Measuring Maintenance Processes

 Measuring Maintenance Processes

 

“It is not possible to manage what you cannot control and you cannot control what you cannot measure!” (Peter Drucker)  Performance measurement is a fundamental principle of management. The measurement of performance is important because it identifies current performance gaps between current and desired performance and provides indication of progress towards closing the gaps. Carefully selected key performance indicators (KPIs) identify precisely where to take action to improve performance. 

Key performance indicators for maintenance are selected ensuring a direct correlation between the maintenance activity and the key performance indicator measuring it. When defining a key performance indicator for maintenance a good test of the metric validity is to seek an affirmative response to the question; “If the maintenance function does ‘everything right’, will the suggested metric always reflect a result proportional to the change; or are there other factors, external to maintenance, that could mask the improvement."

Function of Maintenance

The primary function of maintenance is to reduce or eliminate the consequences of physical asset failures. The definition of functional failure is anytime that asset performance falls below its required performance. Therefore a key performance indicator for maintenance effectiveness is some measurement of failure on the asset(s). If the maintenance function is effective, failures on critical assets and thus their consequences should be reduced or eliminated.

Failure consequence impacts manufacturing level key performance indicators. Failure classification by consequence identifies the contribution of maintenance function to manufacturing level performance.   In order to manage maintenance effectively is to understand which metrics "lead to results", they are called Leading Indicators (KPIs) and"the results" are "Lagging KPIs. See the illustration below.

In conclusion: 

Please share your experience with Managing Maintenance with the right Leading and Lagging KPIs

The Author: Ricky Smith CMRP, CMRT, CRL

 

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