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Types of Maintenance Plans

Nina BENDERAC
Updated

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Mobility Work offers three types of triggers for maintenance plans:

  • Fixed date Maintenance Plans
  • Task completion Maintenance Plans
  • External trigger Maintenance Plans (API)

Understanding the difference between these three concepts will help you choose the appropriate type based on your maintenance needs.

Fixed Date Maintenance Plans

The Fixed Date trigger is a tool that allows you to schedule maintenance tasks regularly and automatically, based on a predefined period. This type of trigger is particularly useful when you need certain operations to happen at specific times, regardless of the status of other tasks or the overall progress of the schedule.

Here are two examples of how this trigger can be used:

  • Example 1: You want to perform a maintenance task every three weeks on Mondays. This option allows you to specify a very precise periodicity, taking into account calendar variations.
  • Example 2: You prefer to trigger tasks on a fixed date each month, such as on the 15th of every month. This can be useful for tasks that need to happen on a specific date, like the monthly cleaning of a system or updating certain parameters. You can set this date independently of other scheduled events.

When to use the Fixed Date Trigger?

Use the Fixed Date trigger when:

  • Maintenance tasks need to be carried out regularly at predefined intervals.
  • The maintenance trigger date is independent of other tasks or events.
  • The trigger period is dictated by regulatory maintenance.

Task completion Maintenance Plans

The Task completion trigger allows you to plan maintenance tasks based on the completion of the previous task and the last activity performed. Each new task is created based on the completion of the previous one, helping to avoid the costs of over- or under-maintenance. Here's how it works:

  • Example 1: Suppose you have a maintenance plan with a three-week frequency. If a task is closed on January 1st, the next task will be automatically scheduled for three weeks after the last activity date. If there is no specific activity, the new task will be scheduled three weeks after the closure date of the previous task.
  • Example 2: If you set up a maintenance plan with a monthly frequency, say every month, and the previous task was closed on May 1st, the next task will be scheduled for June 1st. Moreover, if the task is closed on the last day of the month, the next task will also be scheduled for the last day of the following month.

When to use the Task completion Trigger?

Use the Task completion trigger when:

  • Maintenance tasks need to be performed periodically, but the trigger date depends on the closure of the previous task.
  • You want to avoid overload periods by maintaining a regular gap between maintenance tasks.
  • You need to calibrate measuring instruments. The date for the next maintenance, depending on the calibration validity period, is determined based on the last calibration activity date.

Do not use this type of plan when you want a task to occur every Monday and Wednesday. In this case, use the Fixed Date trigger.

External Trigger Maintenance Plans (API)

External Trigger Maintenance Plans (API) represent a technological solution that can be used to address a wide range of issues related to preventive and corrective maintenance. This type of plan is flexible and can be integrated with various systems, such as industrial automata, ERP systems like SAP, third-party cloud solutions (e.g., Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure), or even traditional tools like Excel sheets containing counter readings and triggering formulas.

  • Example 1: Preventive Maintenance

An industrial automaton equipped with internal diagnostic logic can detect a future fault or performance degradation. Once a problem is anticipated, the automaton can call the API to automatically create a preventive maintenance task by triggering the appropriate maintenance plan. This automated process minimizes downtime and ensures proactive management of equipment.

  • Example 2: Use-based Maintenance

In this case, your ERP or asset management system contains information about the equipment usage counters (operating hours, cycles, etc.). These counters can be configured to trigger rules that, when met, call the API to automatically create a maintenance task based on actual equipment usage.

When to use the API Trigger?

You should use the API-triggered maintenance plan in the following situations:

  • Automation: When you want to automatically trigger maintenance tasks from external systems like automata, ERPs, or IoT sensors without requiring manual input.
  • Integration with third-party systems: If you need to integrate maintenance rules based on data from other tools (e.g., SAP, cloud, etc.), the API allows you to directly connect these systems without manual interfaces.
  • Maintenance driven by external events: When maintenance must be triggered based on internal diagnostics or usage counters (operating hours, cycles, etc.), rather than a fixed date or Task completion.

It is important to choose the appropriate trigger type based on your specific maintenance needs. This will allow you to plan and execute maintenance tasks efficiently.

Why choose the Maintenance Plan API over the Task Creation API?

There is already an individual task creation API that you can use to create maintenance tasks directly in Mobility Work. While useful, this API has certain limitations compared to the Maintenance Plan API, and here’s why it may not always offer the best added value for your needs:

  • Manual data input: With the task creation API, you need to transmit all the data from your system, such as the Mobility Work checklist ID, the list of assignees, tags, etc. This means you must constantly maintain an up-to-date repository of Mobility Work-specific data (e.g., checklist ID or users), which can quickly become burdensome and error-prone.
  • No link between tasks: When creating an individual task via this API, there is no direct link to other tasks or maintenance plans. Each task remains independent, making it difficult to compare and track them globally.
  • Improved tracking with the Maintenance Plan API: The Maintenance Plan API allows you to create an overall plan and track related tasks, just like other types of maintenance plans. You can track and compare tasks more systematically, simplifying long-term maintenance management.
  • Simplicity of integration: With the Maintenance Plan API, you only need to send the maintenance plan ID. That’s it! This greatly simplifies the integration process with your existing systems and reduces data management complexity.

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