkeep data such as repair logs, service reports, and downtime records, to get the answers. This will give you a clear picture of how well the policies are performing and if they’re truly achieving the desired outcomes, such as cutting down on asset downtime or repair costs. If the results aren't where you want them to be, the policies in place might need an update. Another important thing to do at this stage is to ask your staff and management for feedback. The personnel will give you insight into the policy's practicality, while the higher-ups can tell you whether your policies align with broader company objectives. Verify That Your Maintenance Procedures Are Documented Compared to policies, maintenance procedures offer granular instructions outlining specific steps and protocols for keeping your equipment and systems in optimal shape. To ensure your staff adheres to them, check if these instructions are well-documented. Start by ensuring they are comprehensive and up-to-date, reflecting changes in the company’s asset portfolio or organizational needs. You should have protocols for all maintenance situations: preventive, corrective, and emergency. These procedures also need to be accessible and easy to understand. So, test whether your team can easily find the files and ensure they have a consistent format. This includes standardizing naming conventions, fonts, and headings throughout the documents and ensuring all steps, roles, and tools are clearly and logically detailed. Assess the Integration of Technology Maintenance technologies like CMMS can be real game-changers for your operations, but only if they integrate well into the existing workflows. A 2024 UpKeep survey revealed that CMMS solutions help companies increase visibility (35%), reduce unplanned downtime (28%), and boost team communication (28%). Illustration: WorkTrek / Data: UpKeep That’s why this phase is about assessing whether your technology is meeting its primary objective: supporting and improving your maintenance processes. Compare your performance metrics before and after adopting a digital solution. If you don't see similar improvements, it could indicate that the tech is either not being used effectively or is not well-suited to your needs. Perhaps it’s missing key features, failing to automate some time-consuming tasks, or too complex for your employees to use. Asking your team for feedback can be helpful here, too. Evaluate Your Maintenance Planning Process When gauging the efficiency of your maintenance planning, ask yourself three questions. ✅ 1: “Do I even have a standardized planning procedure?” This might sound basic, but you should always follow a well-defined series of steps when creating a plan, like defining issues, scheduling tasks, and detailing roles. Without a clear, repeatable process, it’s too easy to miss important elements and end up with an unsuccessful maintenance plan. ✅ 2: “Does my plan consider broader company goals?” For instance, if your company aims for higher productivity, your plan should prioritize inspections and maintenance of machines and components that could halt the entire operation, like conveyor belts and hydraulic systems on the production line. ✅ 3: “Are the tools I use for planning and scheduling effective?” Whichever system you use for this task should speed up the process, not slow it down. If the answer to all these questions is a “yes” congratulations—the way you plan maintenance should deliver great results and keep your operations running smoothly. Review Your Preventive Maintenance Schedule Here, first review the intervals between each maintenance session. They should be appropriately timed, taking into account factors like: Labor and resource allocation Parts Historical data Equipment usage Manufacturer's recommendations Training and Communication Remember, both overly frequent and infrequent upkeep can be a sign of an ineffective schedule. Next, see if your maintenance schedules are comprehensive, specifying all roles, parts, and tasks needed. This includes verifying that the maintenance documentation is complete and updated, with detailed records of all past activities and their outcomes. Finally, to gauge how effective these schedules truly are, examine your expenses and downtime records. If your preventive maintenance efforts are on point, those documents will show proof of that;  fewer disruptions and lower maintenance costs. Examine the Efficiency of Your Work Order Management Now it’s time to evaluate how your company manages work orders, from requests to execution. Start by reviewing the work orders themselves. Do they include all the important details? Do they clearly state what needs to be done, who will do it, when it should be completed, what resources are required, and where they are located? To better understand all the elements an effective work order should contain, we recommend downloading our free maintenance work order template. It’ll make this step of your audit so much easier. Then, examine how you assign and manage these work orders. Below, you’ll find the dashboard of our own CMMS, WorkTrek. It’s a good example of what an ideal work order system looks like. Source: WorkTrek See how neatly everything is organized, making it easy to filter and view statuses, assigned technicians, and more? Clicking on any work order provides details like priority levels, expenses, parts, and more. Creating new work orders in WorkTrek is just as easy as tracking them. The system guides you and ensures all the essential information is captured. This is precisely what efficient work order management is all about: effortlessly overseeing, creating, assigning, and monitoring work orders, transforming your operational efficiency. Assess the Condition of Key Equipment Start by thoroughly inspecting your equipment and assessing its physical condition. Look for noticeable scratches, dents, cracked components, leaks, or loose connections. Next, put your assets’ operational efficiency to the test. Are they performing their intended tasks effectively or does something seem off? Do they seem slower than usual or make excessive noise? Finally, don’t forget about safety features and mechanisms. Every emergency stop button, protective shield, and warning sign shouldn’t just be easily visible and fully functional. Once you've examined all these areas, write down your observations