1 Goals and expectations

The first step to measure and improve the performance and efficiency of your maintenance team is to set clear and realistic goals and expectations for them. These goals and expectations should align with the organizational objectives, the asset management strategy, and the maintenance plan. They should also be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). By setting SMART goals and expectations, you can communicate your vision, motivate your team, and monitor their progress.

2 Performance indicators and metrics

The second step to measure and improve the performance and efficiency of your maintenance team is to choose the right performance indicators and metrics that reflect their goals and expectations. Performance indicators and metrics are quantitative or qualitative measures that show how well your team is performing in terms of quality, quantity, cost, time, safety, and customer satisfaction. For instance, maintenance backlog indicates the amount of work orders that are overdue or pending. Maintenance productivity is the ratio of actual work hours to planned work hours. Maintenance effectiveness is the ratio of planned maintenance to total maintenance. Maintenance availability is the percentage of time that assets and equipment are available for use. Maintenance reliability is the probability that assets and equipment will perform as intended. Maintenance costs are the total expenses incurred for maintenance activities. Maintenance safety involves the number or rate of accidents, injuries, or incidents related to maintenance. Lastly, maintenance satisfaction is the level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction of internal or external customers with the maintenance service.

3 Data and feedback

The third step to measure and improve the performance and efficiency of your maintenance team is to collect and analyze data and feedback from various sources. This can help you understand the strengths and weaknesses of your team, identify potential issues, recognize opportunities for improvement or innovation, and assess the impact of your decisions. Sources of data and feedback for maintenance management include work orders, asset management systems, inspection reports, maintenance audits, surveys, and interviews. Work orders provide records of maintenance requests, tasks, resources, costs, and outcomes. Asset management systems track the performance, condition, and history of assets and equipment. Inspection reports verify compliance, functionality, and quality. Maintenance audits evaluate effectiveness, efficiency, and compliance. Surveys measure customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the maintenance service. Interviews gather opinions or suggestions from internal or external stakeholders.

4 Continuous improvement and best practices

The fourth step to measure and improve the performance and efficiency of your maintenance team is to implement continuous improvement and best practices in your maintenance processes and practices. Through a systematic approach, continuous improvement seeks to achieve incremental or breakthrough improvements in the performance and efficiency of your team. Best practices are reliable methods or standards established by experts or peers in the maintenance field. To this end, you can apply the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle, which is a four-step process involving planning, implementing, checking, and acting on the results of your improvement initiatives. Additionally, you can adopt the Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) approach, which focuses on optimizing the maintenance strategy based on the reliability and criticality of assets and equipment. Moreover, implementing the Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) philosophy encourages employee participation and collaboration in maintaining and improving asset performance. Additionally, following the 5S principles creates a clean, organized, and safe work environment. Lastly, benchmarking allows you to compare your performance with other similar or leading organizations or teams in the maintenance field.

5 Training and development

The fifth step to measure and improve the performance and efficiency of your maintenance team is to provide training and development opportunities. Doing so can enhance their knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as their motivation, engagement, and retention. It can also help address any gaps or challenges in their performance and prepare them for future changes or demands. Examples of training and development include technical training courses or workshops, soft skills training, certification programs, mentoring programs, and career paths. These can certify or validate qualifications or competencies in specific areas or domains of maintenance, provide guidance or feedback on performance or career development, and outline the possible roles, responsibilities, or opportunities for career progression or advancement.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?