Successfully Managing Workorder Backlog and …

1 ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLS MANAGEMENT, INC. ANN ARBOR, IRVINE, WESTERVILLE PHN: (800) 414 9640 e-mail: website: Successfully Managing WORK ORDER Backlog AND RESOURCES Anthony J. Werderitsch, PE, CCE, PMP Timothy Orr, and Kenneth R. Cross, PE ACM Administrative Controls Management, Inc. INTRODUCTION Effectively Managing a significant number of backlogged work orders and the resources required to accomplish the Backlog are critical to having a world class maintenance organization. There are several maintenance measurements that are routinely tracked. They include overall equipment reliability, the ratio of maintenance costs to asset-replacement value, and the percent of work orders planned and scheduled.

2 This paper focuses on the development and implementation of a successful scheduling process using a project management system, which in addition to the useful purposes and benefits described in this paper, provides for the tracking of the percent of work orders planned and scheduled. This paper presents the authors experiences with developing and implementing the scheduling system to achieve the customer objectives. The objectives included significantly improving the flow-through of backlogged work orders, providing look-ahead reporting for future work order requirements to maintenance management, operations, and engineering, and better Managing of crews performing the work. Additional benefits provided by the scheduling system included crew compliance reporting, past due work order reporting, and the comparison of planned and scheduled work orders to emergency work orders.

3 The development and implementation of the scheduling process followed two parallel paths. One path examined the maintenance process, the existing computerized maintenance system, and the methods for integrating the mainframe maintenance system into the personal computer based project management system. The second path involved training all maintenance supervision, operations, area engineers, and management in basic planning and scheduling concepts and in use of the system. The process development commenced with a series of meetings and interviews to determine the planning and scheduling skills and knowledge of the users, the existing work order process, and explanation of what the scheduling process was expected to contribute to their work efforts.

4 This paper provides a background of the customer s maintenance environment, briefly describes the training program, and provides a more in-depth explanation of the schedule process development. Additionally, a summary of the results of the schedule process implementation is presented. ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLS MANAGEMENT, INC. ANN ARBOR, IRVINE, WESTERVILLE PHN: (800) 414 9640 e-mail: website: BACKGROUND The schedule process was implemented for a major manufacturing company having several process facilities located within one geographical area. Prior to the engagement of the authors, the customer retained a consultant to examine its maintenance processes and practices and recommend improvements.

5 One of the recommendations was to implement a work order scheduling process. It was determined that non-scheduled, non-emergency work orders were costing four times as much to perform as work orders which were planned and scheduled. The existing maintenance organization consisted of several hundred crafts that reported to foremen. The foremen reported to supervisors for work assignments and supervisors reported to maintenance managers. Plant operations, engineering, and maintenance used a computerized system for initiating work orders from many locations within the customer s facilities. The time to accomplish the work orders ranged from less than one hour to more than a day. The maintenance environment reflected emergency work orders and lost time ranging between 45 to 65 percent of maintenance crews time.

6 Over 60 percent of the non-emergency work orders were backlogged in excess of nine weeks. Between eight and ten thousand work orders were processed every two weeks. Non-emergency work orders consisted of 38 percent with less than five weeks Backlog and the remainder ranged from between five and nine weeks (29%) to more than 20 weeks (18%). At the start of the assignment, the number of backlogged work orders were in excess of 25,000. A review to reduce this Backlog was performed by maintenance, engineering and operations. The Backlog was reduced by eliminating work orders that were either completed but not reported, completed but lacking required paperwork, or had aged beyond effectiveness. The review reduced the Backlog to approximately 17,000 work orders.

7 This is the approximate level of the current system. TRAINING One of the action items identified in the interviews was a need for training maintenance staff in basic planning and scheduling concepts. This training provided the maintenance organization with an understanding of the scheduling process and the tools for better management of work order scope, time, and resources. The training consisted of several two-day classroom sessions to accommodate the staff s schedules. Over 130 maintenance staff personnel were trained in the scheduling process. The software supplier provided hands-on software training to system users. In addition to basic scheduling, the staff was also trained in the use of several concepts including examples from the planned scheduling process.

8 Information and summary schedule training was also provided to non-maintenance staff including operations management and engineering. They were shown what ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLS MANAGEMENT, INC. ANN ARBOR, IRVINE, WESTERVILLE PHN: (800) 414 9640 e-mail: website: maintenance was learning, how it applied to assisting them in accomplishing their goals for better effectiveness and responsiveness, and how the scheduling process would affect them. PROCESS DEVELOPMENT Meetings with Craft Management & Management After the initial planning and scheduling training, two types of meetings were held to discuss the implementation of the new scheduling system. Group meetings were conducted to give the maintenance management an initial view of what the system was and an expected schedule for the implementation.

9 Other group meetings were held to give further updates on the system. The consultant also met with all of the maintenance directors, managers, and supervisors on an individual basis. This was done so they could provide input into the system that was being developed. At the meetings, both the new scheduling system and existing maintenance strengths and weaknesses were discussed. These meetings were critical to the smooth introduction of the new system into the existing corporate culture. Integration of Information Systems The integration of information systems required extensive interfacing with the maintenance department s information systems personnel. A thorough review of the clients computer work order system began.

10 The client entered all work orders into their mainframe computer maintenance management system called the Maintenance Control Program (MCP). The MCP system used a FOCUS database to store work orders. Information needed for the scheduling system was located and reports were written by the client's maintenance information systems personnel to extract the necessary information. It was decided that the system should consider the next six months of work for the crews. This six-month period included approximately 25,000 work order tasks. Emergency work orders were excluded from the selection. These work orders involved corrective maintenance work above the designated priority level and crews responded to them as needed. The system required that three separate extractions be run to download the information.