Are You Using These Key Approaches for Improving Preventative Maintenance?

The second in a five-part series on work planning. Do you understand where and how your preventative maintenance program fits into your overall program?

Preventative maintenance (PM) is a proactive approach to maintaining equipment and infrastructure designed to prevent failures, ensure reliability, and optimize operational efficiency. Rather than waiting for equipment failures, PM involves scheduled inspections, component replacements, and systematic overhauls. This strategy reduces unplanned downtime, extends asset life, and ensures regulatory compliance.

Understanding Preventative Maintenance

PM involves routine tasks such as replacing filters and lubricants, changing belts, and greasing components. The goal is to detect and address potential failures before they escalate. This approach contrasts with reactive maintenance, which focuses on repairs after breakdowns. Implementing PM enhances productivity and minimizes disruptions.

Objectives of Preventative Maintenance

The primary objectives of preventative maintenance include:

1. Preventing Failures: Regular inspections identify wear and tear, allowing timely interventions.

2. Ensuring Compliance: Many industries require PM to meet safety and regulatory standards.

3. Optimizing Resource Allocation: PM ensures efficient scheduling, reducing unexpected workload spikes.

4. Extending Equipment Life: Addressing minor issues early helps assets function optimally.

5. Improving Safety: Reducing the risk of malfunctions enhances workplace safety.

Balancing Preventative and Planned Maintenance

A crucial consideration in maintenance management is determining the appropriate balance between preventative maintenance and other planned work. Ideally, 80% of maintenance activities should be planned, with preventative maintenance constituting 30% of the total workload. Planned maintenance encompasses proactive measures such as condition monitoring, predictive maintenance (PdM), and corrective maintenance (CM). Predictive maintenance leverages data analytics and sensor technology to anticipate failures, while corrective maintenance addresses known issues before they escalate.

 

Corrective Maintenance in PM

Corrective maintenance (CM) is often performed alongside preventative maintenance to address minor issues discovered during inspections. However, integrating CM into PM schedules requires careful planning. Key considerations include:

1. Work History Preservation: When CM tasks are integrated into PM work, tracking and documentation are essential to maintain accurate records.

2. Managing Break-in Work: Excessive CM during PM inspections can disrupt schedules. To prevent excessive delays, 30 minutes of CM per PM task is recommended as a guideline.

3. Minimizing Work Order Overload: While addressing minor corrective tasks within PM schedules may be convenient, significant repairs should be assigned separate work orders to ensure accountability and proper resource allocation.

Who Should Perform Preventative Maintenance?

Effective PM requires contributions from:

1. Maintenance Staff: Skilled technicians handle complex maintenance tasks.

2. Third-Party Vendors: External specialists manage highly technical maintenance.

3. Operator-Based Maintenance: Operators perform routine tasks like cleaning and lubrication, enabling early issue detection.

To track history and optimize scheduling, all PM activities should be recorded in a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS).

Work Leveling and Resource Allocation

A common challenge in preventative maintenance is ensuring that resources are allocated efficiently. Work leveling involves adjusting PM schedules based on equipment criticality and resource availability. Three key strategies are provided.

Adjusting Frequency 

Not all equipment requires the same level of maintenance. Critical assets should receive more frequent attention, while less critical equipment can have extended maintenance intervals.

Summing Hours by Month

Analyzing the total PM hours required helps in resource planning and balancing workload.

Recognizing Resource Constraints

Most organizations operate with limited maintenance personnel. Prioritizing high-impact PM tasks ensures that available resources are utilized effectively.

The Importance of a Structured PM Program

To maximize the benefits of preventative maintenance, organizations should establish a structured PM program with these components.

Asset Inventory and Criticality Assessment

Identify and prioritize all assets based on operational importance and failure risk.

Standardized PM Procedures

Develop consistent maintenance checklists and procedures tailored to each asset type.

CMMS Utilization

Implement a CMMS to track maintenance schedules, document work history, and generate data-driven insights.

Training and Skill Development

Ensure maintenance personnel and equipment operators receive adequate training on PM best practices.