and double-check that your equipment records are accurate and up-to-date. Evaluate Maintenance Personnel’s Skill Levels Review training records and certifications to see if your maintenance team has received proper training and if that knowledge aligns with the current skill requirements. They should be well-versed in relevant safety procedures, lockout/tagout protocols, shutdown/startup processes, and other aspects of their roles. If you find expired certifications or that certain employees haven't received training recently, note that. Identifying knowledge gaps and opportunities for additional training is an absolute must for keeping your operations safe and efficient. Maintenance audits are the perfect opportunity for that. Check Compliance with Industry Regulations Are your maintenance personnel bypassing safety features on machinery? Using non-approved parts? Neglecting PPE? If your audit discovers they do, your upkeep activities may be non-compliant with industry regulations, potentially exposing you to hefty fines and legal issues. To avoid such risks, review all guidelines that apply to your operations. Regulatory agencies (like OSHA) or government bodies offer detailed resources on their websites, helping you understand the rules you need to follow. In addition to learning about relevant standards, review all documentation that helps you demonstrate compliance. Think maintenance logs, inspection reports, and certification records. Ensuring these documents are up-to-date, complete, and accurate is vital for avoiding non-compliance risks. This will help you detect non-compliant activities before they become bigger problems, and it will give you confidence during inspections, knowing you have the proof you need to show everything is up to standard. Benchmark Your Maintenance Against KPIs Confirming your maintenance activities are compliant is one thing, but checking whether they're effective is another. For that, you’ll need to measure maintenance performance using common maintenance KPIs, such as: Mean Time to Detection (MTTD) Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) And many others Start by benchmarking the industry averages of each metric against your historical data to see how you compare. You may feel like your MTTR is good enough, but after comparing it to the industry standard (which is under five hours, by the way), you may realize there is room for improvement. These valuable insights can then be used for creating and optimizing your future maintenance strategies.  Analyze How You Handled Previous Issues There are many things to be considered here. First, review the response times. Did your team react promptly when an issue occurred? Did they use specific tools or techniques, such as root cause analysis? How did the communication flow between teams? Were there any problems due to poor communication? Then, you’ll need to assess the outcomes of the actions taken. Did you fix something temporarily or permanently? Did the previous solutions prevent the same issue from occurring? And what was the impact on operational efficiency? Did it cause any disruption? Based on your analysis, you can identify your process’ strengths and weaknesses. Maybe gaps in knowledge or unclear procedures were the cause of the delays in problem resolution. Or, on the flip side, perhaps vigilant inventory management ensured all the right parts were on hand just when you needed them, leading to a disruption-free repair process. Overall, this step will show you which practices to keep and which to change to prevent the recurrence of certain issues and boost your efficiency. Review the Maintenance Budget Allocation For this step, you’ll need to thoroughly review your financial records and gather all data on your maintenance expenses, both direct and indirect. Source: WorkTrek Confirm that funds are allocated appropriately across different maintenance categories—preventive, predictive, and corrective—and that you’re not overspending in certain areas. While you’re at it, also check if your upkeep strategies are providing good value for the money spent. Take a look at the benefits of various procedures or tools you’ve implemented, and then compare them to their cost. If specific processes are not yielding significant results but cost a lot, consider redirecting your spending to more effective areas. Evaluate Your Preparedness for Emergencies Start with relevant documentation. Your emergency response procedures should be easily accessible and your staff should know how to use them. These documents should also be fairly detailed, outlining processes, responsibilities, and available resources. Plus, if any emergency drills and exercises were conducted in the past, those should be recorded, too, including details on what went well and what didn’t. Once you confirm your plan is solid, move on to the resources. Check that all emergency response equipment is available, calibrated, and fully operational. Identify if anything’s missing or if certain assets need more frequent inspections. Remember, even the best strategy falls short if the tools and resources required to execute it aren’t up to par. Conclusion Don’t maintenance audits now seem far more manageable? Sure, there’s a lot of data and documentation to review, but with this checklist, you’ll breeze through the whole process. Think of it like this: maintenance audits are the door to improving your entire upkeep regime, leading to greater efficiency and significant cost savings. This checklist is, then, the key that opens that door.

