Glossary · Maintenance and diagnostics
Maintenance planning
Also known as: Maintenance scheduling
German: Wartungsplanung
In maintenance management, maintenance planning is the activity of defining which maintenance tasks are needed, when they are performed, and which people, parts, tools and downtime windows they require.
- Maintenance
In one sentence
Maintenance planning defines which maintenance tasks are done when, and with which people, parts, tools and downtime windows.
Example
Maintenance planning bundles the gearbox replacement with the planned summer shutdown and orders the spare gearbox eight weeks in advance.
How it applies
- Operation: Planners coordinate maintenance with production so that planned tasks fall into shutdowns or low-load periods. In ISA-95 terms this is part of Maintenance operations management.
- Maintenance: Good planning ensures that parts, tools, permits and qualified staff are available before a job starts.
- Engineering: The machine builder supports planning with reliable task durations, intervals and spare parts lists.
- Documentation: Maintenance procedures should state the expected duration, the number of people, the required tools and whether the machine must be stopped. This information lets planners use the manual directly. The German list term "Wartungsplanung" literally refers to servicing, but in practice covers all maintenance tasks; translators should check which scope is meant.
Maintenance planning vs. maintenance strategy
A Maintenance strategy decides the approach, for example preventive or condition-based. Maintenance planning turns that approach into concrete tasks and schedules.