5 Facility Failures Nobody Owns
The System Gaps Hiding in Every Facility
1
No Real PM System
What it is
Not "we do PMs." A system that actually prevents failures instead of generating work orders nobody reads.
How to implement
① Audit PM completion vs. actual failure reduction
② Kill PMs that don't prevent anything
③ Track outcomes, not compliance percentages
② Kill PMs that don't prevent anything
③ Track outcomes, not compliance percentages
Best practice
A 95% PM completion rate means nothing if equipment still fails on the same schedule.
2
Paper-Only Emergency Plans
What it is
Emergency binders that haven't been opened since the last audit. No drills. No muscle memory. Just paper in a drawer.
How to implement
① Run quarterly tabletop drills with real scenarios
② Post escalation paths where people actually look
③ Debrief every real emergency within 48 hours
② Post escalation paths where people actually look
③ Debrief every real emergency within 48 hours
Best practice
If your team can't describe the emergency plan from memory, it doesn't exist.
3
Disconnected Systems
›
CMMS says one thing
›
BAS says another
›
Operators say something else
›
Three versions of truth = zero
How to implement
Pick one source of truth and force every system to feed it.
4
Weak Contractor Control
›
No scope documentation
›
No performance tracking
›
No accountability structure
›
Premium rates for mystery work
How to implement
Score every contractor quarterly on scope, schedule, and quality.
5
Management, Not Leadership
›
Budgets get approved
›
Timesheets get signed
›
Nobody fights for resources
›
Nobody makes the hard calls
How to implement
Ask: who is building the team and fighting for change? If no name comes up, that's the gap.
These Aren't 5 Separate Problems
They're five symptoms of one root cause: nobody owns the system.
What to do Monday morning
1
Pick one failure
Just one. Not all five. One you can actually audit this week.
2
Write down what's broken
Honestly. Not what the report says. What the floor says.
3
Name who owns fixing it
If no name comes up, you just found the real problem.
Transformation starts with a clipboard and the willingness to look.
The bottom line
Fix the system, not the symptoms. Every one of these failures is fixable. But only if someone decides to own it.
Follow Ivan Getov for more on manufacturing, leadership, maintenance & reliability.
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