Driving up Maintenance Value

The key to unlocking maintenance value lies in implementing robust systems that drive operational excellence. Here's how to do that.

3 min read

Systems That Drive Maintenance Value

Three management systems directly enhance operational efficiency, reliability and the level of Maintenance added value achieved. They are:

Process Control: Governs asset-level tasks, including preventive maintenance, inspection standards, servicing schedules, and best-practice routines. Effective process control reduces variability and ensures consistent output.
Work Control: Influences the daily execution of maintenance tasks while also driving improvements for future performance.
Planning: Coordinates resource allocation, anticipates maintenance needs, and captures lessons learned to continuously refine and enhance performance.

The Impact of These Systems

Poor asset level process control leads to more failures making planning difficult. Inevitably that results in inefficient use of time and resources which impacts on day to day work control. Together that creates a downward cycle of reactivity. Breaking out of that cycle depends on being able to leverage these systems to systematically improve performance.

For example, robust process control at the asset level reduces breakdowns, freeing up engineering time to focus on eliminating root causes of accelerated wear and human error—factors responsible for nearly 50% of unplanned downtime. This shift transforms work control from reactive firefighting to proactive efficiency, leading to longer-lasting components and increased productivity.

Systems That Drive Culture and Outlook

To achieve this, organisations must go beyond operational execution and establish a culture that reinforces maintenance excellence. That engages three additional management systems:

Policy Deployment: Translates business priorities into clear, actionable maintenance goals. This ensures alignment between corporate objectives and frontline execution.
Skill Development: Shapes workforce capabilities by defining what skills are developed, how they are applied, and how personnel retention strategies support a sustainable maintenance function.
Performance Analysis: Provides data-driven insights, helping leaders identify causal factors, create a 12 month practical improvement roadmap as part of business planning, track progress, and drive medium term improvement.

The Risks of Neglecting These Systems

Leading organisations integrate these systems to create a high-performance maintenance culture. In contrast, companies that struggle often lack one or more of these critical frameworks, leading to inefficiencies and stagnation.

The most common pitfall is an overemphasis on short-term Performance Analysis, which can lead to reactive decision-making and quick fixes rather than sustainable improvements. That hides weaknesses in other areas for example:

Poor process control leads to more failures which results in ineffective work planning leading to poor use of time and resources.
Short term performance analysis ignores the impact of skill development. That means that front line teams are not equipped to carry out the tasks they are set. That results in knowledge and skill gaps which adds to the likelihood of human error and unplanned downtime.

Conclusion

For maintenance managers and senior manufacturing leaders, the message is clear: Effective systems drive results.

By implementing and integrating these six essential systems, organisations can move from reactive maintenance to proactive, value adding maintenance by using

Process control to reduce breakdowns and ensure consistency.
Work control to deliver compliance to best practice to raise asset reliability and reduce defects
Planning to allocate resources more effectively, make better use of skills and capture lessons learned to enhance future performance.
Policy Deployment to engage the organisation with a practical cross improvement glide path to deliver strategic business goals.
Skill development to build a capable, adaptable workforce.
Performance analysis to guide data-driven decision-making.

The outcome is a strategically aligned operations, delivering superior asset reliability, cost efficiency, and long-term value.

To find out how well your systems support effective maintenance complete our on line self assessment diagnostic. and we will send you a short report setting out maintenance systems strengths and weaknesses and what to do to improve maintenance value.

Dr. W. Edwards Deming famously stated that 94% of problems stem from weaknesses in management systems and processes, not individuals.

Likewise, in maintenance and manufacturing, failures are rarely due to people but rather weaknesses in the management routines they operate within. The key to unlocking maintenance value lies in enhancing maintenance management systems and processes.

Our research into the maintenance practices of well-respected and award-winning organisations, provides an insight into how maintenance systems and processes drive up maintenance value.