A good maintenance plan is the backbone of successful maintenance operations. It defines exactly which maintenance tasks must be completed, why, and how. But what about the “who” and the “when”? Well, that’s where maintenance scheduling comes in. Scheduling goes hand-in-hand with your maintenance plan, ensuring all necessary maintenance tasks get completed on time and by the most skilled technicians. If this sounds important but somewhat overwhelming, don’t worry—we’ll guide you through it. In this article, we’ll break down each step of the maintenance scheduling process and provide tips on how to best complete it. 1. Reviewing the Maintenance Plan The first step in maintenance scheduling is reviewing the maintenance plan. After all, how can you successfully coordinate dozens of maintenance tasks among your technicians if you don’t know what needs to be done and how? So, take a look at what the maintenance planner has laid out for you. Source: WorkTrek What is the primary objective of the maintenance plan? Which assets require maintenance, and which tools, parts, and materials will your technicians need to complete the tasks? Are there any specific safety precautions to keep in mind? A solid maintenance plan will answer all these questions—and more. This will allow you to align maintenance tasks with the broader maintenance strategy and keep operations running smoothly at your facility. At this point, you might be thinking that all of this sounds pretty straightforward. All you need to do is look at the maintenance plan and assign the outlined tasks to the available technicians. But research tells us a different story. According to the 2021 Industrial Maintenance Report, proper scheduling is one of the main challenges blocking the success of maintenance operations. Illustration: WorkTrek / Data: Plant Engineering To make matters worse, respondents elaborate that maintenance schedules are rarely followed through. This further highlights the importance of thoroughly reviewing the maintenance plan instead of just glancing at it and assigning the tasks randomly. When you have a deeper understanding of the tasks that need to be completed and the reasoning behind them, it becomes easier to develop a strategic and logical schedule. That is precisely the kind of maintenance schedule that gets followed through and yields the desired results. 2. Confirming Resource Availability Now that you know which maintenance tasks have to be done, it’s time to confirm that you have all the resources needed to complete them at the ready. When we say “resources”, we mean all the tools, parts, supplies, safety equipment, documentation, and personnel required to execute the work orders successfully. Your maintenance planner should ensure that all the necessary resources are readily available—and procure the ones that aren’t—during the planning phase. Brandon Coombs, Senior VP for Operational Excellence at RS Integrated Supply, a global supply chain solutions provider for MRO, explains: Illustration: WorkTrek / Quote: RS Integrated Supply But the reality is that, despite even the most meticulous maintenance planning, circumstances can quickly change and affect the availability of resources. Perhaps one of the maintenance technicians available for a specific task had to be suddenly relocated to a different facility because a piece of equipment in it unexpectedly broke down. Or maybe the planner ordered all the spare parts your techs will need on time, but there was a delivery delay. Scenarios like this are why it’s so important to double- and triple-check resource availability before you start adding maintenance tasks to the schedule. RS Integrated Supply’s Solutions and Technical Director for UK and Ireland, Richard Jeffers, agrees. Illustration: WorkTrek / Quote: RS Integrated Supply Verifying that all of the resources you’ll need are readily available will ensure that maintenance tasks are performed on time,  ultimately preventing unplanned downtime and production delays. To save you from the tedious and time-consuming process of manually checking resource availability, you can always turn to your CMMS. Many such solutions come with spare parts and inventory features that will give you a quick overview of the quantities and locations of parts and materials. Source: WorkTrek Overall, confirming resource availability during the maintenance scheduling process will help ensure everything is ready for the next step: defining when each task will be performed. 3. Determining When Maintenance Tasks Should Be Performed Scheduling maintenance tasks at just the right time is a balancing act—more complex than it might seem. First and foremost, maintenance itself can be time-consuming. The previously mentioned Plant Engineering report found that, in 2021, facilities spent an average of 33 hours a week on scheduled maintenance. That is 13 hours a week more than a year before. Illustration: WorkTrek / Data: Plant Engineering On top of that, there are many moving parts that come into play when determining when specific tasks should be completed. For example, should you postpone that one task by a couple of days if performing it sooner could disrupt production? But if you schedule it too late, could you potentially cause damage to the operations? Yes, and yes, explains Edwin van Dijk, VP of marketing at TrendMiner, a provider of industrial analytics for optimizing production and manufacturing processes. Illustration: WorkTrek / Quote: PharmTech As you can see, many things have to fall into place to schedule maintenance tasks at just the right time. It’s helpful to prioritize tasks on criteria such as asset importance and safety to make that challenging feat easier. Let’s illustrate this point with a real-life example. George Campbell, Director of Technical Services at a facilities management company, is a seasoned professional designing and implementing preventive maintenance programs for the company’s grocery store and retail clients. He shares one of his own best practices: Maintenance scheduling should be guided by how important the asset is to daily operations, giving high priority to safety concerns. For example, air conditioning, refrigeration of perishables, front doors, and generators during storm season would be high priorities for grocery and convenience stores. Consider the effect of maintenance on your operations. You wouldn’t want to perform maintenance on the ice cream freezer during a hot summer day when customers are looking for a sweet refreshment, right? The bottom line is that trying to determine the perfect timing for the performance of maintenance tasks can be challenging. However, if you consider the asset’s criticality, the availability of the necessary resources, and production schedules, you can get it just right. 