Continuous Improvement

Regularly review PM effectiveness and make necessary adjustments based on equipment performance data and failure trends.

Getting Preventative Maintenance to the Next Level

Preventative maintenance reduces downtime, extends equipment lifespan, and ensures regulatory compliance. Organizations can optimize operations and enhance long-term reliability by balancing PM with corrective and planned maintenance. A structured PM program, combined with CMMS technology and skilled personnel, is essential for sustainable maintenance management.

---

JD Solomon Inc. provides solutions for program development, asset management, and facilitation at the nexus of facilities, infrastructure, and the environment. Visit our Asset Management page for more information related reliability, risk management, resilience, and other asset management services. Subscribe for bi-monthly updates related to our firm.

Helpful Tips for Reducing Noise in Project Management Communication

The good news? You can minimize noise in project management communication.

Communication in project management isn’t just about sending messages—it’s about making sure they are received and understood. Every project update, meeting, email, or report must compete with distractions that can dilute or distort your message. Noise, in a project management context, includes anything that hinders clear communication—misaligned expectations, inconsistent data, or even overloaded team members.

The good news? You can minimize that noise. Here are some practical strategies to help project managers communicate more effectively.

The Responsibility Falls on the Project Manager

As a project manager, it's your role to ensure clear and effective communication. Whether you're delivering a project update to stakeholders, outlining a task for your team, or reporting on risks, your message must be:

• Clear and to the point – Highlight key takeaways.

• Tailored to your audience – Speak in terms they understand.

• Well-structured – Make it easy to follow and digest.

Your team and stakeholders shouldn’t have to decipher your message. Your job is to make it easy for them.

Three Ways to Reduce Noise in Project Communication

1. Be Consistent

A project’s success depends on a steady flow of reliable information. Just like a well-documented process ensures smooth execution, consistent communication ensures clarity.

• Use a standardized reporting format for project updates.

• Ensure metrics are tracked and presented consistently.

• Maintain a uniform structure in documents and emails.

When information follows a predictable pattern, stakeholders spend less time deciphering it and more time acting on it.

2. Present Data Honestly

Resist the temptation to "adjust" project metrics to make them look better. Misrepresenting project progress, even unintentionally, can lead to lost credibility and misinformed decision-making. Instead:

• Provide unfiltered, real data—even if it’s not perfect.

• Highlight challenges honestly and offer mitigation plans.

• Avoid cherry-picking data to tell a more favorable story.

Transparency builds trust and enables informed decision-making.

3. Use "Smoothing" Techniques Thoughtfully

Project managers often need to distill complex information into digestible insights. Summaries, trend analyses, and high-level reports can be valuable, but use them wisely:

• Moving averages can highlight trends without getting lost in daily fluctuations.

• Dashboards should focus on key performance indicators (KPIs) relevant to decision makers.

  
  

Avoid oversimplifying to the point where important details are lost.

Identifying Common Sources of Noise

1. Mismatched Communication Styles

Different stakeholders process information differently:

• Executives may prefer high-level summaries with key takeaways.

• Technical teams need details, data, and rationale.

• Clients might require plain language and clear visual aids.

Adapt your communication style based on your audience.

2. Ineffective Communication Channels

Choosing the right medium matters:

• For quick updates: Instant messaging or stand-up meetings work best.

• For detailed analysis: Written reports or dashboards are more appropriate.

• For major decisions: Face-to-face or video meetings allow for discussion and clarity.

Use the right tool for the message to avoid unnecessary back-and-forth.

3. Information Overload

Too much detail can obscure what’s important. Avoid:

• Overloading status reports with unnecessary data points.

• Long-winded emails that bury key points.

• Overly complex project dashboards with excessive metrics.

  
  

Prioritize what truly matters to keep communication effective.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

These are three common pitfalls to avoid.

1. Overusing Gimmicks

Flashy presentations and jargon don’t substitute for clarity.

Keep visuals meaningful and relevant.

2. Misjudging the Audience

Adjust your tone and level of detail for different stakeholders.

