Month: May 2022

How to Plan and Track Your Maintenance Budget with a CMMS

 

Paper spreadsheet, tablet, and graphs representing maintenance budgeting and financial analysis

Budgeting is a critical management activity that ensures organizations have the resources needed to do business. Unlike other departments whose expenses are fairly predictable, the variability of maintenance needs make it difficult to determine how much to budget for maintenance – that is, without the right system in place. Computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software not only tracks maintenance activities, but maintenance expenses as well.

How a CMMS Improves Maintenance Budgeting

Listed below are multiple ways in which a CMMS helps you improve maintenance budgeting.

Tracking Historical Corrective Maintenance (CM) Part Costs

The unplanned nature of asset failure makes corrective maintenance (CM) part costs difficult to predict from year to year. Tracking corrective maintenance in a CMMS provides you with a basis of historical data from which to estimate future part costs.

Maintenance organizations incur part costs whenever repair parts are not in stock and must be purchased, or when replenishing stocked parts. However, it is not necessarily appropriate to “add a little” to the previous year’s budget, as many organizations do. Critical failures with especially large part expenses should be evaluated on a case by case basis to determine the root cause of the failure, whether the failure can be prevented or mitigated, and the likelihood of recurrence.

Further reading: Failure Codes: Standardizing Asset Failure Documentation with a CMMS (Part 1 of 3)

Analyzing corrective maintenance work order history in a CMMS provides context to why part costs were high or low in a given timeframe. If enough historical data is available, you may average multiple years-worth of data in order to come up with a baseline CM part cost estimate. Then, adjust the maintenance budget accordingly.

Forecasting Preventive Maintenance (PM) Costs

Costs related to preventive maintenance (PM) are easier to predict because they are planned. CMMS software stores cost data related to what tasks need to be done, what parts are required, and who will perform the work. Scheduling maintenance activities in a CMMS, whether based on runtime or date-based frequencies, helps organizations forecast the costs of future planned maintenance. Some CMMS solutions also track contracted preventive maintenance services like HVAC maintenance.

CMMS software can also be used to anticipate future preventive maintenance demands. For example, if your organization plans to purchase and install new assets, you can set up PM schedules ahead of time and factor their costs into the maintenance budget. Additionally, maintenance management reports can identify assets that are under or over maintained and adjust the preventive maintenance budget forecast accordingly.

Evaluating Staffing Levels

The number of employees needed to carry out high-quality maintenance depends on the workload. CMMS software provides insights into your maintenance history, including the amount of corrective maintenance vs. preventive maintenance, the amount of labor hours spent on maintenance, whether work is being completed on time, and the size of the work order backlog. You can then use this data to justify staffing levels.

Changes to the maintenance strategy may also prompt a need for additional staff. If your organization seeks to improve asset reliability, preventive maintenance work may need to increase, possibly requiring additional staff. Organizations getting started with failure analysis, such as Root Cause Analysis (RCA), need to dedicate resources to investigating asset failures.

Justifying Asset Replacement

Maintenance teams use many assets to execute maintenance work including vehicles, dedicated tools, or specialized equipment. At some point, these assets reach a point where they become too costly to repair. Tracking maintenance assets in a CMMS enables you to compare the cost of repair versus replacement.

Tracking the Maintenance Budget

CMMS software not only provides that data from which to build a maintenance budget, it also helps you track your performance against budget goals throughout the year. As you complete work orders, maintenance costs are automatically attributed to cost centers, ensuring that costs are attributed to the correct budget account.

Depending on the system, you can set budget goals by month, fiscal year, or other accounting period. Maintenance reports, dashboards, and data views help you visualize how closely you are meeting your budget goals and allow you to adjust accordingly.

Track Maintenance Expenses with FTMaintenance Select

FTMaintenance Select provides a single platform for tracking maintenance activities and costs, allowing you to make better decisions about your maintenance budget and resources. Request a demo today to learn more.

5 Labor KPIs for Measuring Maintenance Team Performance

Maintenance worker checking pressure of a pipe and being tracked by productivity KPIs

Key Takeaways

  • Tracking productivity helps keep employees accountable for their performance
  • There are many common key performance indicators (KPIs) that can be used to track maintenance labor performance
  • Understand how to interpret KPI results and how they might align with business goals

Labor performance tracking keeps employees accountable for completing assigned maintenance work in an efficient way. Organizations must have methods to measure the productivity and efficiency of their staff. This article discusses several labor performance metrics that you can use to track your maintenance team’s performance.

This article is part of a maintenance management metrics KPIs series. Read our other KPI articles:

Maintenance Employee Performance KPI Examples

Every maintenance team is comprised of a unique set of individuals, with varying levels of experience and skill. The employee performance metrics you track depends on the business goals of your organization.

