Book companion resource · Template

Job Plan Template

Letter & A4. Print-ready. Free, no email required.

Using the template

Turn a work request into a job the crew can prepare for.

Download the blank PDF above, or jump to the template below. Use this guide to check what belongs in the plan before calling the job ready. The form supports planning; it is not authorization to perform work and does not replace site-approved procedures, permits, or release requirements.

Job plan, work order, or weekly schedule?

Job plan: how the work will be prepared: The scope, resource estimates, materials, approved procedure references, and access needs. A proven plan can be revised and reused for similar work.
Work order: the record of this job: The particular asset, request, priority, status, and actual work performed. Attach or apply the plan using your site’s work-management process.
Weekly schedule: the commitment to do it: The selected ready work, assigned capacity, sequence, and agreed operations windows. A filled-out plan does not automatically put a job on the schedule.

CMMS terminology varies. In IBM Maximo Manage, applying a job plan creates a work plan on a work order; changes to that work plan do not change the original job plan. Check how your own system handles reusable plans and job-specific changes.

Fill the plan in the order the questions arise.

Scope and asset. Identify the asset and describe the work’s intended outcome and boundaries. Flag unanswered scope questions before estimating resources.
Labor and duration. Record the required crafts, crew size, estimated elapsed time, and total labor-hours. Include the whole planned window, with preparation, verification, and close-out identified in the estimate.
Materials and tools. List part identifiers, quantities, and required tools or instruments. Confirm that items are available for this job, not merely shown in stock or assigned elsewhere.
Procedures and references. Identify the current site-approved procedure and relevant drawings. Have the responsible site personnel confirm applicable safety, permit, and release requirements. Do not invent technical limits to finish the form.
Access and coordination. Record the agreed equipment-access window, operations contact, and dependencies. Check that the crew and resources can be available together.

A plan can look complete and still be on hold.

Original fictional planning example. This is an illustration for this page, not a book excerpt or a customer case.

A planner estimates a routine maintenance job at three elapsed hours with two technicians working for the full window. That is 2 × 3 = 6 labor-hours. Operations offers a three-hour access window. The six labor-hours do not mean six hours of equipment access, and adding people does not automatically shorten the job.

The required part is listed in stock, but is reserved for another work order.
The required instrument has not been booked.
The current approved procedure has not been confirmed.

Decision: hold for planning. Confirm a part allocation for this job, instrument availability and suitability through the site’s process, and the current procedure. Then recheck the estimate and access window. Assign each open item an owner and a follow-up date. Do not sign the job ready while those questions remain open.

Check readiness, then learn from the work.

Before sign-off, review scope, craft availability, materials, tools, approved references, and operations access together. If a condition changes, return it for review instead of treating the earlier sign-off as permanent.

After execution, capture actual labor-hours and duration, materials used, scope changes, delays, and technician feedback. Review that information before revising a reusable plan. A useful close-out explains what the next planner should keep or change.

The PDF remains the blank companion template. This web guide is excluded from printing so it does not add pages to the form.

Every planned job that reaches the floor arrives with this. BOM, procedure, hours, safety, drawings. If the technician improvises, it wasn't planned.

Companion to: Fix the System, Chapter 6. Who uses it: the planner. One per job. The template should feed into your CMMS, or live as an attachment to the work order if the CMMS doesn't natively support structured job plans. How long to fill out: 15-30 minutes for a routine job, 45-90 for a first-time job or an unfamiliar asset.

Job Identification

Field	Value
Work Order #	________________
Asset ID	________________
Asset location	________________
Job type (PM / Corrective / Inspection / Modification)	________________
Priority (Urgent / Standard / Planned)	________________
Originating notification #	________________
Date planned	________________
Planner initials	________________

Scope of Work

In two or three sentences, describe the specific work to be performed. Not the asset's condition. The WORK.

Example: "Replace coupling between pump drive motor and pump body. Verify alignment within 0.003" TIR. Pressure-test to normal operating conditions before return-to-service."

Scope:

_____________________________________________________________________

Bill of Materials (BOM)

Every part the job requires. If a part is substitutable, list the substitutes. If a part has to be expedited, flag it.

Part #	Description	Qty	Stock location	On-hand?	Substitute OK?
				□ Yes □ No	□ Yes □ No
				□ Yes □ No	□ Yes □ No
				□ Yes □ No	□ Yes □ No
				□ Yes □ No	□ Yes □ No
				□ Yes □ No	□ Yes □ No
				□ Yes □ No	□ Yes □ No

BOM verified by: _____________ Date: _____________

If any part is marked "On-hand: No" AND "Substitute OK: No", the job CANNOT be scheduled yet. Flag the planner.

Procedure

Not the full engineering manual — a one-page step list specific to this job. Aim for 5-15 steps. If the job requires more than 15 steps, either break it into sub-jobs or refer to an external procedure document by name.

1. ________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________

4. ________________________________________________________________

5. ________________________________________________________________

6. ________________________________________________________________

7. ________________________________________________________________

8. ________________________________________________________________

9. ________________________________________________________________

10. _______________________________________________________________

Add more lines as needed — but if you exceed 15 steps, pause and ask whether this should be two jobs.

Hours Estimate

Breakdown	Hours
Setup / lockout / permits	_____
Active work	_____
Testing / verification	_____
Cleanup / close-out	_____
Total estimated hours	_____
Crew size	_____
Total labor-hours	_____

Notes on the estimate (assumptions, known risks that might extend the job):

_____________________________________________________________________

Safety Requirements

Lockout / tagout required
Isolation points: _______________________________________________
Confined space permit required
Hot work permit required
Elevated work / fall protection required
Chemical / hazardous material handling
Specifics: _______________________________________________________
Specific PPE beyond standard (respirator, face shield, dielectric gloves, etc.)
List: ____________________________________________________________

JSA (Job Safety Analysis) attached or referenced: □ Yes □ No

Drawings & Attachments

List and attach any drawings, schematics, or reference documents the technician will need.

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Operational Coordination

Asset coordination with operations confirmed
Estimated asset downtime window: _________ hours
Pre-notification required (who and when): _______________________
Post-completion notification (who and when): ____________________

Planner Sign-Off

This job is ready to schedule. Parts are confirmed available or substitutable. Procedure is specific. Hours are estimated within reason. Safety requirements are identified. Operational coordination is clear.

Planner signature: _____________________ Date: _____________

If any field above is incomplete or unresolved, this job is NOT ready to schedule. Do not sign.

For recurring jobs

If this is a PM or other recurring job, consider whether this job plan should become the ASSET'S standard plan in the CMMS. Good job plans, once proven in execution, get reused. Update the CMMS job template after the first successful execution.

From Fix the System by Ivan Getov. Companion to Chapter 6: Plan. getov.xyz/toolkit/fix-the-system/ch06/job-plan-template. Free. No email required.

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