Avoid assumptions—confirm understanding when necessary.

3. Too Much Communication

More isn’t always better; avoid excessive meetings and redundant updates.

Keep messages focused and to the point.

Reducing the Noise in Project Management Communication

Reducing noise in project communication isn't just about making yourself heard—it's about making sure the right message gets through. You'll create a communication environment that drives project success by focusing on consistency, clarity, and audience needs.

So, next time you send an update or hold a meeting, pause and ask yourself: Is this communication as clear and noise-free as possible?

How Team-Based Facilitation with CATER Produces Better Results

CATER is a mental model that helps facilitators recall the critical elements for group collaboration.

The CATER framework can be immensely effective in enhancing collaboration and improving team dynamics. This mental model fosters a shared understanding among participants and establishes crucial feedback channels essential for successful collaboration. Team-based facilitation with CATER produces better results.

CATER Overview

CATER represents five foundational elements that facilitate productive teamwork and collaboration:

1. Communicate in Pre-Session Exchanges

2. Ask Powerful Questions 

3. Anticipate Trouble

4. Use Engaging Exercises

5. Manage the Rhythm 

1. Communicate in Pre-Session Exchanges

The groundwork for effective facilitation is laid before the main session begins. A pre-session exchange involves the facilitator gathering participant insights through face-to-face discussions, phone calls, or online surveys. This structured exchange allows facilitators to understand participants' perspectives and needs, enabling them to tailor the session to meet expectations.

2. Ask Powerful Questions

The quality of questions posed during a facilitated session greatly influences its success. Powerful questions encourage critical thinking, inspire debate, and yield meaningful outcomes. These questions are generally categorized as introductory, which sets the stage, and clarifying, which dives deeper into discussions. Thoughtfully crafted questions are key to engaging participants and propelling the session forward.

3. Anticipate Trouble

Recognizing that disruptions are a natural aspect of group interactions is crucial. Exceptional facilitators embrace the reality of challenges and prepare strategies to navigate through them. Facilitators can sustain focus and momentum throughout the session by anticipating potential obstacles. In turn, this ensures disruptions do not derail productive discussions.

4. Use Engaging Exercises

Integrating engaging exercises into the session is essential to capture participants' attention and promote active engagement. These activities, whether brainstorming sessions, role plays, or interactive discussions, should be designed to be appealing and captivating. The likelihood of achieving session goals increases significantly when exercises resonate with participants,

5. Manage the Rhythm

Facilitators must be acutely aware of the natural rhythm of group dynamics. Throughout the session, there will be fluctuations in energy and engagement. Skilled facilitators can identify these shifts and adjust the pacing accordingly, making sure that the session remains dynamic and responsive to the group's needs.

Facilitating with JD Solomon's FINESSE Fishbone Diagram®

The elements of the FINESSE fishbone diagram® are Frame, Illustrate, Noise reduction, Empathy, Structure, Synergy, and Ethics.

The Connection Between FINESSE and CATER

The relationship between JD Solomon's FINESSE Fishbone Diagram and the CATER framework is essential for successful facilitation. FINESSE emphasizes the linear communication necessary to make information with complexity and uncertainty understood. CATER provides a structured approach to managing team dynamics and interactive communication complexities.

Elevate Your Facilitation Skills for Better Team Dynamics and Collaboration

Explore Facilitating with FINESSE: A Guide to Successful Business Solutions for deeper insights. The book applies the CATER framework to ten commonly facilitated business applications, including risk assessments, business cases, failure analysis, and strategic plans. Also, visit the Tackle Shop for the full range of communication and facilitation resources. Transform your facilitation from good to great by CATERing to the needs of your participants!

---

Founded by JD Solomon, Communicating with FINESSE is a not-for-profit community of technical professionals dedicated to being highly effective communicators and facilitators. He is the author of Facilitating with FINESSE: A Guide to Successful Business Solutions and Communicating Reliability, Risk & Resiliency to Decision Makers: How to Get Your Boss’s Boss to Understand.  Join Communicating with FINESSE for free.