The previous chapters have described the principles underlying effective planning and scheduling. This chapter describes exactly what a planner does in the context of the preceding chapters. The chapter follows the entire actual planning process including areas such as how a planner scopes a job, what a planner writes on a work order form, and how a planner files.

More magazine articles have described the concepts of maintenance planning than have described exact steps a planner might take to fulfill those concepts. This may be because there are often many different options for exact steps. Nevertheless, many programs with the right concepts have failed due to difficulty in determining how to execute the concepts. Therefore, this book undertakes the obligation to describe exact steps to clarify the role of a planner to fulfill the concepts. The following sections describe specific planner actions. After understanding what is necessary to execute the principles of planning, readers may implement alternative steps than the ones prescribed. The following sections address some of the considerations involved to allow readers to tailor their own systems appropriately. In this manner, this chapter covers the question: "Exactly what does a planner do?"

Before examining the basics of hands-on planning, observe a planner through a normal work day. This company has a correctly established planning organization. Read the following illustration with the principles and concepts affecting planning identified in parentheses.