4. Assigning Tasks to Appropriate Personnel Once you’ve determined when specific tasks should be performed, it’s time to assign them to the right maintenance technicians. Take plenty of time to consider which skills and expertise are required for these tasks. After all, that’s the only way to ensure they are performed correctly, efficiently, and safely. Below, you can find some key factors to consider when deciding which technician is the best fit for each assignment. Technical Skills The assigned technician should know how the equipment works, and how to inspect, diagnose, and repair issues. Specialized Certifications The assigned technician should have the certifications and safety training required for specific maintenance tasks. Knowledge of Tools and Technology The assigned technician should know how to use the tools and software needed to complete maintenance tasks. Level of Experience The technicians' level of experience and past performance need to be considered when assigning tasks, with more demanding tasks assigned to those with a higher experience level. Physical Ability The physical capabilities of the technician should be taken into consideration to ensure the task is completed safely, with minimal chances of accident or injury. Technician Availability The technician's current workload should play a role during task assignments, making sure that the technician isn't too overloaded to complete the task efficiently and thoroughly. Of course, it’s not always easy to ensure that the technician with the necessary skillset, experience, and certifications is available for a specific maintenance task. Especially if you’re using messy and error-prone spreadsheets to keep track of maintenance activities. Or even worse—nothing at all. The findings of Comparesoft’s 2022 CMMS Market Report reveal that this is the case for many maintenance professionals looking to invest in a CMMS. Illustration: WorkTrek / Data: Comparesoft A CMMS is an invaluable tool for streamlining the entire lifecycle of a maintenance task, from creation to completion. Take our maintenance management system, WorkTrek, as an example. WorkTrek was designed to make maintenance scheduling a breeze, among other things. As a scheduler, you can assign tasks to the most suitable technicians in just a few clicks, without having to dig through paperwork or spreadsheets to confirm they’re available when you need them. Take a look at our Work Order Scheduler below. It contains crucial details like maintenance task status, task execution time, and assigned technician. Simply put, everything you need to know at a glance! Source: WorkTrek With WorkTrek, technician schedules that need to be shifted around due to oversights and task overlaps become a thing of the past. So, if you still rely on manual methods for assigning maintenance tasks, consider investing in a solution like this. Not only will it make your job quicker, easier, and more accurate—it will also significantly benefit your technicians. Let’s see how. 5. Communicating the Maintenance Schedule Once the maintenance schedule has been created, the natural next step is to share it with your maintenance technicians. That way, everyone knows exactly what they’re responsible for and when each task needs to be completed. But aside from ensuring all critical maintenance tasks are completed on time, having an insight into the maintenance schedule benefits your technicians, too. Just ask Tim Newman, maintenance manager at Simmons Foods, a supplier of poultry, pet, and animal nutrition products. Illustration: WorkTrek / Quote: Reliable Plant Having access to the maintenance schedule not only helps your technicians prepare for upcoming tasks but also boosts accountability and motivates them to meet deadlines. The way we see it, making sure that your team has easy access to information about upcoming tasks is key. Just like you don’t want to have to rifle through mountains of potentially outdated paperwork to check if that one tech with HVAC certification is available, your technicians don’t want to struggle to find out what their next task is. Yet, this used to be the case at KONE, a global leader in providing and maintaining elevators, escalators, and automatic building doors. Risto Alaluusua, formerly a lift technician and currently an inspection specialist, recalls the way things worked when he first started at KONE. I have been with KONE for 25 years, and I remember having to visit the office to find out what was happening. Nowadays, he explains, things are very different. Illustration: WorkTrek / Quote: KONE With the rise of CMMS, sharing the maintenance schedule with the relevant team members is easier than ever. WorkTrek, for instance, comes with a mobile app that lets your technicians log in and check what tasks they’ve been assigned to from anywhere, at any time. Source: WorkTrek And our users love it, as evidenced by reviews like the one below: The mobile application is a great tool for our field workers, it allows them to access and manage their tasks on-the-go. Overall, communicating the maintenance schedule to your team in a timely manner is crucial for ensuring that all tasks are completed according to plan. And technology like CMMS is there to take that to the next level. 6. Continuously Refining the Scheduling Process The last step of the maintenance scheduling process actually occurs after maintenance has been completed. Of course, we’re talking about improving the scheduling process itself. Even with the help of maintenance management solutions, creating a schedule that works perfectly every single time is pretty much an impossible feat. For example, an unexpected machine breakdown can shift maintenance timelines and increase the workload for some of your technicians. And while consistently documenting and reviewing maintenance activities can help you identify any such patterns and improve the scheduling process, this is not the end. If you truly want to refine the way you schedule maintenance tasks, why not talk directly to the people who complete them? Below are some of the questions that you can ask them to identify potential issues and gaps in your scheduling process. Source: WorkTrek Your maintenance technicians are in the thick of it every day, so any feedback you gather from them will be invaluable. Let’s say you’ve noticed that your technicians aren’t completing some of the maintenance tasks within the timeframes you’ve allotted for them. This, naturally, snowballs and leads to unwanted production delays. Instead of struggling to figure out why that’s the case—and potentially coming to the wrong conclusion—simply ask your technicians for their insights. That way, you’re opening up the conversation and creating a space where they’ll feel comfortable speaking up going forward. Consequently, you’ll be able to promptly address the timeframe issue, set more realistic expectations for production, and prevent future delays. Conclusion And with that, we conclude our step-by-step process to the maintenance scheduling. We’ve broken it down into 6 phases, provided tips on how to best tackle each one, and shared some interesting statistics and real-world examples to illustrate the dos and don’ts of it all. Hopefully, you feel inspired to refine the way you tackle maintenance scheduling—especially in terms of technology. Relying on a CMMS to help you with this important part of maintenance management is bound to streamline your workflows, increase operational efficiency, and decrease unwanted delays and equipment downtime. And what’s not to love about that?

