A Complete Guide To Facility

Maintenance

Creating an efficient and productive environment is a foundational element of

business success. Facility maintenance, as an integral part of facility
management, is here to ensure that physical assets and infrastructure can be
fully utilized to fulfill their purpose.

Facility maintenance has a lot of moving parts. Getting them to work in unison
requires the knowledge of best practices, a skilled workforce, establishing
good partnerships, and the implementation of specific software solutions. We
try to cover all of that in this article.

Let’s start with a definition and move from there.

What is facility maintenance?

Facility maintenance encompasses all maintenance activities that are taken in
and outside of commercial buildings to keep the area safe, presentable, and
most importantly, functional. It is often used interchangeably with the
term building maintenance. 

This includes:
  maintenance of equipment inside the building (HVAC, certain office
equipment and furniture, building-specific equipment like medical
equipment in hospitals…) 
 maintenance of all building systems (plumbing, electrical systems,
lighting, fire safety systems, elevator systems…)
 taking care of the building infrastructure itself (roofing, windows,
doors and door locks, exterior and interior painting…)
 taking care of the space around the building (landscaping and
grounds maintenance, pest control, snow removal…)

To pile up on all of those activities, facility managers often operate with limited
budgets, but are still expected to deliver initiatives and programs focused on
sustainability and energy efficiency. This is a consequence of the research
that suggests how buildings account for 40% of total energy consumption in
the United States.

Facility maintenance is also occasionally used as a synonym for property

maintenance and industrial maintenance. While they have the same purpose
and involve many of the same activities, they are applied at different types of
buildings.

Property maintenance is used when we talk about residential

buildings. Industrial maintenance is used when referring to manufacturing and
other industrial facilities. Facility maintenance, on the contrary, is used to take
care of all other commercial buildings (we have a more detailed breakdown in
one of the sections below).

The role of maintenance in facility management

As we mentioned in the intro, facility maintenance comes as a part of facilities
management. Facility management can be broken down in a few different
ways. One popular approach is to split it into hard and soft facilities
management services:
In this categorization, we see that facility maintenance covers all hard FM
services, plus landscaping, cleaning, and pest control from the side of soft FM
services. In other words, a big chunk of facility management revolves around
maintenance.

Types of buildings that rely on facilities maintenance

Facility maintenance is applied at a huge range of different facilities:

 offices
 schools and university campuses
 hotels and casinos
 hospitals
 restaurants
 zoos and aquariums
 churches
 stadiums
 …

While the type of equipment at those facilities can differ, the core range of
maintenance responsibilities is more or less the same. 

Certain businesses might have a highly specialized piece of equipment. If it

breaks down, the facility manager will usually outsource the repair to a
specialized maintenance vendor that has the necessary tools and knowledge.
Doing it in-house vs outsourcing facility maintenance
work
This is not an either/or question. Most facility managers take a middle-of-the-
road approach. In fact, according to our latest research, 82% of facility and
maintenance managers have a strong mixed strategy:

Oftentimes, they form a small internal maintenance team to take care

of routine maintenance work and perform simple repairs and corrective
actions. Other maintenance tasks get outsourced for various reasons. For
example:

 Facility managers in hospitals and casinos will often have a dedicated

vendor they can call in to repair equipment that requires specialized
knowledge.
 Building systems like plumbing, which only need sporadic attention, are
cheaper to manage with an outside vendor. It doesn’t make fiscal sense
to pay a full salary to a plumber that will work a couple of days each
month.
 Tasks like landscaping and pest control are easier to outsource to
companies that offer professional grounds maintenance services.
 Janitorial tasks are regularly outsourced to companies providing
professional cleaning services, especially since the coronavirus brought
additional guidelines.    
While those are perfectly valid reasons, outsourcing maintenance work should
not be taken for granted. You need to keep track of the vendor’s contact
information, invoices, work history, and schedules, not to mention ensure that
the required work is properly done. This is why Limble CMMS comes with a
vendor management module that seamlessly integrates vendors into your
maintenance system.

Before we move on, let’s also mention that maintenance can be outsourced
as a part of a larger deal to outsource facility management. In this scenario,
everything is outsourced to facility management companies, facilities
maintenance included. This is a common arrangement when a business
leases a few offices or floors and the building owner has hired a facility
management company to manage the whole building.  

How to automate and streamline facility maintenance

Keeping your facility clean, organized, and efficient is not the sole
responsibility of the maintenance team. However, the maintenance
department does shoulder most of that responsibility.

Below are three bulletproof ways to organize, automate, and streamline

maintenance operations at your facility.

1) Use facilities maintenance software

There is no better way to streamline facility maintenance work than to use

capable facility maintenance software.

Maintenance just has too many moving interconnected parts to be tracked

and managed manually, even for small teams. You need to:

 schedule and track a wide variety of maintenance activities

 adjust schedule and workload based on the number of maintenance
technicians, available resources, and incoming maintenance tickets
 ensure you have necessary spare parts in stock to perform needed
maintenance work
 manage multiple vendors and contracts
 accurately track maintenance expenses and generate recurring reports  

You can try to do it with spreadsheets, but that is a subpar solution when
compared with mobile maintenance software. Spreadsheets still require a lot
of manual work, which is slower, more prone to human error, hard to use on
mobile devices, and severely limits your reporting capabilities.

Computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) offers a real-time

insight into all maintenance activities, automates a big chunk of the
maintenance workflow, and holds a centralized repository of data on your
parts and equipment which can be quickly accessed from anywhere. This not
only gives you a deep insight into maintenance metrics and other
benchmarks of performance of your maintenance team, but it also enormously
speeds up the overall maintenance workflow.

Lastly, it is important to mention that CMMS solutions like Limble can often be
integrated with IWMS, CAFM and other facility management software.   

2) Outline clear procedures and responsibilities

A great way to streamline any type of recurring work is to outline how it is

supposed to be executed. This has many benefits, achieving consistent
quality of performed work probably being the biggest one.

You can standardize many different aspects of facility maintenance like:

 writing clear standard operating procedures

 creating preventive maintenance checklists
 setting up an onboarding process for new hires and outside contractors
 setting up technician training/mentorship process
 outlining procedures for taking tools and spare parts out of inventory
and returning them back
 implementing strong safety guidelines and safety training process for
both technicians and employees (when needed)

It is also not a bad idea to review (and update) these procedures on a yearly
basis. A lot can be learned in one year. A lot can change in one year too.
Updating SOPs based on new information is a prime example of continuous
improvement. And it doesn’t hurt to have everything up-to-date.

3) Commit to proactive maintenance

It is much easier to manage maintenance tasks when those tasks are planned
ahead. It is easier to manage workloads, it is easier to
keep MRO inventory in check, and it is easier to control your
maintenance expenses.
If your technicians spend the majority of their time running around the facility
responding to emergency work requests, then what is the point of having a
maintenance calendar in the first place? Routine tasks you might have
scheduled will only get deferred, resulting in more reactive work and
emergency repairs later down the road. 

It is a vicious cycle. A cycle that can only be stopped by a hard commitment

to preventative maintenance and other proactive maintenance programs.

[FREE PRINTABLE CHECKLIST]

Quickly implement an effective PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PLAN by
following these 13 simple steps!
You Will Get:

[1.] A PDF file you can print out

[2.] 13 steps divided into 3 sections

[3.] Defined GOALS for each section

[4.] A few important tips to help you avoid common pitfalls when creating a PM
plan

Send it Over!
Implement Limble CMMS as your facility maintenance
software
Limble CMMS was designed with a single purpose: to help maintenance and
facilities managers streamline their maintenance activities. That can be done
only when you have a deep insight into every aspect of your maintenance
operations: assets, spare parts inventory, work orders, maintenance
schedule, and vendors.

To learn more about each category and associated features Limble offers,
click on the links below:

 asset management
 work orders
 maintenance schedule
 spare parts management
 vendor management
 managing reports

Now, features are just a few pieces of the puzzle. For facility maintenance
software to be efficient and practical, it has to be intuitive, easy-to-use, and
usable on mobile devices. We worked very hard to ensure Limble meets
those criteria. 

For those that are short on time, here is a quick overview of top Limble CMMS
features for facility managers:
If you want to test Limble CMMS, you have three options:
What is Preventive Maintenance? A
Complete Guide to Preventative
Maintenance

Ever find yourself on the receiving end of unwanted advice? Plan ahead, they
say. Be an early bird, they say. Add preventive maintenance to your
maintenance strategy, they say. The problem is that even if you know it is
good advice to get ahead of issues before they happen, that doesn’t make it
easy. 

In this post, we will tell you everything you need to know about preventive
maintenance. You will learn:

 What preventive maintenance is.

 The pros and cons of preventive maintenance.
 How to get buy-in across your organization.
 All the steps and considerations for getting started.


Believe it or not, all this information may just help you climb that next rung in
your career like this guy did. That could be you!
What is preventive maintenance?
Preventive maintenance refers to maintenance work done at regular time
frames to fix signs of wear before they lead to breakdowns. (You will also
see it called “preventative maintenance” or just “PM.”)

Innovative organizations choose this approach because it: 

 Saves time and money with fewer equipment breakdowns and

replacements.
 Reduces delays, safety risks, and the damage to your company’s
good name that comes with breakdowns.
 Improves employee satisfaction.
 Is great for any size of organization and can be adjusted to your needs. 