The following productivity metrics represent common key performance indicators (KPIs) tracked by maintenance departments. Note that many of these KPIs rely on the availability of accurate time tracking data, such as that stored in a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS).

Average Service Request Response Time

Average Service Request Response Time formula

Average Service Request Response Time is the average amount of time it takes to respond to work requested via a service request. This metric measures how quickly the maintenance team responds to service requests, starting when the request is submitted up until work towards solving the issue begins.

To calculate the average service request response time, take the sum of the response time—the total elapsed time between service request submission times and their related work order start times and divide it by the number of service requests submitted in the reporting timeframe.

Keep in mind what unit of time is used for the response time. Converting the output of this calculation from hours to minutes or minutes to hours requires an additional step. Convert values in hours to minutes by multiplying by 60; divide values in minutes by 60 to express in hours.

How to Interpret Average Service Request Response Time

A low (short) response time means the maintenance team responds to requests quickly. However, shorter response times should be viewed in context of the types of repairs requested. Employees are more likely to contact maintenance personnel directly for urgent issues, rather than submitting service requests.

A high (long) service request response time can mean there is a backlog of requests that are getting pushed to the backburner. However, a backlog may not be unusual because requests have to be balanced with other important maintenance work. Long response times may also indicate that requests are submitted with incomplete information. Work request management software, like a CMMS, standardizes the information required to submit requests.

Note that multiple factors come into play when analyzing average service request response time. Some organizations immediately turn all service requests into work orders. Others assign personnel to review incoming requests and prioritize them accordingly. At times, more information must be gathered before work can begin.

These factors greatly impact how quickly the maintenance team responds, thereby affecting the average response time. When analyzing response time, you may wish to select a subset of service requests that are similar in priority or complexity.

Average Task Completion Time

Average Task Completion Time formula

Average Task Completion Time measures the average amount of time it takes to complete a maintenance task. It estimates how long it takes to complete a specific maintenance and is used by maintenance managers to improve resource planning and maintenance scheduling.

To calculate the average task completion time, divide the total time required to complete the task by the number of times the task was performed during the reporting timeframe.

How to Interpret Average Task Completion Time

The average task completion time primarily applies to planned maintenance activities, where a baseline completion time is known. Owner’s manuals typically include these time estimates. Therefore, a good starting point is to compare your measured task completion time to the values provided by the asset’s manufacturer.

High or rising average task completion times mean tasks take longer to complete than expected. A logical next step is to compare task completion times between employees to determine whether the issue lies with a particular person or team. It could be possible that task instructions are not clear and misunderstood, or that additional training is needed.

Average task completion times that are close to the benchmark value provided in maintenance documentation are ideal. It means technicians are skilled and informed enough to complete maintenance work in a timely manner. Still, expect some variance in completion time, within reason.

Low or falling task completion times mean that tasks are completed quickly. Though preventive maintenance work tends to be less complex and, therefore takes less time, it is normal to scrutinize suspiciously low values. It may be an indication that technicians are rushing through work, skipping steps, cutting corners, or underreporting their work time in an attempt to look more productive.

Work Order Activity

Work order activity KPI formula

 

Work Order Activity tracks how many work orders are completed compared to past performance. This metric helps determines the maintenance team’s productivity.

To calculate work order activity, divide the number of work orders completed within a given time period by the number of completed work orders within an equal previous time period, and then multiply by 100 to express the value as a percentage.

How to Interpret Work Order Activity

The Work Order Activity metric compares performance between two time periods:

  • If the result that is greater than 100%, more work orders were completed in the most recent period.
  • If the result is or is close to 100%,  performance was consistent between the two reporting periods.
  • If the result is less than 100%, fewer work orders were completed compared to the previous period.

Tracking this KPI over time allows you to analyze trends. Consistently increase values indicate higher, more efficient performance, while consistently decreasing values indicate that performance may be declining. However, employees are not always at fault for decreasing values.

The Work Order Activity metric does not account expose the reasons why productivity increased or decreased, however. For example, imagine that in the previous reporting period the maintenance team completed a large number of low priority inspections, part replacements, and work requests. This period, a high priority, relatively complex annual preventive maintenance job was completed over multiple days. In this scenario, work order performance may appear low, even though the annual work order held greater importance to the organizations.