Have you ever wondered how solid your maintenance practices really are? Is your equipment properly maintained, and are your technicians consistently following safety procedures? These are the types of crucial questions a good maintenance audit can answer. While some industries require mandatory audits by regulatory bodies, each company can benefit from an internal, voluntary audit. If you’d like to start conducting these audits more regularly, this article is for you. We’ll walk you through the key steps of effective maintenance audits to ensure you’re truly getting value from the process. 1. Defining Audit Scope and Objectives Before starting the audit, the first step is to clearly define its scope and objectives. This might seem obvious, but without it, you’re just looking for a haystack without knowing which needle to look for. So, plan what you’ll audit first. If you manage three different facilities or two different production lines, you might audit the maintenance on just one. Prioritize what’s most impactful. For example, assets that are the largest contributors to product output pose the greatest safety risks or are the most costly to maintain. By focusing on these, you’ll get the most value from your audit. Also, think about what aspects of your maintenance program you want to focus on. This could include everything from maintenance planning and scheduling, work order management, safety practices, and predictive maintenance. Source: WorkTrek Your maintenance audit might cover all these aspects, or it could narrow down to just one. Once you’ve determined what you’re auditing, decide why you’re auditing it. Maybe you’ve noticed that maintenance is taking longer than planned and want to dig into why that’s happening to reduce it. Or perhaps you want to reduce unplanned downtime. Whichever objectives you choose, make them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). This ensures they’re not just vague goals but targets you can hit. So, think about a specific objective like: Cut asset downtime by 10% over the next three months by improving preventive maintenance scheduling and inventory management. Next, define the metrics and KPIs to benchmark your audit against. This could include: Source: WorkTrek Of course, metrics should align with your objectives. With so many moving parts, it’s easy to oversee something. But if you compile everything into a maintenance audit checklist, you will ensure this doesn’t happen. Below is a simple maintenance audit checklist: Source: WorkTrek Finally, think about the right people for the job. Does the audit scope call for a team of people, or is it just you? Do you need to include maintenance technicians, engineers, and other managers to help you out? If multiple people are involved, a designated audit manager should be appointed to oversee the process and ensure everything runs smoothly. Doing all this will lay the groundwork for a thorough and effective audit. 2. Reviewing Documentation on Past Maintenance After you’ve set your audit’s scope and objectives, review your past maintenance documentation. Go over previous work orders and parts replacement history to see what you can learn. That’s a lot of information to gather, but if you’re already using a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) like WorkTrek, this step becomes much easier. With solutions like WorkTrek, you can track who completed a task, when it was done, how long it took, and which parts were used. Source: WorkTrek You can also store all your documents in one place, and generate reports in just a few clicks. Below is just a small part of the reports that WorkTrek generates for you: Source: WorkTrek Thanks to historical data, you can see if certain pieces of equipment break down more often. This might mean it’s time to replace them, or it could indicate they are not correctly maintained. You might also discover that problems arise more often after certain technicians perform maintenance. This could suggest a need for better training or clearer maintenance procedures. Another thing you can do is compare the costs of similar work orders over time. Source: WorkTrek If the same maintenance job costs way more now than it did a few months ago, there are some inefficiencies to fix. You can also check if the maintenance steps in your logs match the procedures you’ve set for each piece of equipment. This is a good way to see if your team is following the standard operating procedures. At this point, you should also categorize your findings into two main groups: unplanned or breakdown maintenance, and planned or preventive maintenance. This helps you evaluate how well your maintenance planning is working. For example, a high number of unplanned maintenance tasks might signal that your planning process needs improvement. Finally, use past maintenance documentation to check if you’re meeting all the necessary regulations and standards—safety, environmental, or regulations specific to your industry. The data shows if maintenance tasks are performed at industry-standard intervals and if all necessary checklists have been completed and signed off. Going through all these records might feel daunting, but it’s a crucial step to understand how well your maintenance program is working and where it needs improvement. And if you’ve got a good CMMS, it’s not nearly as tough as it sounds. 