Over the years, preventative maintenance has proven to be an effective

remedy that can be applied in virtually any industry. While it sees more use in
asset-heavy fields like manufacturing, aviation, and construction, it is regularly
applied in both industrial maintenance and facility management.
Where does PM fall on the spectrum of maintenance
strategies?
To sell your organization on transitioning to a preventive maintenance
mindset, let’s get you ready to talk about where PM falls along the spectrum of
maintenance strategies: 

Reactive maintenance

With reactive maintenance, you spend most of your time fixing equipment

that has already broken down. Also called “breakdown maintenance” or
“run-to-failure maintenance”, and it is the exact opposite of PM. Instead of
getting ahead, reactive maintenance leaves you forever chasing the latest
breakdown or malfunction. (Sounds like your job?)

Reactive maintenance appears to be a good method because Finance can

argue it lets you keep the smallest possible maintenance team and uses the
least spare parts. But when you think about the risks — and reality — of large-
scale downtime, you lose money in the end.

While there’s no denying that run-to-failure maintenance has viable use

cases, it should never be used as your default maintenance strategy.

Proactive maintenance

With proactive maintenance, most of your work is focused on keeping your

critical assets in tip-top shape. In other words, most of the maintenance work
is done before they break down.

As you can see on the image above, preventative maintenance is just one of
many proactive maintenance strategies. Actually, it is the simplest proactive
strategy you can run!
If you think your managers are hesitant to give you the budget to
implement preventive maintenance, start by telling them you want to move
toward predictive maintenance. Since it is far more complex and expensive, you can “let”
them negotiate you down to a PM routine, instead.
Very few companies have the resources for more advanced approaches
like predictive maintenance. You need a big budget to buy the sensors and
software, and an extra team member to install and service them.

If those barriers made you scratch predictive maintenance off your list, you
are not alone. Many choose preventive over predictive because it is easier to
adapt to your limited resources.
If you are interested in a more detailed comparison, check out our post: Is
There A Best Maintenance Strategy? 5 Maintenance Strategies Compared.

There are two types of preventative maintenance

As we mentioned earlier, preventative maintenance is performed at regular
intervals. Naturally, those intervals are not decided willy-nilly. You can’t just
arbitrarily decide that Thursday is the day for visual inspections or that oil
changes are to be performed only on Friday the 13th.
Based on how we define those intervals, we can differentiate between two
types of preventative maintenance: time-based and usage-based
maintenance.

Time-based maintenance (a.k.a. calendar-based maintenance)

Maintenance is done every so many years, months, weeks, days, hours, or

minutes. It is scheduled regardless of the condition or usage of the equipment.

The time intervals can be set based on the guidelines provided by

the equipment manufacturer and the maintenance tech’s personal
experience, as well as on company and state regulations. 

Here are a few examples of time-based maintenance:

 Changing a filter every couple of months. 

 Changing oil every three weeks. 
 Monthly visual inspection of the conveyor belt. 
 Testing the fire protection system every six months. 
 Lubricating pumps every other week.

The main downside is the risk of overdoing it. There is an infinite amount

of preventive work that could be done. When things are running smoothly,
how much is too much? Fortunately, high-end computerized maintenance
management systems (CMMS) like Limble offer tools that make it easy to find
the right balance.

Usage-based maintenance

As the name suggests, this is when routine maintenance is due after a

specific amount of use. It is done regardless of the condition or time passed
since the last service.

Here are some examples of usage-based maintenance:

 Changing a vehicle’s oil after X miles/kilometers.

 Servicing an asset after X number of working hours.
 Performing maintenance every X production cycles.

Of course, this introduces a new — and sometimes intimidating — task:

Keeping track of the usage of all your assets.
That is why Limble CMMS prompts your maintenance personnel and machine
operators to record usage like mileage on your fleet vehicles. Once the
number they enter exceeds the limit you set, Limble automatically creates and
assigns a preventive maintenance task, complete with a checklist.

Here’s an example of another PM checklist in Limble — monthly HVAC

servicing:

As you probably noticed, maintenance based on usage is more precise than

relying on a calendar. It would be great to use this level of detail with all of
your assets, but not all equipment can track its own mileage, cycles, etc. That
is why you will likely end up using a mix of both usage- and calendar-
based triggers when designing your PM strategy.
The argument for preventive maintenance
Here are all the arguments you can use if Management resists transitioning to
a preventive strategy:

Improve asset lifespan

Unexpected breakdowns rarely happen without severe damage to equipment.

By preventing those breakdowns, PM extends the lifespan of your equipment. 

With a well-oiled (see what we did there?) PM program, you could find
yourself replacing your most expensive equipment half as often. That doubles
your asset life cycle! It is also about as cost-effective as it gets.

Reduce spare parts inventory costs

When you do a lot of unplanned work, you need a lot of spare parts on hand.
Otherwise, you end up paying for expensive emergency shipping. With a
predictable preventive maintenance schedule, you know precisely which
spare parts you will need and when you will need them. Inventory
management becomes a science instead of a guessing game.

As you will see below, a good CMMS like Limble will track your stock of spare
parts for you. Then, it will predict when to order more based on historical data
and your preferred thresholds. It can even make the ordering process more
manageable.

Reduce labor costs

Relying on time-consuming reactive fixes can easily lead to overtime work

which increases your labor costs.

via GIPHY

A good preventive maintenance program helps you avoid that.

Reduce energy consumption

Assets kept in peak operating condition tend to require less energy to run.
Some estimates show HVAC systems that are properly cared for can use up
to 20% less energy than those that are not.
Improve compliance and safety

Some assets have a high risk of safety issues and accidents. As a result,
government regulations require them to be tested regularly. By adding this
compliance to your PM schedule — and actually doing it — your organization
is at a much lower risk of costly lawsuits.  

Takes down your downtime

We know that the moment a piece of equipment breaks down, the clock starts
ticking, and the lost productivity (and revenue) begins to pile up. All the while,
your maintenance team is in the hot seat.

Unscheduled downtime is not a direct hit to your budget, so it sometimes does

not get considered. But, it does have a huge impact on your reputation. 

Just like eating your full servings of fruits and vegetables every day (OK, or
just taking your vitamins), it is the small steps you take that count for staying
in good working order. Oil changes must be done regularly. Belts must be
checked for strength and flexibility to keep working well. Preventive
maintenance builds in these essential activities to make sure they get done.

Similarly, as with our physical health, the health of our critical equipment will
still need attention at some point. And finding what needs fixing early can
make all the difference. 

Parts will wear out in unexpected ways. A good preventive maintenance

plan ensures regular inspections by a maintenance technician. As a result,
they are more likely to notice issues or signs of wear before they cause a
breakdown. And when they do, you get to make careful decisions about how
and when to resolve them rather than waiting until you have no choice.

Boosts your uptime 

A breakdown can range from a minor annoyance to a major crisis. All it takes
is one piece of equipment to bring down an entire production line. Even a
broken HVAC in the middle of the summer can reduce productivity in your
office.

Reliable equipment means that staff can stay on task. Underperforming

assets can lead to idle time. And idle time is a waste of THE most important
and expensive asset a company has — its staff. 
Also, the team that plays together (safely, with well-functioning
equipment) stays together.

Staff and management need to trust that their equipment is safe and will keep
them at their most productive. Beyond that, your maintenance staff needs to
feel like their sanity matters to the company. When you have a culture of
prevention, they get to be ahead of the curve rather than players in a very un-
fun game of whac-a-mole.

Beyond the basics: Where preventive maintenance

can go wrong
You probably knew everything we just covered, so let’s dive into some meatier
topics.

Risk of “excessive maintenance” 

The most likely of all the drawbacks is that you may do maintenance that is
not needed. No one wants to lose human-hours on visual inspections that are
not needed or throw away parts that could endure additional wear and tear. It
is easy for that to happen if you do not keep track.
 Optimising the cost of maintenance. Source: Risktec

To stay in the optimal maintenance zone, just use control measures like those
baked into Limble. Limble tracks parts usage to ensure that you are stocking
only the items you actually use. It also has productivity metrics that can tell
you with impressive accuracy when a failure may occur. 

With these tools, you can be sure you are doing enough — but not too
much — to keep things running smoothly. 

More time up-front

Yes, it can take time to research and examine your equipment and develop a
PM schedule. But many organizations have used Limble to manage their PM
and are now seeing 70% less reactive maintenance work orders. 

One customer saved over 3,000 human-hours in just the first few months. So
is it a heavy lift? A little. Does it take a forklift? No. Is it totally worth it? Totally
indeed. 
More complexity up-front

Planning, communication, and tracking are required for a PM plan to work

well. You will have to adjust some of your existing maintenance procedures
when switching from reactive to preventive maintenance.

Here is the good news. This downside can be almost completely mitigated
with the right software tool. Here is how it looks in Limble:

How Limble saves you time when implementing and running preventive
maintenance
With reactive maintenance costing between three and 10 times more
than a good PM program, and preventive maintenance so easy to
implement, there is simply no reason to live in emergency mode.

Is a preventive maintenance strategy right for you?

Every facility features a broad range of assets. Some are critical to production,
some are kinda important, and some are on the chopping block. Different
maintenance strategies incur different implementation and running costs. 