Other possible causes of decreasing performance include:

  • Understaffed maintenance teams
  • Stockout occurrences that delay maintenance work
  • Lack of equipment availability to maintenance
  • The need to complete unexpected or higher priority maintenance work

The reporting period may also be to blame. The shorter the reporting timeframe, the more variability there will be in the result. For instance, comparing values week-to-week will show greater fluctuations than when comparing month-to-month, quarter-to-quarter, or year-to-year. Longer time frames account for more natural variance in maintenance needs, and give a more accurate picture of work order activity.

Wrench Time

Wrench Time formula

Wrench Time measures the percentage of time a maintenance technician spends manually performing maintenance work. It does not include time spent traveling to the asset, retrieving inventory parts from the stock room, reviewing maintenance history, and other tasks that don’t involve physically repairing an asset.

To calculate wrench time, divide wrench hours by total working hours, then multiply by 100 to find the value as a percentage.

Be aware that tracking true wrench hours requires granular, consistent, and accurate time tracking. We also recognize that there are many methods of measuring wrench hours, each with varying amounts of accuracy. Therefore, wrench time remains a controversial metric in the maintenance industry. The decision whether to use wrench time as a KPI is up to your organization.

How to Interpret Wrench Time

Wrench time can be tricky to interpret, even deceiving. Remember that the time physically performing work represents a small portion of someone’s day. To add a bit of context, experts estimate that world class wrench time is 55%. In reality, the average wrench time for most organizations is between 25%-35%. For the purposes of this discussion, high or low wrench time means that wrench times are outside of this range.

Low wrench time means that technicians are spending too much time doing something besides performing maintenance. However, low wrench time does not necessarily mean that time is being wasted. As mentioned earlier, retrieving items from a stockroom or troubleshooting a breakdown is within the scope of a technician’s work but doesn’t involve physically repairing an asset. Other causes of low wrench time include:

  • Technicians not performing up to their true potential
  • Poor maintenance planning and scheduling
  • Asset not being available for planned maintenance
  • Unexpected emergency maintenance events
  • Waiting for parts and tools
  • Inaccurate time tracking

If a technician’s wrench time is consistently low, review the jobs that have the lowest scores and try to identify the underlying problems.

High wrench time is generally positive. However, wrench time that seems too good to be true can be cause for concern as well. Depending on how wrench hours are recorded, numbers can easily be inflated so as to make an employee appear more productive than they actually are.

Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)

Mean Time to Repair formula

Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) is the average time it takes to repair an asset. Unlike wrench time, MTTR accounts for the total time a technician is actively working on solving the issue, including travel time to the asset, troubleshooting, performing the repair, and testing the solution. Though MTTR is typically used as an asset management KPI, it is impacted by the efficiency and effectiveness of labor resources.

To calculate MTTR, divide the sum of repair time (usually in hours) by the number of repairs in the reporting timeframe. Note that MTTR is calculated per asset or asset class.

How to Interpret Mean Time to Repair

Interpreting MTTR can be tricky because the number will rise and fall based on the types of repairs that were done during the time period. Therefore, it is best practice to calculate MTTR by the type of repair performed on an asset or asset class.

An MTTR value that trends higher over time means that assets are taking longer to repair. One possible cause for this trend is labor performance. Start by identifying who performs repairs on the asset and, using other maintenance productivity KPIs, determine if the cause is employee related. For example, a particular technician may not have the correct skills for making the repair.

It is important to look at low MTTR in context with other information about your assets and maintenance process. For example, aging assets are more difficult to repair than new ones. Unavailable parts cause long delays in maintenance work. Previously neglected preventive maintenance work leads to more critical, complex, and lengthy repairs.

MTTR values that trend lower over time mean that your maintenance process is optimized for speedy repairs. In terms of labor, low MTTR means that technicians are quick to respond to maintenance issues, well-trained, able to troubleshoot efficiently, and are not wasting time.

Track Employee Productivity and Maintenance Performance with FTMaintenance Select

FTMaintenance Select is a powerful CMMS platform that empowers your team to stay productive by providing them with access to critical asset and maintenance information. Maintenance reports provide insight into your day-to-day maintenance operations and allow you to keep technicians accountable for how their time is spent. Request a demo today to learn more.

What is a Maintenance Request? Definition, What to Include, and Workflow

 

A close-up shot of a computer keyboard with a “service” button with a wrench and screwdriver.

Despite their best efforts, maintenance teams can’t anticipate every equipment problem. Instead, they rely on anyone who notices an issue – employees, tenants, and other stakeholders – to alert them. These reports come in the form of maintenance requests, which play a vital role in identifying and resolving problems quickly. In this article, we’ll explain what a maintenance request is and how it fits into the maintenance management process.

What is a Maintenance Request?

A maintenance request is a formal notification submitted to the maintenance team to report an issue that needs attention, such as an equipment malfunction, damage, or an emerging problem. These requests typically come from individuals outside of the maintenance department – such as machine operators, employees, or tenants – who notice issues that need attention.