3. Examining the Equipment in Use Don't limit your audit to reviewing documents and records in an office. It's as important to visit the facility or shop floor and inspect the actual machines and their conditions. This way, you gather firsthand information and verify the accuracy of the documentation. Paul Hardiman, director of Quality Partner Limited and an expert in IATF auditor training, agrees: Illustration: WorkTrek / Quote: IATF 16949 Auditing on YouTube So, at this point, you physically check the equipment. You’re looking for any signs of wear and tear, damage, or malfunction. This means closely examining components like bearings, belts, electrical connections, and the overall structural integrity of the machines. Specialized tools can help you measure factors like temperature, pressure, and vibration levels to clearly understand how well the equipment is performing. As you inspect the equipment, you’ll want to compare what you see to your maintenance records. Is the equipment in the condition it should be, based on what’s been reported? For instance, you might print out a list of current work requests (which is very easy to do with WorkTrek) and then head out to see if the maintenance was carried out as reported. Below is one such report. Source: WorkTrek Now, check the code R0003. It shows a high-priority maintenance task: fixing a failing elevator button. The system says the job’s done, so you go to the elevator and test the button yourself. Simple checks like this one confirm whether your team is doing the work recorded in the system. In summary, get out into the field, see the equipment firsthand, and ensure everything aligns with the maintenance records. 4. Checking the Backup Inventory Once you’ve inspected the equipment, check your spare parts inventory. By now, you have a better idea of which backup items are most needed, so you should check if those parts are available in the inventory. Having replacement parts on hand is critical for both unexpected breakdowns and preventive maintenance. If a machine breaks down and you don’t have the parts to fix it immediately, production grinds to a halt, leading to delays and extra costs. Take a look at one audit by Paul Hardiman that describes such a case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Phfb5oVQxg Source: IATF 16949 Auditing on YouTube If you watched the video, you saw what happened when a robotic arm didn’t arrive as planned. The machine was down for 16 hours, which disrupted the entire production line. All because the backup inventory wasn’t handled properly. Or, learn from the experience of Jan Barraclough, a maintenance manager who found himself in a tough spot when working at a plant with two process trains. The plant had multiple pump failures, and when he checked the stock levels, he discovered they were running dangerously low: Checking stock levels, I discovered we had six belts left on site. I also made a few calls and discovered that we had no spare pulleys (either pump or motor) or taper locks and nothing on order. This led to him trying to get parts delivered quickly to solve this mess. Of course, this urgency cost a lot more than it would have if the parts had been ordered on time. Some parts even took up to six months to arrive, dangerously increasing the chances of another breakdown the facility wouldn't be ready for. Again, having a good CMMS can make a huge difference here. With WorkTrek, for example, you can keep an accurate list of all your spare parts, and it’s easy to compare that list with your actual inventory. Source: WorkTrek This way, you can quickly spot if something’s missing or if there’s a problem with how parts are being managed. The key takeaway from this step? Never miss it. If there are inefficiencies in your backup inventory, it’s an area you should improve to avoid costly downtime in the future. 5. Creating a Report With Findings The audit is only useful if it results in actionable steps. Without a clear report, all that effort won’t lead to any changes. So, create a report that summarizes your findings, highlights areas for improvement, and suggests actionable steps which could include: replacing outdated equipment reporting issues to upper management providing additional training for technicians One of the key parts of creating your report is deciding what to tackle first. You can do this by attributing a risk rating to each finding: High-priority recommendations for urgent issues that could threaten safety, reliability, or compliance. Medium-priority recommendations for problems that affect efficiency or cost but aren’t immediate threats. Low-priority recommendations for minor issues or improvements that can wait until later. For example, look at the audit conducted by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) on the Facilities Maintenance program for Fairfax County Public Schools. Below is the risk rating summary for their findings: Source: Fairfax County School Board They identified five moderate-risk findings and provided detailed recommendations for each. One big risk was insufficient funding for maintenance priorities and a deferred maintenance backlog. To fix it, they recommended developing a backlog reduction spending plan and elevating concerns to the leadership team to secure additional funding. Source: Fairfax County School Board These recommendations were then shared with the management. Let’s conclude with an excellent example of what happens when you actually accept audit recommendations. Wärtsilä Power Plants, a supplier of flexible baseload power plants from Finland, audited the Limbe power plant in Cameroon. They discovered major corrosion and maintenance issues that had cut the plant’s output to just 40%. Wärtsilä recommended a total power plant rehabilitation, including repairs to engines, alternators, and radiators, and technical training for the staff. The Limbe power plant implemented them. In just seven months, the plant got back to its full capacity of 80 MW and saved money through reduced fuel and lube oil consumption. Illustration: WorkTrek / Data: Wärtsilä This is a perfect example of what happens when you turn what you’ve learned from a good audit into action. Conclusion With these five steps, you’ll get your maintenance audit right. It might seem like a lot of work, but these steps can really make a big difference in how well your facility runs. By defining what to audit, reviewing past maintenance records, inspecting equipment, checking your spare parts, and putting together a detailed report, you’re setting yourself up for better maintenance practices. The key is to keep doing these audits regularly—whether that’s every year, every six months, or even more often. This way, you can track your progress, see improvements, and stay on top of your maintenance, which is why maintenance audits were invented.

