Before examining the process flowchart for simple planning, it is helpful to review the basics of planning small jobs. Keeping the planners focused is important. The planners should focus on preparing job details, even on small work, so that maintenance supervisors and the maintenance crews can execute the maintenance activities efficiently and effectively. Because the planners may do both planning and scheduling, it would be good to differentiate between the two. Planning is defining what the work is and then how the work will be performed. Scheduling is determining the time frame in which the work is going to be performed.

Therefore, the relationship among planners, supervisors, and maintenance technicians include:

• Planners determine what to do, how to do it, and when to do it

• Supervisors determine who will do it

• Maintenance technicians do it and record it

Most planners were at one time maintenance technicians. If they are going to become effective planners, they need training to help them change their focus. Some of the training might include improving their communication skills, improving their organizational skills, or improving their computer skills. Because they were technicians, it is assumed that they already have good craft skills.

Even when planning small jobs, planners can lose focus. If they are planning for "now," they are schedulers, not planners. If they continue to plan for now, they will soon become expediters. This loss of focus will greatly impair any planning and scheduling department.

The main focus of the planners should be planning work...