Maintenance work scheduling
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What is maintenance work scheduling?
Work scheduling consists of determining the ideal time to perform a job based on priorities, and on the availability of equipment, human resources, and materials.
“When to do the job.”
Work scheduling process
- At the beginning of the week, the planner meets with maintenance supervisors to confirm the availability of human resources for the upcoming week.
- From the backlog of work orders ready to be scheduled, the very first tasks the planner puts on the preliminary calendar are preventive and predictive maintenance work orders.
- Next, the planner adds prioritized tasks from production and maintenance supervisors, according to resource and equipment availability.
- Once the preliminary calendar is about 80% complete, the planner leads the weekly scheduling meeting (typically held on Thursday) to validate and adjust the schedule.
- On Friday, the planner finalizes the calendar, prints the work orders for supervisors, and posts the schedule. The planner also ensures that all required parts for job execution are available on site.
Important: The planner always schedules for the following week or later, never for the current week.
Below is a diagram showing the daily scheduling process.
Coordination meetings
A pre-scheduling meeting must take place weekly at the beginning of the week to validate resource availability for the following week, based on priorities. The planner facilitates this meeting.
Participants: maintenance supervisors (electrical and mechanical).
Objectives:
- Ensure resources will be available for planned downtime.
- Balance priorities and resources across all teams.
- Identify needs for additional resources (labor reallocation, contractors, etc.).
A second meeting, the weekly scheduling meeting, should take place toward the end of the week (Wednesday or Thursday). The planner also facilitates this meeting.
Participants: maintenance supervisors (electrical and mechanical), the production coordinator (or a representative from each production department if no coordinator exists).
Objectives:
- Present planning and scheduling KPIs from the previous week.
- Identify current-week jobs that will carry over into the next week.
- Validate the preliminary schedule.
- Confirm equipment availability based on the most recent information.
Note: This meeting is not for reviewing the entire backlog or deciding what to prioritize. Participants must arrive prepared to recommend actions and alternative plans if needed. It is also not a troubleshooting meeting.
Tools to support scheduling
Operational needs: Priority requests from production for the following week should be communicated to maintenance as early as possible (no later than Wednesday) so the planner can draft the schedule according to needs and available resources.
Posting the schedule
Once completed and validated, the schedule must be posted to ensure visibility for all. Some organizations print and post it on a board, while others track the schedule using digital screens updated in real time.
Critical work or major shutdowns
For complex, critical jobs or major shutdowns, the planner may use a Gantt chart for scheduling. MS Project is a well-suited tool, as it provides a visual sequence of tasks over time. It also highlights the critical path, which determines the minimum total duration of the shutdown.
Planning and scheduling can be learned!
If you want to learn more about the advantages and benefits of maintenance planning and scheduling, and discover best practices, we invite you to register for Course 6013 – Maintenance Planning and Scheduling.
This 2-day training will help you strengthen your skills in this critical area. Check the course page for upcoming dates and locations
Michel Emond, P.Eng.
Reliability Consultant – Laurentide Controls
[email protected]