We believe that the best approach to maintenance involves a mix of different

maintenance strategies. For example: 

 use run-to-failure maintenance for low-priority, non-repairable, and

soon-to-be-replaced assets
 use preventive maintenance for medium to high-priority assets
 use predictive maintenance for critical assets responsible for core
business processes and/or very expensive to repair or replace

There can’t be one maintenance strategy that acts as a one-size-fits-all solution. That being
said, preventative maintenance is the closest to it. So if you want to focus on a single
strategy and your budget is limited, the choice is cut out for you.
In this mix, the preventive maintenance strategy:

 lowers operational and maintenance costs 

 increases organization and productivity
 reduces unplanned downtime as well as reactive and corrective
maintenance 
 eases pressure on tight maintenance budgets
 keeps staff and technicians safe and productive

Reduce Reactive Maintenance by 73.2%

See the Results Red Hawk Enjoys With Limble 
Read Our
Case Study
5 steps to implement a preventive maintenance
strategy
Have you ever lobbied for a major shift in the way you manage your work? If
not, it can feel daunting. If so, you know how daunting it actually is. 

We are here to help. Below, we break it down into manageable chunks — five
straightforward steps — that will take you from start to (almost) finish.

Step 1: Get buy-in from relevant parties

This is the most crucial part. If you do not find a way to get people to want the
change, they will never do it. The rest of your efforts will be a waste.

The stakeholders (people who care about and are impacted by your work) will
vary from organization to organization. Still, they will likely fall into three
categories. Here we break down why and how to bring each one on board.

Management and finance leaders

Here is the reality: Over 60% of decision-makers think maintenance is simply
a cost of doing business and a necessary evil. Plot twist: Use that to your
benefit!

If you can show them a way to increase efficiency, reduce costly

downtime, and lower overall operating costs, they will be all-in. But the
decision-makers in management and the friendly folks in Finance will need to
be shown the benefits of preventive maintenance with actual data. 
Request funding for a CMMS like Limble to:

 Streamline existing reactive maintenance.

 Get stats on your department’s current output.
 Multiply the benefits of moving to preventive maintenance (since the
CMMS does so much of the work for you).
 Provide a cost-benefit analysis. Use real examples of direct and indirect
costs of the current strategy. Use real examples of how PM can
minimize those costs.
 Use Limble’s CMMS ROI calculator if you need help.

Real-life example from purchasing

COST: 

 It takes 20 hours a month for a team member to process all the

paperwork for purchasing. At $20 per hour, it adds up to $4,800 per
year. 
 Limble would completely automate all that paperwork and would cost
this organization $1,440.

BENEFIT: 

 By using Limble for the purchasing function, the cost savings for this
organization was $3,600 each year.
 In addition, it frees up that staff person who can now use their time filing
for refunds on damaged or unused materials.
 TOTAL BENEFIT after purchasing Limble: $3,600 per year plus any
parts refunds.

That sounds like a no-brainer. Approved!

Production and operations leaders

The managers and supervisors on the floor can be important allies in
making your case. They are just as invested in avoiding costly and disruptive
breakdowns as you are. The more voices you have supporting this transition,
the better. 

In addition, Production will need to be on board with your new maintenance

schedule as well. The operators will need to make equipment available for
servicing. In some cases, you may even train the operators to do the simpler
maintenance tasks themselves.
 via GIPHY

There are a lot of ways to earn this group’s support. If presenting in a big
meeting is not your cup of tea, or if you feel you just will not get anywhere that
route, here are some other suggestions:

 Consider targeting them one at a time. One-on-one conversations

can be very effective. You can root out what matters most to them and
show how PM helps them get it. Personalize the message for each
person this way.
 Identify a recognizable term that you can repeat to remind others
of the importance of what you are proposing. For example, the
phrase “ahead of the curve” fits PM well. Use it in meetings where
everyone can see management supports the concept. Then, if someone
resistant to PM tries to give you extra tasks, you can say, “You’re right.
Doing that is a priority. But I will not be able to do it until we get ahead
of the curve.”

Maintenance technicians and tradesmen

Diligently following new schedules and using new software can be a big
change, as can moving from a reactive to a preventive mindset.

The good news is, there is an easy way to get your team excited about the
change: Include them in the process of developing your PM plan. They
have hands-on experience with every piece of equipment. Ask them how they
would like to see it cared for. Chances are that they have been telling you for
years (in the form of complaints). Show them they have been heard.  Before
long, they will see it making their lives a whole lot easier.

Here is how your CMMS helps:

 Checklists: With Limble, you can make it impossible to skip steps.

We dive a little more into checklists later, but they are a great tool to
reinforce best practices. For instance, to proceed with repairs, require a
tech to upload a photo of lockout tagout equipment in place. You get
both safety and good record keeping.

 Dashboards: Each technician gets their own dashboard in Limble.

They get to see a summary of all the tasks they have completed, both
reactive and preventive. Your high performers finally start getting credit
for all their amazing work. Underperformers have nowhere to hide.
 Teams have even been known to engage in a little friendly competition
to outdo each other.

Step 2: Select your maintenance software 

Every CMMS will have the standard modules/functions below. Make sure they
are easy to use!

 workflow automation
 downtime tracking
 inventory management
 purchase orders
 real-time data and analytics

Unlike many CMMS, Limble offers different subscription options. This is a

great way to get the mix of functions and modules that will work best for you. It
also helps you avoid paying more for a system that offers bells and whistles
you will not need or use.

Step 3: Pilot! 

Once you have your CMMS software in place, think about how you will carry
out your pilot. If you are using Limble, you have a couple of options here. 

Option 1: Stand-alone project

Identify an upcoming project or specific asset that is a decent example of your

overall workload. Use the software to guide you as you design its PM
program. Invite only the relevant techs. Encourage them to talk up their good
experience to the rest of the team.

Option 2: Build-as-you-go

Another way to approach a pilot is to hand Limble over to a couple of

willing technicians. They begin by simply loading the next task that knocks
on their door, regardless of the asset. 

Get a call that the air-conditioning is not working? Open Limble and start your
very first work order. This is one of the advantages of Limble in particular. It is
ready to use right away. You do not have to load an entire plan for it to work.
You quite literally just start using it. 
If it is a more experienced technician, give them the time to enter all the steps
they took to service the equipment/fix the break. Then, make that a standard
operating procedure checklist to attach to tasks when it needs to be
done again in the future.

Once you have decided on who and what will be involved, determine a
timeframe for the pilot. Limble is so easy to use that you do not need to set
aside much (or any) time for training. If anything, training might help staff
feel supported in the change and ensure that everyone knows the
expectations (more on expectations in our tips section below).

 
Step 4: Expand the program to other assets and team members

Gather feedback from the staff in your pilot on what worked and what did not.
If you are using Limble, you can also call or message your rep, who would
also love to hear this input to help you leverage the tool to its fullest. 

If you took the standalone project approach and that worked well for you —
and if you have the bandwidth — the next step will be a criticality
assessment of all your assets. 

As part of this process, make a note of:

  which assets should be included in the Preventive Maintenance
schedule 
 manufacturer-recommended maintenance
 regulatory-required maintenance

You will use this information to build out the remainder of your PM schedule,
incorporating the schedule and learnings from the pilot.

On the other hand, if you took the build-as-you-go approach, you can simply

expand the use of Limble to the remainder of your maintenance team. They
can continue to build in each work order and project as they go. 

Pat yourself on the back. You have a PM strategy in place!

Step 5: Done! Just kidding: Track and adjust

Here is a secret: Implementation is never actually over. Now that you have a
solid PM program and a CMMS that facilitates and tracks how you are doing,
you need to use all that valuable data. This is where it pays off. 

The best preventive maintenance programs regularly review metrics provided

by their CMMS and find ways to get even better. Here are some of the most
valuable metrics:

 work orders issued/completed (increases as preventive work assigned;

common goal is 80% preventive, 20% reactive)
 productivity (decrease in emergency labor hours)
 decrease in total equipment downtime
 equipment costs (initial increase when wasteful equipment is identified
and replaced; decrease over time as PM takes effect)
 increased adherence to deadlines (and less deferred maintenance
work)

7 tips to help you carry on carrying on

via GIPHY

1: More than a project — a team dynamic

Be clear about roles and responsibilities

 Who creates PM checklists and schedules?

  Who gets which types of assignments (for auto-assigning)?
 Who tracks the stats?

Think outside the box about roles

Do not limit yourself to your technicians and tradesmen. Limble checklists
make some preventive maintenance tasks so simple, other staff can easily
take them over.

For instance, give Limble accounts to printing press operators so Limble can
prompt them to clean the printheads every three hours. This leads to fewer
calls to technicians to resolve gummed-up parts.

Reinforce consistency
When everyone does things their own way, it is tough to track tasks and know
where to improve. It is tough to identify which part of a process is failing if it is
not being carried out the same way every time. 

Limble customers often tell their teams, “If it isn’t in Limble, it didn’t happen.” If
a task is documented in Limble, that means your team followed the checklist
— the same way, every time.

Monitor for follow-through

Use the metrics in your CMMS to:

 Stay connected to your team.

 Keep a close eye on the execution of your plan
 Ensure techs are hitting deadlines

While all this happens, watch Limble build up a searchable work history on
every asset. It’s a beautiful thing.

Use trusted leaders as champions

Sometimes, a trusted peer can be a lot more convincing than a boss. Identify
the influential members of your team and let them bring the crew on board. If
these individuals have both influence and skill, they may be your future
maintenance managers. 

