The 5-Stage Work Management Cycle
1
Identify
What it is
The front door of the maintenance program. If work does not get captured, nothing downstream matters.
How to implement
① Operators write notifications, not supervisors.
② Triage every notification within 24 hours into three buckets.
③ Require actionable detail, not "pump broken."
② Triage every notification within 24 hours into three buckets.
③ Require actionable detail, not "pump broken."
Best practice
Kill the "I'll tell Mike" culture. Verbal reports die in hallways.
2
Plan
What it is
Take identified work and make it ready to execute. A tech should walk to the asset and start.
How to implement
① Plan 80% of work before scheduling. Not a goal, a gate.
② Kit and stage parts 48 hours before execution.
③ Land hour estimates within 20% of actual on routine work.
② Kit and stage parts 48 hours before execution.
③ Land hour estimates within 20% of actual on routine work.
Best practice
A planned job takes one-third the labor hours of the same job done unplanned.
3
Schedule
What it is
A contract. Ops makes the equipment available, maintenance brings the right crew and parts. Both sides sign up.
How to implement
① Lock the schedule 48 to 72 hours before the work week. Frozen zone.
② Weekly meeting has ops, maintenance, and storeroom in the same room.
③ One person owns schedule compliance as a number.
② Weekly meeting has ops, maintenance, and storeroom in the same room.
③ One person owns schedule compliance as a number.
Best practice
Target 80%+ compliance. Most plants run 40 to 60. The gap is discipline, not craft.
4
Execute
What it is
Where the plan meets the floor. The discipline is capturing what actually happened, not preventing improvisation.
How to implement
① Pre-stage safety and LOTO. Never improvise.
② Scope changes trigger a notification, not silent storeroom pulls.
③ Document as-found and as-left conditions with real measurements.
② Scope changes trigger a notification, not silent storeroom pulls.
③ Document as-found and as-left conditions with real measurements.
Best practice
"Repaired. RTO." is a receipt, not data. Six months later it tells you nothing.
5
Close Out
The difference between a plant that learns and a plant that keeps relearning the same lesson.
Required fields
Failure code that matches the failure.
Cause of the failure.
Action taken.
Cause of the failure.
Action taken.
Data discipline
Actual hours captured vs estimate.
Photos and notes on anything non-routine.
Weekly review by reliability.
Photos and notes on anything non-routine.
Weekly review by reliability.
The audit
Monthly: pull 10 random closed work orders and read them. If 2+ are incoherent, the discipline is broken.
"Learn the cycle. Or repeat it."
Five stages. One system. Every stage inherits what the last one missed.
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