While maintenance requests are commonly used to report a wide range of issues, they are typically submitted for non-urgent problems that do not immediately impact safety or production.

Maintenance requests may also be referred to as work requests, service requests, or maintenance tickets depending on the industry or organization.

Maintenance Request vs. Work Order

Although the terms “maintenance request” and “work order” are often used interchangeably, they refer to different stages in the work order management process.

A maintenance request is an initial request for action, typically coming from someone outside the maintenance team. It outlines a problem but does not authorize work to begin. This is similar to a purchase requisition, which communicates a need but isn’t an approved purchase.

A work order, on the other hand, is a formal authorization to perform maintenance work. It includes specific information such as the work to be done, required parts, assigned labor resources, and scheduling details. Work orders may originate from maintenance technicians or from approved maintenance requests.

Learn more about maintenance work orders.

The Role of Maintenance Requests in the Maintenance Process

Maintenance requests play a critical role in ensuring maintenance issues are identified and addressed in a timely manner.

For non-maintenance employees, tenants, and other requesters, submitting a maintenance request provides a clear, documented way to report issues to the maintenance team. It also allows them to track the status of their requests from the point of submission through completion, increasing transparency and accountability.

For the maintenance team, maintenance requests bring attention to issues that might otherwise go unnoticed. In this sense, requesters act as an extension of the maintenance team, providing valuable insight into equipment performance and condition. Over time, the data collected from maintenance requests can also help inform decisions about maintenance strategy.

Maintenance requests also provide a standardized format for reporting issues. This helps ensure the maintenance team receives all the necessary information upfront before deciding whether to approve the request, and reduces the back-and-forth communication caused by incomplete or unclear requests.

What to Include on a Maintenance Request Form

The information included on a maintenance request form depends on your organization’s needs. In smaller organizations, a simple description may be enough. However, in asset-intensive or multi-site environments, more detailed information helps ensure faster resolution and more accurate work assignments.

Below are the most common fields included on a maintenance request:

  • Problem Description: A clear description of the issue requiring maintenance assistance. Requesters should be encouraged to provide as much relevant detail as possible to avoid follow-up and miscommunication.
  • Requester Contact Information: Includes the name, email address, and phone number of the requester. This allows the maintenance team to follow up if clarification is needed and can also help identify recurring requests from the same customer.
  • Request Date and Time: The time and date the request was submitted. Including this information can help the maintenance team prioritize tasks, track response time, and maintain an accurate service history.
  • Asset: The asset name and number, if available. Identifying the specific asset enables technicians to quickly locate it in the maintenance tracking system, check past work history, and gather any required documentation or parts.
  • Location: The physical location of the issue or asset. Accurate location details help maintenance technicians find the problem quickly, especially in large facilities and buildings.
  • Priority: Allows the requester to indicate the urgency of the issue. While the final priority may be adjusted by the maintenance team, this information provides context into how the problem affects the requester.
  • File Attachments: If submitted through a computerized system, requesters can often attach photos or videos. Visual documentation can help maintenance teams assess the situation remotely and arrive prepared with the right parts or tools.

Who Submits Maintenance Requests?

Close-up of an office working submitting a maintenance request using FTMaintenance Select on a laptop.

Anyone who encounters a maintenance issue can submit a maintenance request. The specific individuals or groups submitting requests often depend on your organization’s structure or industry. Below are some of the most common requesters.

Machine Operators

Machine operators submit maintenance requests when they find abnormalities during routine inspections or experience problems that disrupt normal operation. These problems may include unusual noises, decreased performance, or malfunctions that could cause equipment damage or production downtime. Operators are a valuable source of information as they have a deep knowledge about their equipment and can catch early warning signs before small issues become costly repairs.

Non-Maintenance Employees

Non-maintenance employees may submit maintenance requests for issues that impact their workspace, safety, or ability to do their jobs. Common examples include:

  • Burnt-out lights, HVAC problems, and issues with electrical systems
  • Broken garage doors preventing shipments from being sent or received
  • Equipment jams and minor malfunctions not handled directly by a machine operator
  • Damaged racking, leaking roofs, or other hazards in warehouses or industrial spaces

By reporting these issues, maintenance becomes a facility-wide effort that helps ensure an efficient work environment.

Tenants

In a property management setting, maintenance requests are often submitted by tenants and building occupants – and occasionally property staff. These requests are typically used to report broken appliances, water leaks, pest problems, or damage within units or shared spaces. Most requests are submitted through an online request portal and are handled by the property’s maintenance team.

Learn more about property maintenance.