Don’t dictate — motivate

While you want your team to be excited about this change, you also want to
be realistic. If a team member has a hard time accepting checklists or other
tools, help them understand the  why. Emphasize that this will help everyone
see how valuable their work is. Follow through on that promise by publicly
acknowledging their contributions regularly.

Pay special attention to those who might be struggling 

Garbage in, garbage out, so keep the garbage out! If you have added new
CMMS software, make sure everyone is using it correctly. If work is not
documented well, your metrics and reports will not be accurate. It is so
important to spot and fix bad habits as early as possible. 

The good news is that not only does Limble make it difficult to do things
wrong, but it also makes mistakes easier to find. Your Limble rep will also
keep tabs on your account and reach out if there appear to be anomalies.

2: Define and track relevant metrics

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. You are implementing preventive
maintenance for a reason. Do you want to reduce maintenance operational
costs? Lower your inventory costs? Reduce the number of unexpected
breakdowns? Improve productivity?

Define your maintenance KPIs and then see which maintenance metrics you
can use to track your progress towards those goals. If your records are a
mess, you might need to run your CMMS for a couple of months to first see
what your starting point is. After that, you can work on defining your
maintenance goals.

Tracking important metrics is vastly simplified if you are using a CMMS. The
software can automatically calculate a wide array of metrics
like MTBF, MTTR, maintenance costs, planned vs unplanned work, are PMs
getting completed on time, etc. Here is a screenshot from Limble’s custom
dashboard that illustrates this in practice:
With a deeper insight into these metrics, it is much easier to identify what is
preventing you from reaching your goals, as well as where you have the most
room for improvement.

3: Lean into checklists

In Limble, you can create PM templates with as many (or as few) steps as you
like. The more detail you provide, the faster the work gets done. Checklists
speed up processes and keep a consistent quality of work. They are simple
and easy to use and take any guesswork out of the day-to-day maintenance
operations. Limble automatically attaches those PM checklists and diagrams
to work orders, making consistency and communication the norm.

For those who want to learn more, here is an excellent guide on creating

preventive maintenance checklists.
 [FREE PRINTABLE CHECKLIST]
Quickly implement an effective PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PLAN by
following these 13 simple steps!
You Will Get:

[1.] A PDF file you can print out

[2.] 13 steps divided into 3 sections

[3.] Defined GOALS for each section

[4.] A few important tips to help you avoid common pitfalls when creating a PM
plan

Send it Over!
4: Be realistic

We mentioned this in the first tip, but it bears repeating. Start by developing
realistic PM schedules that you know your team can achieve with the
resources it has. If your initial PM schedule is unrealistic, you are set up for
failure before you even begin. 

With Limble, I can track all of our supplies that come in, how they are getting used, look at
the usage rates, and then also be able to forecast budgets for next year. It has dropped my
budget tremendously; I was actually able to hire another guy because of what we were able
to save.
– Benjamin Scott, Facilities Supervisor, Intercontinental Hotels Group
5: Minimize excessive maintenance

The scariest risk of PM is as easy to avoid as one-two-three: 

First: Adjust your PM schedule based on usage and working conditions

It may seem obvious that less maintenance is needed on an asset that is used
less. Still, it is often not possible for manufacturer recommendations to take
usage into account. Use those generic recommendations as a starting point.
From there, also consider how much the equipment gets used and under what
conditions. Adjust your schedule to account. 

Second: Review assets you spend a lot of time on

Do you have a piece of equipment that you consider to be a problem child? A
squeaky wheel (literally)? You know the one. If something takes up a lot of
maintenance time, it is time to reinvent that (squeaky) wheel.

If you have multiple of that make/model, try a new PM routine on just one. If
that resolves the issue, then voila. You have your solution. If not, keep testing
out different approaches until you find one that works.

Third: Double-check your diagnosis

Most organizations will have a few stressful assets that never work right, no
matter how much preventive attention they get. Excluding poor design and
defective products, there are two common reasons why this may happen:

 Fixes address the wrong problem (for example, doing too much
lubrication instead of cleaning the gears).
 The asset is misused (for instance, the equipment is not used correctly,
or parts have been installed wrong).

6: Follow inventory management best practices

There is a lot of research out there on best practices for spare parts
management. Still, most recommendations include some combination of the
following:

 Start by managing your maintenance.You cannot manage inventory

well if you are not managing maintenance work well in the first place.
 Standardize maintenance procedures. If you do the same work the
same way every time, you will need the same parts at the same
intervals.
  Track and categorize spare parts.
 Automate purchasing.


Luckily, Limble was built to steer you right into these best practices without
ever having to think about it. It’s like cruise control for best practices. 

7: Automate it all with your CMMS

When fulfilling a work order, you are way more effective if you have the right
tool for the job. The same is true for your PM strategy.

When implementing preventive maintenance, the CMMS you choose (or just
using one at all) is the one choice that can make or break the transition.
The right CMMS will address many potential drawbacks while incorporating all
these tips and best practices. 

CMMS is the ultimate preventive maintenance

software
Throughout the article, we tried to showcase how a modern CMMS is
indispensable for running an efficient and effective preventative maintenance
program. We pointed to many different ways in which it supports the
preventative maintenance process.

We will use this opportunity to summarize why CMMS is the

ultimate preventive maintenance software:

 Quickly set up preventive maintenance schedules for any asset based

on time or usage.
 Track and manage all preventive maintenance work with an easy-to-use
maintenance calendar.
 Create PM checklists and attach them to your work orders.
 Automate the administrative part of maintenance by sharing electronic
work orders and letting the CMMS automatically log performed work.
 Get instant access to all maintenance data which technicians can
access via mobile devices even when out in the field.
 Improve control over your spare parts inventory through automatic parts
usage tracking and low-in-stock notifications.
 Keep a close eye on your preventative maintenance program by
tracking important metrics and KPIs.
How to get started with Limble CMMS

Limble offers a variety of plans and all the useful features mentioned in this
post. It will help you have a top-notch preventive maintenance program up
and running in no time. You can

 start a free 30-day trial here

 request a demo
 try out our online self-demo

If you are not ready but are curious, try our free task ticketing system
based on Google Sheets. It is a great way to see how automation through
technology like Limble can help streamline what you do.

Be a success story
There are hundreds of success stories out there of organizations taking steps
towards prevention. They all have one thing in common: they regret not doing
it sooner.

There is not much else to say. Congratulations on mastering the theory

behind preventive maintenance! We want to see you put it into action and
reap the rewards. Show your organization your commitment to excellence and
your ability to execute, you clever devil! Great things are in store for you.

How To Prepare A Preventive

Maintenance Checklist [Examples
Included]
Checklists can be a great tool to standardize routine tasks that have to be run
regularly. In the same fashion, a preventive maintenance checklist can be
used to streamline a variety of preventive maintenance tasks.

However, preventive maintenance checklists are only useful if created with a

purpose and include all of the necessary information.

To ensure your PM checklists are practical to use, continue reading this article
as we:

 briefly discuss the main benefits of preventive maintenance checklists

 list information sources you want to check before creating them
 outline information that should be included on a preventive maintenance
checklist
 look at a few examples used in practice
 show how you can easily create maintenance checklists using Limble’s
PM Builder

Why do we need preventive maintenance checklists?

Having an official list of steps to follow when conducting a routine
maintenance task has many benefits. Here are the four main ones:

1) Workflow standardization and increased productivity

There are many wrong ways to do a job, but there is only one way to do a job
right in the minimum required time. Outlining steps technicians should take
during a PM improves productivity, helps new people to do the job properly
with minimal supervision, makes it easier for one technician to jump in and
finish the job that someone else started, and, most importantly, improves the
overall quality of work. Use SOPs to standardize maintenance work across
the board.

2) Improved safety

An effective preventative maintenance schedule avoids equipment failure,

which can represent not only decreased productivity but also workplace safety
risks to employees. In addition, a preventive maintenance checklist reduces
human errors and contains important safety instructions that minimize the
chance of injury.
3) Faster troubleshooting

When you know the maintenance plan of each piece of equipment as well as
who is responsible for it, it becomes easier to identify why something went
wrong. Fewer reasons to account for means less time somebody has to spend
on troubleshooting.

4) Better maintenance planning

Since there is a clear list of steps everyone should follow, it is much easier to
estimate how much time a technician needs to complete their assigned tasks.
This means that a maintenance manager will have an easier time scheduling
and managing maintenance work.

Three things you should do before creating PM

checklists

It is very likely that you want to create maintenance checklists as a part of

your preventive maintenance strategy. If that is indeed the case, then most of
these steps should already sound familiar.

1. Create a list of assets that need PMs.If you only have a few assets in
mind for a preventive maintenance checklist, you can skip this step. For
those who plan to create checklists for dozens of assets, it pays to be
strategic and have everything in one place, especially if you don’t
already track them with a CMMS.  To learn more about CMMS, check
our What is a CMMS System and How Does it Work guide.
2. Gather original equipment manufacturer (OEM) manuals. You don’t
need all of them, obviously. Manuals of assets you’re doing PM
checklists for will suffice. 🙂
 3. Review asset history. Over time, assets can acquire unique trends
because of frequent breakdowns, use of non-original spare parts for
example. This means that additional predictive maintenance actions
should be taken on top of what is outlined in the OEM manual. Check
your equipment maintenance logs to learn more about it.

