Scheduling and planning is a must in the drive for reliability improvement.  In today’s competitive business environment, it is highly unlikely additional resources will be added to increase reliability.  Resources for reliability will need to be found in the current maintenance resource pool.

The only way to create reliability resources without adding to the maintenance resource pool is either by decreasing the work load or working more efficiently.  A planner-scheduler will increase departmental efficiency.  Without a planner-scheduler, departmental efficiency trends from 30% to 40% as a rule of thumb.  With a planner-scheduler departmental efficiencies generally trend from 60% to 80%.  With the increased efficiencies, a planner scheduler can come from personnel on the floor.  Additionally, the added efficiency creates further manpower to address reliability strategies.

Maintenance foremen generally are too highly involved in reactionary maintenance management or maintenance quality work assessment to be effective planner-schedulers.  If the department is small, it is better to have a planner-scheduler instead of a foreman.  Maintenance can report to production for reactionary management. 

Rules of thumb for planner-schedulers:  1 planner-scheduler for every 20 technicians.  The planner scheduler should assign work from the prioritized work order list.  If the CMMS prioritized work order list is implemented properly, assigning work directly based on priority is the best reliability strategy.  As the work is scheduled, the more complex work should be planned. 

Planning involves writing step by step work procedures, parts lists, tool lists, prints and schematics, confined space permits, roof permits, and anything else needed to perform the work efficiently.  Parts should be kitted and staged.  The planner should keep this data together for repetitive work, so all this can be pulled from a file for performing this same task in the future.

As the planning-scheduling function becomes robust, resources will be freed because of increased departmental efficiencies.  In addition, because the proper work is being addressed, reliability should increase thus decreasing reactive work load.  This further frees up resources.

A strategic decision needed before implementing the planner scheduler strategy initially is how to manage reactive work.  The reactive work load once determined may be assigned to dedicated personnel.  It may also be handled by personnel with assigned work schedules.

As the maintenance function becomes more disciplined and planned, efficiency and reliability increases.  This creates resources to re-deploy for reliability improvement initiatives.