Considerations for overcoming the scheduling dilemma By Steve Woods, M.Eng., MBA, P.Eng. Scheduling is a daily activity for all of us. We review our appointments for the day, decide which tasks to complete, prioritize emergent problems, and plan for upcoming events. Scheduling is also a key function of maintenance management. Effective scheduling enhances customer satisfaction and improves workforce productivity while avoiding unnecessary costs. However, “changing a company’s maintenance practices is like turning around a supertanker. Maintenance change is a five-year effort involving progressive action. It takes two years to get the change underway, and another three to see the full impact” (Hora, 2001, p. 74). This article examines effective scheduling characteristics and approaches. Sources of the scheduling dilemma are described. Next, common scheduling roadblocks are identified. Finally, some techniques for managing the scheduling dilemma are presented. Characteristics of Effective Scheduling Given that organizations often view maintenance as controllable overhead and not as a key value-added aspect of strategic plan-
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Ops Talk • Spring 2012
ning, scheduling begins with the objectives of minimizing required resources while maximizing the amount of work completed. Facilities maintenance personnel tend to view these objectives from the perspective of mitigating the risk of service disruptions and damage from equipment breakdowns. Building occupants often focus more on predictable work order turn-around times, timely support for educational programs, and avoiding conflicts with school activities. Cost savings are a key performance indicator of maintenance management systems. Effective work order scheduling can enable cost savings by reducing materials overhead, potentially leading to just-in-time materials management. Further, schedulers can consolidate similar work orders to achieve economies of scale through (a) minimizing set-up time, (b) bulk purchasing, and (c) efficient hiring or contracting processes. Gray and Larson (2008) present the concept of delaying noncritical work during periods of peak workload as a technique to improve resource utilization without adjusting maintenance capacity. “Because payroll is one of the largest costs in many organizations, a