Anatomy of a good preventive maintenance checklist

Besides looking at examples (which we will do later), the easiest way to
prepare a good PM checklist is by learning what should be included in one.

Components that make a good PM checklist

1) Preparation details

 tools needed to complete the work

 spare parts needed to complete the work
 estimated time it takes to complete the work

2) Safety details

 safety instructions
 required personal protective equipment (PPE)
 LOTO instructions

3) Visual aids (if necessary)

 pictures
 diagrams
 videos
Of course, besides everything mentioned above, you have to also outline the
actual steps. How those steps should be constructed is what we are going to
cover next.

Characteristics of a good PM checklist

1) The steps are communicated clearly and concisely

Having too much information can be just as confusing as having too little.
Finding the balance can be tricky. In general, a good PM should be simple
enough for a new maintenance technician to follow with minimum supervision.

Here are some tips to follow:

 Avoid writing long paragraphs. It doesn’t look great in a CMMS

(especially on a mobile phone) and it definitely doesn’t look better on
paper (often you don’t even have enough room on a paper sheet for
long explanations). Instead, consider breaking it into multiple short
steps.
 If something needs a detailed explanation, consider using a diagram
or a picture instead (and annotate it if necessary).
 Every step should have a purpose. If it doesn’t have a purpose, it
probably shouldn’t be included on the checklist in the first place.
 Be precise. If an asset has 2 evaporator coils and you have a step
called “check the evaporator coil“, that is obviously not precise enough.
Which one should the technician check? Maybe both? If they have to
ask around, your checklist could be more precise.

2) The steps are laid out sequentially

Step-by-step checklists should always present a list of actions to be followed
in the exact order in which they should be completed.

3) The information is regularly updated

Creating a PM checklist is not something you should just set and forget. Here
are a few reasons why you need to update PM checklists regularly:

 field technicians must be suggesting adjustments to optimize the

process – and you should be listening to them.
 sometimes an asset breakdown causes an issue that can’t be fully fixed
(i.e. part XY is loose/cracked so a technician needs to be very careful
when removing the casing)
 sometimes an asset maintenance plan needs adjustments based on
environment changes (i.e. HVAC transferred in place with more dust
and higher humidity so now the air filter should be replaced every time
as opposed to every other time)
 often, there will be new assets coming in and that will require some
updates on the PM checklist

BONUS TIP: When you have your preventive maintenance checklist ready, run it by an
experienced maintenance technician to ensure you didn’t miss/skip a step or two. After all,
they are the ones that have done this task a million times before and know the specifics of
the assets in question. Alternatively, you can ask a senior technician to create it in the first
place.

Examples of preventative maintenance checklists

If you do a simple Google search, you can find quite a few different variations
of preventative maintenance checklists. In the following examples, we’ll show
you a few favorites so you get a better idea of what will be the best way to do
it for your company.

HVAC preventative maintenance checklist

Here’s an example of one HVAC preventive maintenance checklist for air

conditioner:
  Check and adjust the thermostat.
 Check the condenser coil to determine if it needs cleaning.
 Check all wiring and connections to controls and electrical connections.
 Check blower belt wear, tension, and adjust.
 Check voltage and amperage draw on all motors with a meter.
 Check the compressor contactor.
 Visually inspect compressor and check amp draw.
 Check start capacitor and potential relay.
 Check the pressure switch cut-out setting.
 Replace air filter or clean reusable type filter.

The full steps can be found in these templates created by iAuditor. They are a
better alternative for paper (but still can’t measure up to the added functionally
that CMMS can provide). Below you can see an example of a report that
follows this exact template.
The checklist follows most of the guidelines we mentioned. Since the actions
technicians need to take are not really dangerous, there is no need for specific
safety instructions.

Forklift maintenance checklist

As with HVACs, the maintenance checklists you use will depend on the type
of forklift you have.

For the purpose of this example, here’s a basic non-driving checklist:

 Check your fluid levels (i.e., fuel, water, hydraulic).

 Look for visible damage.
 Check tire condition and pressure and adjust if necessary.
 Check the condition of the forks.
 Check if the inspection stickers and decals are in the right place and
legible, and adjust if necessary.
 Check the operator’s compartment is clean and free of debris, and clean
if it isn’t.
 Check if safety devices (i.e., seat belts, finger guards) are working
properly.

For more details, read our guide on forklift maintenance.

While we are here, let’s also look at a more detailed example used in practice
that is a little bit different from the HVAC one we shared above
This is a template for electric forklift inspection from APC solutions. This is
how a checklist looks when you rely on pen and paper. You have to include
the details like operator name, forklift number, forklift model, etc. When you
are using a CMMS, most of this “administrative” data is automatically
tracked by the software itself since the assets, and all of its details are
already saved in the CMMS database.

Pass-or-fail checklist example

The preventive maintenance checklists you can see above are your
standard step-by-step maintenance checklists. However, there is one other
type of checklist you can employ, and they are called pass-or-fail checklists.

As their name suggests, pass-or-fail maintenance checklists serve to test the

asset against predetermined criteria. The test can involve a visual inspection
(is something broken/missing or not) or something more “advanced” like
measuring the temperature level of a certain component (if the temperature is
inside normal levels, the asset/component has passed the test and vice
versa).

Here are a few examples of a pass-or-fail checklist:

 checking temperature, vibrations, pressure, or oil levels

 measuring tire tread on a forklift
 checking voltage in cables, wires, circuit breakers
 analyzing whether railings are in good condition or not
 verifying whether the fire extinguishers are in the right place

What happens if an asset/equipment/part doesn’t pass the test?

This depends on the workflow and best practices you established at your
organization. What should happen is to create a work order (WO) to deal with
the spotted problem.

3 common scenarios play out in these situations:

1. The pass-or-fail test was performed by a machine operator (common for

organizations running autonomous maintenance). The component didn’t
pass the test, so the operator immediately notified a responsible person
on the maintenance team, who then generated the Work Order for fixing
the issue.
 2. The pass-or-fail test was performed by a maintenance technician, but
they can’t fix it right away because they need the right equipment. So,
they generate a work order to deal with it as soon as possible and avoid
machine downtime.
3. The pass-or-fail test was one of the tasks on a bigger preventive
maintenance checklist performed by a maintenance technician. The
asset didn’t pass the test, but the technician corrected the issue on the
spot. There was no need to generate WO. The performed actions were
saved in the equipment maintenance log.

Manage maintenance checklists with Limble’s PM

Builder
By now, you should have a pretty good sense of how a good preventive
maintenance checklist looks like. However, the process becomes much easier
and automatic if you can rely on CMMS software.

Let’s take a look at how you can quickly create checklists with Limble’s PM
builder.

To give you a quick teaser, this is the example we are working towards as we
try to replicate the air conditioner checklist outlined in one of the earlier
template examples.
How to set up a PM checklist with Limble

DISCLAIMER: Instructions and images used in the following example are for

illustrative purposes and serve to showcase some of the capabilities of the PM
builder.

To start with, the maintenance manager creating the checklist should navigate
to “PMs” in the dashboard and click on “New PM Template”. See below:
After that, they will choose if they want to create a blank template or reuse
one of the existing ones.

The next step is to enter the spare parts and build the checklist.
In the picture above, you can see we already entered some spare parts that
might be used for this PM.

When you click on “Add Instruction,” you get to choose between several
different types of instructions. This gives you a lot of flexibility to build precise
instructions.
For this example, we entered some basic instructions that show how a simple
preventative maintenance checklist might look like in Limble.

If you want, you can use the button in the upper right corner to test it. If not,
this is it; your preventive maintenance checklist is ready to be used. Simple as
that!

How to complete work using Limble’s PM checklists

Besides streamlining the checklist creation, Limble CMMS facilitates

technicians’ jobs on the field as well.

With Limble CMMS mobile app, technicians can see maintenance steps using
their mobile phones. Technicians can check off outlined steps as they are
completed. In the end, they can leave their completion notes.
Once they hit the “Complete” button to submit the work, Limble immediately
prompts them to mark how much time did they spend and which spare
parts did they actually use (if any).

The best part is that the software actually tracks how much time the technician
spent on the task and sends out a notification. This way, the technician
doesn’t have to worry about secondary tasks and concentrates only on proper
operation.
In addition, the spare parts inventory is automatically updated depending on
how many parts the technician actually used. That significantly improves your
spare parts inventory control.

Want to try Limble’s PM builder yourself?

We know that not everyone is thrilled about starting a trial to test out a certain
product. This is one reason we built a test environment you can use to play
around with Limble’s features as much as you want.

It is completely free. You can access it by clicking on this link (after the click,
wait a few seconds, and the test environment will load in this tab). After it
loads, switch to “Desktop view” and navigate to the PMs in the left dashboard.

Key takeaways
A PM checklist is the starting point of any successful preventive maintenance
plan. It is an integral part of running a maintenance department with a
proactive approach. They improve productivity, reduce human errors, and
save you a ton of time, especially if you’re creating them inside your CMMS.

With little to no downsides, there is no reason why maintenance checklists

shouldn’t be used in any facility on a daily basis.

If you have any questions about Limble’s PM builder or how Limble can help
you run an efficient preventive maintenance program, start a discussion in the
comments below or get in touch with our team through our contact form.
Standard Operating Procedure: The
Secret To A Fail-proof SOP

No one is going to claim that McDonald’s makes the world’s best burger. Why
then can it sell $50 million burgers a day? Because it can deliver the same
burger everywhere, every time. That is the magic of a standard operating
procedure (SOP), and it works in any company where it is used correctly.
In this article, you will learn:

 What is a standard operating procedure?