 Keeping your company's financial health demands strict controls, detailed records, and regular audits. The same goes for your physical assets. You likely know the frustration of unexpected equipment breakdowns, plant shutdowns, and rising maintenance costs. A thorough maintenance audit is the solution to prevent these issues. With a comprehensive audit, you'll gain a clear picture of your assets' health, how well you plan and schedule maintenance, whether your technicians follow maintenance procedures, and much more. Curious to learn more? Keep reading to discover everything you need to know about maintenance audits and how the right tools can make them easier. Maintenance Audit Basics A maintenance audit is a thorough examination of your maintenance practices and procedures. Think of it as a health check for your equipment and maintenance operations. It identifies what’s working well and what needs improvement. The primary purpose of a maintenance audit is to ensure you're doing the right things that make your equipment run efficiently and reliably, minimizing downtime and repair costs. As per the latest statistics, unplanned downtime costs manufacturers more than $120,000 per hour. Illustration: WorkTrek / Data: ABB That’s a significant hit to the budget—and productivity. A maintenance audit helps prevent these costly disruptions by identifying potential issues before they become real problems. It ensures your maintenance teams follow best practices, keep detailed records, and adhere to safety standards. This saves you money, prolongs your equipment’s lifespan, and improves overall efficiency. Beyond cost savings and efficiency, maintenance audits also ensure regulatory compliance. In different industries, various regulatory bodies conduct audits to make sure companies follow quality, health, and safety regulations. Maintenance audits are an important part of these larger checks. If you fail to comply with them, you face legal issues, damage to your company’s reputation, and hefty fines. For instance, penalties from the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) currently range from $16,000 to over $160,000 per violation. Source: OSHA A maintenance audit helps you stay ahead of the industry requirements, ensuring you meet all necessary standards and avoid potential penalties. How often these audits occur depends on who conducts them. If the quality team within your organization does it, they have the authority to schedule them based on internal needs and goals. And if we’re talking about external audits by regulatory bodies, their frequency may increase in response to past issues or compliance failures. Extreme circumstances, like workplace injuries or product failures, might trigger immediate audits as part of an investigation. The table below sums up maintenance audit basics: Source: WorkTrek All in all, getting a grasp of these basics is the first step towards conducting maintenance audits correctly. Let’s now explore different types of maintenance audits. Different Types of Maintenance Audits Since maintenance audits come in several flavors, each serving a distinct purpose, let’s take a closer look at the main types of maintenance audits and how they can impact your operations. Mandatory These audits are non-negotiable and are conducted by government agencies to ensure you’re complying with industry regulations. They are essential for maintaining operational standards and avoiding legal trouble. For example, OSHA might show up for a safety audit. Part of their examination could include how your maintenance team handles equipment repairs. They could also check if there is a departmental safety program, including courses on topics like forklift safety, lockout/tagout, electrical hazards, and compressed gasses. Similarly, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) audits the pharmaceutical industry to ensure adherence to Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP). Marie Getsug, an experienced maintenance and reliability subject matter expert, explains what exactly the FDA checks during these audits: Well-documented asset logs of failures—with appropriate strategies implemented to prevent the failure in the future, a robust record of technician training—adding confidence that the implemented changes were executed appropriately, and lists of equipment specification, detailing the safety and efficacy of using such equipment, are areas of focus within this regulated industry that are fundamental to a successful maintenance program. Overall, these mandatory audits often encompass a broad review of your company’s policies and procedures, including maintenance practices, as seen in the example below. Source: AOL To stay ahead of these audits, you should keep your maintenance records detailed and up-to-date. This will prepare you for any inspection and avoid potential fines or compliance issues. You can do this most easily with a good computerized maintenance management system, which we will discuss later on. Voluntary Voluntary audits usually happen when a company wants to evaluate the efficiency and compliance of its facilities and equipment. They are your chance to showcase excellence and earn certifications for committing to high industry standards. While these certifications (and, therefore, audits) aren’t required by law, they can boost your company’s credibility and competitiveness. For instance, if you aim for ISO 55001 certification, which standardizes effective asset management practices, or LEED certification for sustainable building practices, you’ll undergo a series of self-audits to prove you meet these high standards. Take a quick look at what obtaining an ISO 55001 certification looks like at the Bureau Veritas certification company.  