TABLE OF CONTENTS So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.
Peter Drucker
Drucker's observation doesn't apply to those few companies that are truly high performing in maintenance. Making it easy to do the right work the right way and in a timely manner is what work management is all about. At the heart of the maintenance function are work planning and work scheduling, but these tell only part of a complex story. Work management includes planning and scheduling, but it also extends to other activities that together comprise the six-step work management cycle depicted below:
As Figure 3-1 illustrates, planning and scheduling are two important steps in the cycle. Planning defines what gets done and how; scheduling defines when. The problem with focusing only on these two segments of work management is that this presumes that operations always proceed without problems or variations, and that is rarely the case. For this reason, the material presented in this chapter deals with the entire work management process, including an emphasis on shutdowns and on managing a mobile workforce.
What every plant or fleet manager wants most is to sleep soundly to turn off the office light at night confident that the equipment will be running reliably and efficiently the next morning. Unfortunately, such peace of mind is rare. Breakdowns, emergency repairs, unplanned and unscheduled downtime, overtime, and maintenance stores stock-outs all rob a business of capacity and...