 What are the benefits of an SOP?
 Why do so many departments fail to get value out of SOPs?
 The one thing that will virtually guarantee your success.
 What are other common SOP formats?


How would your department grow if your team executed every task with
precision and speed? Whether you’re working in a small business or a huge
enterprise, keep reading to find out how to bring that vision to life.

What is a standard operating procedure?

Definition
A standard operating procedure (SOP) is an official document with detailed
instructions that outline how to perform a specific task.

Organizations use it to help their staff do consistent work.

For when the rubber meets the road

A standard operating procedure lets your team know exactly what to do, when
to do it, and how to do it.

This isn’t a high-level procedural document. The SOP addresses the nuts and
bolts (sometimes literally) of the job with specific steps that leave little to no
room for interpretation or error.

Who uses standard operating procedures?

SOPs can be used in any vertical. They are especially important

for businesses with tasks that are done over and over again. In those
cases, streamlining results in lower costs and higher output. Standard
operating procedures are common in:

 Manufacturing
 Maintenance
 Food services
 Call centers
 Military
 And more.

You should seriously consider creating SOPs for specific

procedures before growing your business if you want to maintain high quality.

The benefits of standard operating procedures

Avoid stupid mistakes

Left to their own devices, there is very little chance that your crew will
complete a task the same way you would. Define the “right” way to do
everything and get every employee working like your best employee.

Get ahead of the curve

SOPs orient teams toward preventing problems rather than reacting to

them. They make sure nothing falls between the cracks.

Reduce Reactive Maintenance by 73.2%

See the Results Red Hawk Enjoys With Limble 
Read Our
Case Study
Deliver what you’re supposed to deliver

Standard operating procedures are a natural quality management system that

ensures your team’s work is up to par every time. This helps you avoid
delays and re-doing work.

Get everyone on the same page

Miscommunication can happen in two ways:

 The person talking might use the wrong words.

 The person listening might misunderstand.

That means that simply providing a single, vetted source of information

could reduce errors by as much as half. That adds up to huge savings in
time and resources.

Cover your ass

Even in well-run facilities, something will go wrong. Keep the blame from

falling on you by proving that you have SOPs — and that those SOPs are
followed.  It also protects the whole company from fines and litigation.

Most importantly, giving your team all the information they need in a detailed
SOP prevents accidents from happening in the first place. That leads us
to our next point.
Leave nothing to chance

It’s easy to forget to mention details when assigning tasks on busy

days. That becomes a big deal when those details are health warnings, safety
measures or environmental hazards.

To ensure you remember every relevant detail every time, SOPs are how
you write them down once and easily attach them to assignments.

Give better training

With standard operating procedures, you can start onboarding new

employees to their jobs in an orderly way. Since the SOPs are at their
fingertips at all times, new hires can work independently sooner, freeing up
experienced professionals to focus on their own workloads.

Do more with less

Right now, your employees are wasting time tracking down the same
information again and again. Instead, your team can direct that energy
toward getting the job done. By providing assignments with full, detailed
instructions, standardization frees up resources.

Small changes, big impact

Having established a standard, you can test new methods and make

improvements.

When all employees start to do the same work the same way, they are sure to
think of ways it could be better, and they will let you know. If you don’t have
this experiment mindset, that can sound like complaining. Instead, if you have
an easy way to act on their suggestions, you can direct that energy toward
something positive. Often, these small changes add up fast.

Be prepared

A department without standard operating procedures finds itself in big trouble

the day key employees quit or retire, or even go on vacation. The team is
more flexible when everyone’s know how is in one place (commonly
referred to as a “single source of truth.”) They can cross-train and adapt
regardless of what changes.

Regulatory compliance for dummies

The most important instructions of all are the law.

If regulations are misunderstood or disobeyed, it could spell catastrophe for
the entire company. SOPs ensure every employee knows they need to
comply and how to comply.

Make a name for yourself

Managers who are efficient and effective lead departments that can grow
without growing pains. Good companies entrust them with better
opportunities. You are in a strong position for moving up the ladder when
your daily operations are known and reliable.

Happy teams

SOPs set your team members up for success.

 Expectations: They understand exactly what they are expected to do.

 Support: They know where to find the resources they need.
 Acknowledgment: You hear and act on their requests and
recommendations for improvement.
 Independence: You have no need to micromanage.
 Impact: They see their work moving the department forward rather than
being wasted.

Why do some departments fail to get value from their

standard operating procedures?
At this point, you may be thinking, “If we can get better work done faster with
fewer errors, accidents and risks, why aren’t we using standard operating
procedures already?!”

Great question! SOPs are invaluable tools, but just like any tool, you can use
them incorrectly. Here are the common mistakes that keep teams from
unlocking that value:
Too busy

This is the single biggest reason most teams fail. They are too busy doing
the work and have no time to document it, despite how much simpler it
would make their job in the long run. Ultimately, urgent, short-term needs get
in the way of long-term planning.

Don’t be discouraged, though. In the example below, we’ll show you how to
work SOP writing into your management routine.

Outdated information

SOPs do create some additional work: You have to maintain them. Incorrect,

incomplete or outdated instructions are not much better than having no
instructions at all.

Wrong time, wrong place

Even perfect instructions do no good if they aren’t available. Too often, well-
written SOPs end up in a binder in the office while the workers who need
them are out in the field. Putting the SOP into a physical form makes it
difficult to have it at the right place at the right time. The department may not
benefit from the effort of creating it.

A pain to use

If your SOP isn’t easy to use, it won’t be used at all. SOPs must be formatted
in a way that makes using them easy — even enjoyable.

If the instructions are written out, they may need a clear table of contents,
color-coded tabs, and lots of headings, subheading and bullet points.

You can also build the SOPs into the workplace itself. For example:

 Hang “how-to” posters right beside equipment.

 On checklists, add QR codes that link to websites with helpful
information.

In fact, this principle of integration is so important that you will find it plays a
key role in creating a fail-proof SOP. We go into great depth on this below.

Lack of accountability on the ground

It takes energy to change habits, and people will usually only do it if they know
there will be consequences. Every SOP should include a section that
explains how and when to evaluate the work relative to the SOP.

Lack of buy-in from management

For employees to take standard operating procedures seriously, you must

ensure that the SOP is, in fact, the measuring stick that management uses
when evaluating work. If management’s expectations of a job well done do
not align with the contents of the SOP, that means one of two things:

 The SOP is incorrect.

 Management does not understand the nuances of the work
environment.

Fortunately, handing management a well-written SOP makes it easier for

them to default to it as their evaluation tool of choice rather than creating their
own.
Set in stone

Your department’s needs are constantly changing. If you wrote the standard
operating procedure in a way that requires a lot of effort to update, you may
have created more work than you saved.

Examples of inflexible SOPs include:

 Physical copies: Printed pages that have to be tracked down and

swapped out
 Page formatting: Completely full, dense content where adding
information to one page will affect the layout on all the following pages
(as opposed to replacing a single page)
 Content formatting: “Wall of text” verbiage (as opposed to graphical —
more on this later) that makes small changes hard to see
 Unannounced: Any change that is not also announced and trained for
in meetings
 Going by memory: Procedures that don’t have to be looked at when
executing the work (making it easy to miss new information)

Don’t worry, there’s good news!

Don’t be discouraged! Knowing all the ways a standard operating procedure

can fall short means you can stop the problems before they start.

How to create a fail-proof standard operating

procedure
There are three things that will make a standard operating procedure virtually
bulletproof: Make your SOP digital, interactive and integrated.
1. Digital

Building and updating SOPs is faster and easier on a digital platform.

 Updates push out to all team members in real-time.

 Multimedia instructions use text, images and even video, along with
one-click links to other helpful content.

2. Interactive

Make your SOP and your checklist one in the same.

 Have team members check off each step as they complete it.
 All information for that step is in front of them as they do the work.

3. Integrated

Create an SOP that does the work for you.

 Automatic notifications alert team members of procedure updates and

outstanding tasks.
 Team members input data into the standard operating procedure itself
which triggers additional steps as needed.
  Automatically generate reports of work done. Track performance,
downtime, inventory, and more.

In short, your standard operating procedure will no longer look like a manual.
It will become the tool your team uses on a daily basis to know where to be,
when to be there, what to do and how to do it.

See it in action: Standard operating procedure

example
Heads up: You’re going to see the word “automatically” a lot in the following
sections. That’s because effective standard operating procedures are
designed to streamline as much of the work as possible.

Meet our maintenance manager

In this example, a maintenance manager — let’s call him Joe — is responsible

for his entire facility plus $2 million worth of manufacturing equipment. Joe
needs to work with his team to fix the equipment as quickly as possible when
it had problems because the company loses $200,000 of revenue every day
the production line is down.

Even more importantly, Joe wants to extend the useful life of the

equipment so it doesn’t have problems in the first place, and that requires
regular preventive maintenance (PM). This could be anything from visual
inspections to replacing filters and checking oil levels.

Getting set up

Joe is using Limble CMMS to hold all of his SOPs so that they will be digital,
interactive, and integrated. (Joe’s a smart guy.) Depending on how much time
he has, Joe can either create all his SOPs at once, or he can start with just a
few and add SOPs as the needs arise.