Customers

Maintenance service providers may receive requests from customers they support. These customers typically contract the provider to perform specialized maintenance services, including routine inspections or corrective repairs. Customers submit requests whenever they encounter an issue that requires the provider’s expertise.

Supervisors and Managers

In some organizations, supervisors, team leads, or department heads submit requests on behalf of their staff or escalate maintenance concerns that affect broader operations. These roles act as the designated point of contact between staff and the maintenance team.

The Maintenance Request Workflow

The ultimate goal of a maintenance request is to initiate maintenance work by generating a work order. While every organization handles incoming requests differently, most follow a general workflow to review them and turn them into actionable tasks.

In some organizations, all maintenance requests automatically become work orders. However, many organizations implement a review process to ensure requests are complete, valid, and not duplicates. A typical workflow looks like the following:

  1. Submission: A requester submits a maintenance request, providing as much detail as possible.
  2. Initial Review: A request administrator (often a maintenance planner or coordinator) reviews the request for completeness. If required information is missing, they follow up with the requester for clarification.
  3. Duplicate Check: The administrator checks whether the issue has already been reported or is being addressed by an open work order.
  4. Request Update: The administrator may update key fields, such as priority level, asset ID, or location, to ensure accuracy.
  5. Approval: Once verified, the maintenance request is approved and converted into a work order.
  6. Work Order Assignment: A maintenance manager or planner adds additional details to the work order – such as the required tasks, parts, and scheduling information – then assigns it to a technician.
  7. Completion and Notification: Once the work is completed, the requester is notified and the maintenance history is recorded.

A standardized maintenance request workflow helps organizations respond efficiently, avoid duplicate work, ensure quick response times, and track requests throughout.

Maintenance Request Approval Considerations

Not every maintenance request becomes a work order. When reviewing incoming requests, administrators must consider several factors before approving them. These may include:

  • Redundancy
  • Maintenance budget
  • Asset criticality
  • Severity of the problem
  • Labor availability
  • Part availability
  • Maintenance strategy for the asset

These factors help determine whether maintenance requests are approved, deferred, or denied. A formal review process allows maintenance teams to prioritize resources and ensure that only necessary and actionable work is passed along to technicians.

Managing Requests with Maintenance Request Software

Close up of a person using the FTMaintenance Select app to submit a maintenance request in a packaging facility.

Many organizations use maintenance request software to help streamline maintenance request submission, review, and tracking. These tools – often included in a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) – provide a single channel for submitting requests, help standardize incoming requests, reduce paperwork, and ensure quick response times. To learn more about how a CMMS supports maintenance request management, read our article on maintenance request systems.

Unlock the Power of Maintenance Requests with FTMaintenance Select

Maintenance requests provide valuable documentation that brings visibility to maintenance issues across your organization and offer insight into how those issues affect requesters. Empowering employees, tenants, and customers to submit requests helps you deliver better service, improve customer satisfaction, and build trust in the maintenance team.

FTMaintenance Select CMMS includes easy-to-use maintenance request tracking software that allows requesters to submit requests through a customizable online form, accessible via web browser or the FTMaintenance Select mobile app. Request a demo today to see how FTMaintenance Select helps you stay on top of maintenance needs and keep your operations running smoothly.

FTMaintenance Select v.2.6.0.2 Release Notes

FasTrak SoftWorks, Inc. is pleased to announce the release FTMaintenance Select v.2.6.0.2, which incorporates the following:

Features

  • Asset Management
    • Look up assets by serial number on work orders.
    • Update an asset’s status using a web browser on a smart phone or tablet.
  • Notifications
    • Notify users of purchasing events via email.
  • Permissions
    • Assign permissions to users and user groups.
  • Reporting
    • Generate a report that displays inventory items whose quantity on hand is at or below the inventory item’s set reorder point.
  • Service Request Management
    • Assign service requests to an administrator for review.
    • Configure visible and required service request record fields.
  • Work Order Management
    • Configure visible and required work order record fields.
  • Work Order Scheduling
    • Automatically set the work order due date on calendar-based preventive maintenance work orders.

Solutions

  • Asset Management
    • Minor defect fixes and improvements to Asset and Location functionality.
  • Inventory Management
    • Minor defect fixes and improvements to Inventory functionality.
  • Purchasing
    • Minor defect fixes and improvements to Purchasing functionality.
  • Reporting
    • Minor defect fixes and improvements to Reports functionality.
  • Service Request Management
    • Minor defect fixes and improvements to Service Request functionality.
  • User Management
    • Minor defect fixes and improvements to User functionality.
  • Work Order Management
    • Minor defect fixes and improvements to Work Order functionality.