Source: Bureau Veritas The certification process usually starts with a pre-audit or gap analysis to assess your current practices against the standards. This is followed by a two-stage certification audit: Stage 1 assesses your readiness, Stage 2 evaluates the effectiveness of your implementation. Once you receive certification, you’ll undergo regular surveillance audits to ensure ongoing compliance. Yes, these certifications can enhance your reputation. However, maintaining them requires a consistent commitment to best practices. So, regularly reviewing and refining your maintenance processes to stay compliant and keep the certification is all the more important. And for that, you need the third type of maintenance audit: an internal one. Internal Internal audits are, essentially, your facility’s self-checkup. They should be conducted by your team to ensure that maintenance processes align with your company’s standards and policies. These audits help you identify and address issues before they escalate. Paul Michalicka, former sales manager for maintenance products at SKF USA, advises conducting internal audits as soon as you notice any of the following signs: Rising energy consumption Frequent equipment failures Rapid growth in your maintenance staff Breakdowns in your work order system A series of maintenance-related failures An increase in overtime (10%+ of total maintenance hours) Any of these issues can be a sign that you either don’t plan maintenance or your maintenance planning is not as it should be.  This can cost you a lot of money in the long run, as Gabriel Fagade, a maintenance advisor at ExxonMobil, rightly points out: Illustration: WorkTrek / Quote: Linkedin Conversely, internal audits can show whether your technicians follow procedures or have all the necessary tools. Regular internal audits will pinpoint inefficiencies and help ensure that your maintenance planning, scheduling, and execution are as effective as possible. This will ultimately prevent costly equipment breakdowns and downtime. So, take it from the experts and make internal audits a regular part of your maintenance strategy. What Does a Maintenance Audit Examine Depending on your industry, the specifics of what’s examined can vary. However, the core elements typically include safety practices, maintenance planning and scheduling, and adherence to documented procedures. Here’s a quick overview of what maintenance audits commonly examine: Policies and Procedures Are technicians adhering to your maintenance policies and procedures? Planning and Scheduling Are your maintenance activities well planned and scheduled to avoid downtime? Work Order Management Is your work order system efficient? Do work orders include all necessary information? Preventive Maintenance Programs Review preventive maintenance schedules. Are maintenance intervals based on equipment specifications? Shutdown Maintenance Review procedures for planned shutdowns and overhauls. Condition Monitoring Check the use of predictive maintenance technologies. Training and Skills Is training provided to maintenance staff good? Are their skill levels adequate? Safety Practices Are safety protocols followed? Is equipment maintained to prevent accidents? Documentation Are maintenance records accurate? Do they match the equipment’s condition? But these are not the only elements that audits examine. Audits also check how you communicate with your maintenance team, how you budget and allocate resources for maintenance, and if you have emergency response plans for maintenance-related incidents. To gather all this information, auditors observe maintenance processes, interview maintenance staff, and review all your documents or, ideally, go through your CMMS. What’s The Role of CMMS In Maintenance Audits A CMMS provides auditors with easy access to historical records for all maintenance activities. This allows them to quickly verify maintenance tasks, check compliance with regulations, and review historical data without sifting through different spreadsheets. For example, a key aspect of maintenance auditing involves reviewing past work orders. It is a procedure done in almost every maintenance audit, and below is an example from the City of Denton’s facilities maintenance audit: Source: The City of Denton But if your work orders are scattered across several spreadsheets or printed out and put into various folders, the process becomes chaotic and inefficient. Don’t you agree? This Reddit user certainly does. They describe struggling with siloed maintenance programs across multiple spreadsheets, making it hard and time-consuming to monitor and cross-reference tasks manually: Source: Reddit A CMMS, such as our WorkTrek, solves this problem by centralizing all asset and maintenance data in one place. It features a robust work order management system that lets you assign tasks to technicians with step-by-step instructions. Maintenance checklists are saved and linked to work orders, making it easy to see who completed each checklist and when. Source: Reddit Moreover, technicians can update task status and add details such as time spent and parts used. This creates a history showing what work was completed, by whom, and when. WorkTrek also allows users to directly link OSHA rules and maintenance manuals to equipment records, ensuring that maintenance activities follow the required standards. You can even specify which personal protective equipment (PPE) technicians should use, adding an extra layer of safety and compliance. Source: WorkTrek Also, WorkTrek replaces paper documentation with electronic signatures to track sign-offs, ensuring clear accountability for each task. Source: WorkTrek You can even enforce approval requirements before closing work orders. Also, generating maintenance activity reports is quick and easy, so you’ll be well-prepared when auditors come knocking. In summary, a robust CMMS like our WorkTrek simplifies maintenance audits by consolidating all your data and providing a clear, organized record of maintenance activities. It’s a more efficient solution than managing various spreadsheets or keeping paper records, making your audit process much smoother. Conclusion Hopefully, we’ve clarified that maintenance audits are essential for keeping your plant or facility running smoothly and efficiently. They help you identify areas for improvement, ensure compliance, and avoid costly downtime. So, make sure your internal audits are regular and thorough—you have control over that. For mandatory and external audits from regulatory bodies, you don’t need to worry if you follow the rules and use a reliable CMMS. With all your data centralized, this tool will make your audits a breeze.