Setting up everything at once

Joe can start by listing each piece of equipment and attaching any helpful
information (manuals, manufacturer contact info, notes, etc.)

For each piece of equipment, Joe can create SOPs for:

  Routine maintenance (checklists, schedules, auto assignments, etc.)
 Reporting problems (submission forms)
 Assigning work (checklists, auto assignments, etc.)
 Ordering materials SOPs (inventory)

He can also link the SOPs so that they can automatically trigger each other
(more about this later.)

Setting up a bit at a time

If Joe is busy — let’s be honest, he probably is — then he can enter a piece of
equipment and define its SOPs the next time an employee reports a problem.
Limble becomes his new way of assigning tasks and tracking progress. But
because he’s using Limble, a task he has created once can be used as the
standard operating procedure from that day forward.

All Joe has to do to build his SOPs is select a data type (for example, maybe
he wants the technician to upload a photo or mark the step done) and write
the instruction for that step. Joe has all kinds of data types to choose from
(which we’ll delve into below).
 It takes just seconds to create an SOP with interactive fields
like photo and video uploads.

Standard operating procedure for routine maintenance

It turns out Joe is quite busy, so he started building the standard operating
procedures for his machinery by entering just a few pieces of equipment into
Limble. He created a couple of preventive maintenance SOPs for tasks that
he knows tend to fall between the cracks. In this case, Joe’s team should
complete each one once a month.

Standard operating procedure for reporting problems

Joe also wants the employees operating the machines to follow SOPs when
reporting problems, so he created custom reporting forms in Limble for the
pieces of equipment the operators call him about most often.

Unfortunately, it is common for the operators to submit reports that are vague
or leave out important details. Now, Limble prompts them to include all of the
required information.

Joe makes it easy for those operators to access the forms by printing Limble’s
unique custom QR code taping them right on the operators’ control panel.
Now, they scan it with their phones, answer a few questions, and click to
submit.

Workers report problems by scanning a QR code and filling out a form. The report automatically includes
all the equipment history.
Always know the current work status

When Joe gets to the plant Thursday morning, he looks at the list of work to
be completed that day, organized by the team member it was assigned to.
Some of them completed all of their work the day before and have empty lists.
Some team members have tasks that are still in progress. In a single glance,
Joe can see who has which jobs, which equipment they’re working on, and
the current status.
 Aaron has two tasks to do. Joe and Rick’s lists are
empty, but there is one unassigned task.

Automatic triggers and notifications do the work for you

Joe also sees that there is a new outstanding task: A quick inspection of the
conveyor belt to see if anything looks worn or loose. Limble created this task
based on the routine maintenance SOP Joe made because it has been
exactly one month since his team last completed the checklist. In two clicks,
Joe assigns the task to Rick.

In fact, Limble had created two tasks that morning, but when Joe originally
made his second SOP — checking the drains for blockages — he had told
Limble to automatically assign it to his team’s plumber. He could reassign it if
needed, but because it was auto-assigned, even if Joe had been called away
for an emergency that morning, the plumber would know to get the drain work
done.

Everything at your fingertips

When Joe assigned the visual inspection task to Rick, Limble pinged Rick’s
phone to let him know. When Rick clicked on the notification, it pulled up the
full SOP and he headed straight to the machine.

If Rick gets called away for a moment, the SOP will be waiting for him in his
Limble task list.
Multimedia standard operating procedure

Rick scrolls through the instructions in Limble and immediately knows what to
do. That’s because Joe wrote out each step and included images of what
each portion of the conveyor belt should look like. There’s even a video
showing how to remove side panels where necessary.

Joe attached the manual as a pdf, and there’s a link to technical support on
the manufacturer’s website in case Rick needs it.
The real magic: Interactive standard operating procedure

Getting rich information

Rick doesn’t just read through his checklist. He inputs data straight into Limble
for each step.

 Photo/video: For safety, this SOP requires shutting down the

equipment and locking it so another employee cannot restart the
equipment while Rick is inspecting it (called a “lock out, tag out”). Limble
prompts Rick to upload a picture of the lock in place so that he cannot
proceed without having taken this vital step. Taking and uploading the
picture is easy since Rick is using Limble on his phone anyway.
 Text/number: Next, Limble prompts Rick to check the “hours run”
counter and enter the number.
o There is another standard operating procedure for servicing the
engine after every 5000 hours of run time. Limble will
automatically assign that task if the count is high enough. But
today it’s not.
 Dropdown/checkbox: Rick uses a yes/no dropdown to indicate
whether the belt looks frayed.
o In this case, it does, so Limble prompts Rick to report the problem
(filling out all the required fields) and sends the report to Joe.

Linking standard operating procedures

Joe sees the conveyor belt problem report comes through. He hasn’t created
an SOP for replacing frayed conveyor belts yet, so he jumps in and makes a
quick SOP template.

Joe then links that SOP to a couple other processes so that they will trigger it
automatically:

 Routine maintenance > Work assignment: Any future inspection that

notices frayed belts will automatically include the new SOP on the
assignment to replace the belt.

 Work assignment > Ordering materials: This procedure uses spare

parts out of inventory, so Rick adds that part to the equipment file,
 noting how many are currently in stock, when to re-order, and how
many to order. In other words, he creates an inventory SOP.

Standard operating procedure for ordering materials

When Joe created the inventory SOP for spare conveyor belts, he decided
that the plant needs to order more belts once current inventory falls below 10,
and that the order should get inventory back up to 20.

Sure enough, there were only 10 belts in inventory, so when the assignment
to replace the current frayed belt was completed, inventory fell to 9 and Limble
automatically created a new task to order more. If this had been a bigger
facility, the task would have been automatically assigned to the purchasing
department or the maintenance coordinator. Joe’s team isn’t that big, though,
so he set the SOP to assign all purchasing to himself.

Updating a standard operating procedure

After doing the inspection a few times, Rick thought it would be more efficient
to add oil while he had the side panels off anyway instead of that being its
own stand-alone task. He put his thoughts into the same form his coworkers
use for reporting problems so it would go straight to Joe. Joe thought it was a
great idea and simply added the step to the inspection SOP.

Regardless of when Joe makes changes, Rick always has access to the

most up-to-date version.
Logs and reports

A few months down the road, Joe has entered all of his equipment and built
out SOPs for every maintenance routine. Limble automatically logged all his
team’s work on the equipment’s work history, and Joe is able to see in his
reports which equipment takes up the most of his team’s time.

His budget was increased so he could replace an outdated $200,000

machine. He had been asking for years, and it was finally granted because he
was able to show that the company spends $50,000 a year on parts and labor
trying to keep it alive, and even then its downtime costs the company
$600,000 of lost revenue per quarter.

Joe didn’t have to calculate this himself and hope management would believe
him. It was automatically (there’s that word again) compiled for him based on
tasks that were completed following his standard operating procedures.

Collect team members’ knowledge

Notice how, by building his standard operating procedures within Limble, Joe
documented everything he had learned about the equipment over his decades
with the company. By adding in his team’s suggestions, the SOPs became the
single data storehouse for the department.

Now, Joe’s team takes less of his time with questions, it’s easier for Joe to
take vacations, and there’s a lot less anxiety about the fact that Joe is
planning to retire in the next 5 years.

More than a document

For it to have an impact, an SOP has to be more than a document — it’s a
management tool that:

 Automates: Executes repetitive tasks and communication,

 Guarantees thoroughness: Ensures nothing falls through the cracks,
 Gives insight: Reveals opportunities to increase productivity and
decrease costs.

It becomes a platform that doesn’t just tell stakeholders what to do — it helps

them do it. Limble SOPs are fail-proof because they integrate procedures into
daily work and provide value on every level of the organization:

 Managers: Streamlines administrative work

 Technicians: Provides clear expectations
 Executives & business owners: Gives visibility into financial strengths
and weaknesses of day-to-day operations

More than you bargained for

If you were expecting to just learn about title pages and tables of contents,
this introduction to standard operating procedures may have been a surprise.
Hopefully, you caught the full scope of what digital, interactive and integrated
SOPs in Limble can do for your organization:

Manage your equipment and facilities

Limble becomes the single source of all information on all assets. This makes
it easy to get the most out of equipment at every phase of its life cycle.

Lighten your workload

Limble automatically creates tasks (complete with SOPs) based on a variety

of triggers. Its user-friendly layout and assignment routing drops the time
spent managing from hours to seconds.

Guarantee quality

Limble is a quality control/quality assurance system that keeps your team

performing consistently and reveals potential problems before they arise.
Streamline inventory

Limble tracks use and triggers purchases when inventory drops below the
limits you set. You will fix equipment faster with the right parts in hand.

Nail compliance

Limble ensures regulated work is:

 planned for
 completed
 recorded

then saves the approval history with:

 signature capture
 timestamps
 multimedia verification

Reward performance

Limble tracks all team members’ work so you can reward top performers and
hold lagging team members to task. (Share metrics with the whole team for
positive peer pressure.)

Plan for the future

Limble is available to all employees at all times, which means the team isn’t
too dependent on any one person’s know how. The department can continue
to run smoothly regardless of ever-changing circumstances.

Other common types of standard operating

procedures
If you decide to go old-school, you have a few different types of SOPs to
choose from. In the following paragraphs, we discuss the pros and cons of
each SOP document type.

1) Step-by-step procedure
A step-by-step SOP is the simplest method. As its name implies, it works like
an easy-to-follow checklist of step instructions, describing every action an
employee will need to take to complete the task at hand.

When to use a step-by-step SOP: Use this type of SOP when the task is
straightforward and should always be executed in the same manner.

Pros:

 Simple to understand, create, and use.

 Ideal for routine tasks.

Cons:

 Not applicable for complex processes, or those that require any decision
making.

2) Hierarchical standard operating procedure

A hierarchical SOP is a better choice for complex procedures that need more
structure and additional information. It provides further details within each
step. While a step-by-step SOP may list steps 1, 2, and 3, etc., this would
also include hierarchical steps 1a and 1b; 2a and 2b, then 3a and 3b. It can
also come in the form of a checklist or bullet point list.

For example, let’s imagine that a new employee needs to sign up for benefits
online. If step 1 tells them to create an account, step 1a may give directions
on creating a username while step 1b will guide them to create a unique
password before proceeding.
When to use a hierarchical SOP: Use this type of SOP when the workflow
you outlined needs an extra layer of instructions. Hierarchical SOPs allow you
to include all the required steps in a tidy format, without having to create
lengthy descriptions that are hard to follow.

Pros:

 They provide additional information while keeping things simple.

 Each step provides the background and context for the next one, so
there’s no need for lengthy explanations.

Cons:

 Updating hierarchical SOPs can be time-consuming, especially if the

change in one step means you have to make changes in other steps.
 Not a good fit for any business process that requires decision making.

3) Flowchart standard operating procedure

Flowcharts are images that explain what path to follow depending on the

situation. These processes are not linear — the outcome of one step will
determine the course of action for following steps.
When to use a flowchart SOP: Flowchart SOPs apply to complex situations.
They could be used when troubleshooting engine problems or addressing a
complaint. They allow users to visualize workflow steps and quickly proceed
with the job at hand.

Pros:

 They are great for understanding the big picture behind complex
processes.
 They minimize confusion for staff when deciding how to proceed.
 Flowcharts make it easy to improve business processes. It is easy to
see ways to combine or rearrange steps. In the end, you can reduce
waste, eliminate bottlenecks, get more done, optimize the amount of
time needed for the desired outcome, and so on.
 They are a great choice for processes where the outcomes can be hard
to predict, such as customer service calls.

Cons:

 Updating flowchart SOPs can be a serious hassle. If you make a bigger

change, you may have to redraw the entire flowchart or a substantial
part of it.
 Long flowcharts can look clumsy and messy, making it difficult for users
to understand and follow through. They need to be well-thought-out and
structured to be useful.

4) Management standard operating procedure

In a nutshell, a management SOP is an SOP for writing SOPs. That probably
sounds weird — let’s clarify this.

For organizations with a large number of SOPs, it’s best to have a document
that explains how to write and manage new standard operating
procedures. This document is known as the management SOP. It serves as
a template that outlines how SOPs should be structured. Its job is to ensure
that new procedures are consistent with older SOPs.

A management SOP will cover topics like presentation and layout, and how to
review, approve, maintain, and carry out new SOPs.

When to use a management SOP: These are most helpful to large

companies. This is especially true if there are many procedures to document
and multiple staff who write the SOPs.

Pros:

 They get rid of the problem of conflicting procedures and help ensure
that all SOPs comply with best practices.
 They speed up the SOP creation process by using a template. Having a
management SOP takes out the guesswork, and saves your staff from
having to memorize all the steps for creating SOPs from scratch every
time.

Cons: 

They add an extra layer of work because, like other SOPs, you have to
regularly review and update management SOPs.

How to structure an SOP document?

Traditionally, here is what you would expect to see in a standard operating
procedure document (not necessarily in this order):

Title page

Includes:

 Procedure’s name (for example, “Air Conditioning Unit: Changing the air
filter”)
  Unique SOP ID number
 Date created or updated
 Department or team the SOP applies to
 Names and signatures of everyone involved in creating the SOP

Revision history

Information about when the SOP was created and what was changed the last
time it was updated.

Table of contents

Summarizes the document and helps the user quickly find what they are
looking for. Helpful when the document is very large.

Purpose and scope

Describes why the SOP was created, which processes are covered, and what
the document aims to accomplish.

Roles and responsibilities

Lists the people (employees, managers, etc.) who will need to follow this
SOP. Outlines their responsibilities. This helps avoid confusion and keeps
everyone accountable.

Procedures

The core content that forms the bulk of your SOP. This section outlines the
work to be completed, including all the information relevant to each task. This
can include pictures, charts and other helpful images.

Health and safety information

SOPs for industrial processes must include:

Resources

 Safety warnings
 Protective gear
  Steps for avoiding hazards

A list of related training materials, websites, or reference guides to your SOP.

This is another feature that comes in handy when getting new team members
up to date.

Glossary

Every industry has its unique vocabulary, including acronyms. Explain it all
here.

Approval signatures

Show the signatures of anyone who was required to approve the SOP.

Steps for writing effective standard operating

procedure
To ensure your effort doesn’t go to waste, you need to think ahead. Start by
doing foundational work:

 Be prepared for change management: Introducing changes can be

difficult. Clarify your company’s goals and explain why you need SOPs.
This will give your team the drive to keep going if they run into obstacles
along the way.
 Select processes you want to standardize: Avoid the distraction of
trying to create an SOP for every single procedure in your company.
Focus on the core processes and those activities that impact health and
safety, quality, and the bottom line.
 Organize the SOP team: Select a team that will be accountable for
creating the document and meeting deadlines. Don’t forget that, sooner
or later, you’re going to need input from people that will be using these
procedures.

Once all that is out of the way, use the following steps to create an actionable
standard operating procedure for the tasks you picked.
1) Decide on the scope of your SOP

For every process, think about what exactly you intend to document and how
detailed the SOP needs to be. This is largely influenced by:

 How important the topic is to your operations (such as health and safety
considerations).
 The intended audience for the SOP you plan to write (for instance, an
SOP for new employees would likely require more information than one
for more experienced staff).
 The complexity of the business process itself.

2) Collect necessary information

Every standard operating procedure should be created with the end-user
(staff) in mind. That means the person outlining the procedure needs to be
aware of the existing workflows, best practices, and workplace limitations.
Many of these details will have to be sourced from experienced employees
who know the process inside and out.

Consider including this vital information:

 Schematics or instruction booklets, and OEM manuals.

 Required equipment, gadgets, materials, and tools needed to execute a
specific task.
 Personal protective equipment (PPE).
 Potential safety hazards and safety warnings need to be mentioned.
 List of the actual steps in the task workflow.
 The number of people required to complete the job.
 Any additional details that need to be included to successfully execute
the task.

The main difference between an industrial SOP and an office SOP is the type
of information that needs to be included. For example, a heavy equipment
operator needs PPE and safety guidelines along with standardized work
instructions. In contrast, a help desk worker or a junior marketing manager
might need login information for a tool they need to complete their task.

After this, you can review all the information with the maintenance
supervisor or other stakeholders to fine tune the list. Some processes that you
may want to create SOPs for are:

 routine maintenance tasks

 commonly executed repairs and troubleshooting processes
 what to do in the case of emergency maintenance
 procedures for submitting maintenance tickets, reviewing work requests,
scheduling planned and unplanned maintenance work
 taking and returning tools and parts from inventory
 quality control and other specific tasks

3) Choose an SOP type

Earlier on, we discussed the major types of SOPs (Step-by-step, Flowchart,

and Hierarchical list) and when to use each type. Assess your operations and
choose a suitable SOP type for the process you’re outlining.

4) Write the first draft

With all the above steps completed, you can get down to writing the actual
SOP. Depending on the type of SOP you’re writing, a simple document editor
like Microsoft Word will be sufficient for the job. For complicated processes
with flowcharts, you might need a dedicated flowchart software (we
recommend Lucidchart) or one of the tools we list in a standalone section
below) or a well-structured template.

5) Distribute and review the first draft

The document may require several reviews, especially if this is your

company’s first attempt at SOP writing. Don’t rush this step. It’s important to
have employees at different levels available to review the procedures and
ensure that they align with your organizational objectives and current
workflow.

6)  Publish and implement the SOP

We advise that you put the SOPs through a testing phase where your staff will
use them and offer feedback. After getting substantial feedback, commit to
tracking how effective the documents are, then make more adjustments and
tweaks if necessary.

7) Staff training

To further help ensure compliance with the SOP, you must fully train all staff
to use the SOPs for the techniques and procedures relevant to their work. Be
sure to document who completed which training.

A few standard operating procedure examples from

the industrial space
Curious to see some standard operating procedure examples from the
manufacturing space? Here are a few.
Standard operating procedure example #1: Determining silt
concentration
 Image source

Standard operating procedure example #2: Performing prechecks on

gas forklift

Image source

Standard operating procedure example #3: Testing tanks for vessel

entry
 Image source

One thing you should learn from these examples is that you do not have to
follow a set format. You just need to make sure that the document contains all
relevant information.

Fast-track your team with digital, interactive,

integrated standard operating procedures
Standard operating procedures are the secret behind the world’s most
effective teams. But you have to do more than a document; you have to
provide your team with the tools that make doing great work the path of least
resistance.
Still don’t think you have time?
Not ready to implement full-scale standard operating procedures?
Maintenance professionals can still move their departments forward with a
smart preventive maintenance plan. Save yourself days of work with this free
download.