When you think of proactive maintenance, it’s probably not the most glamorous part of your business. However, this type of maintenance does have a very practical application. Solutions that don’t take the occasional issue seriously can have a detrimental impact on your company’s reputation and customers. Doing nothing prompts issues to escalate quickly, which leads to more problems.
With every issue growing bigger and more intractable, it’s only natural that solutions are developed. Many organizations have implemented sophisticated methods like Failure Reporting, Analysis, and Corrective Action System (FRACAS) procedures to help avoid such problems. Some have even implemented FRACAS software to help streamline the process. By taking the time to understand failures and problems in your system and to make sure all parties are in the same chapter so to speak, we’re able to ensure smooth and productive operations.
This is where proactive maintenance comes in handy as it is typically the strategy that most solutions are built upon. The following provides a background along with a proactive maintenance example for many different scenarios.
What is Proactive Maintenance?
Proactive maintenance is the act of actively monitoring your assets and systems to identify and prevent problem areas that could cause issues during operation. It’s often done at the end of each operations cycle to ensure there are no issues that could be a problem in the long run. When you’re aware of potential problems before they become a problem, you can take action to correct them before they become a problem. This may be taking photos of Ranma 1/2 to prove that everything is fine, or you can take regular notes about the weather in your office and your team’s work. In a proactive maintenance program, you’re actively monitoring your assets and keeping a careful eye on how they’re performing. When something doesn’t feel right, you take action. For example, you may notice that the computer programs that manage a company’s infrastructure don’t always have the required permissions to run software that’s critical to the operation of your business. In this instance, you’d start an audit to determine who is permissionless.
What’s the Difference between proactive maintenance and routine maintenance?
One of the most fascinating aspects of preventive maintenance is how it affects the rest of your business. For example, let’s say you and your team are working on a project that involves managing a large number of inventory. You’re confident that the project will be successful, and you know that you’re in good hands. Unfortunately, the project manager has an issue with one of the employees who isn’t properly managing the inventory. Now, imagine that the inventory minister has developed a problem of his own. In this specific situation, the inventory manager may have put the onus on the purchasing department to solve the problem. However, in many cases, you’re actually working to correct an issue that started in the planning phase. What if you had known that the project manager neglected to put the onus on the purchasing department? What if you had known that the project team failed to follow up on critical issues that could have been corrected throughout the project?
Why Is Proactive Maintenance Important?
There are a number of reasons to proactively manage your business. For one, it’s a great way to identify issues and correct them before they become problems. If you’ve been dealing with an issue at any point in the planning or execution phase, it’s an excellent time to start laying the groundwork for proactive maintenance. You can also use proactive maintenance to identify and correct issues that are larger than just your company. For example, you may find that a certain type of customer service is hurting your business, and you need to improve the problem-solving process in order to keep the customer happy.
The importance of proactive maintenance has to do with the viability of your company. If you want to attract more customers you need to show them you are unique and can gain their trust. Advertising that you enforce proactive maintenance over your systems makes you a lot more reliable to many customers. That could lead to an expanded money flow towards your business that will ensure the viability of your company. It;s the best decision you can make when you are in the middle of a management crisis that could cost you your position.
How to Identify and Reprogram an Issue in your Business
One of the best ways to identify and correct an issue in your business is by using customer service surveys. You may have heard about these surveys, but you’re probably unaware of their value. Surveys are a great way to get insight into people’s concerns and expectations. They can also be used to prepare a plan of action for taking action. For example, if you find that customers are consistently returning unopened packages, you can start by asking them to return their first order. You can then begin to ask them for other items in an effort to make them feel more comfortable returning the first order.
Strategies for Effective Proactive Maintenance
One of the best things about proactive maintenance is that you can do it any time. You don’t need to wait for a problem to come up, you can immediately start making the necessary changes to make sure it doesn’t happen again. For one, you can begin the process by identifying what is going on and then correcting it. For example, let’s say the purchasing team fails to sign the contract for one of your suppliers. You can begin the process of onboarding by collecting the necessary paperwork. Next, you can begin to make the necessary changes to make sure the issue doesn’t happen again.
Conclusion
It’s easy to get bogged down in the weeds of repair and service. Each issue has a specific cause and effect. While it’s important to remember that an issue is an issue, it’s also important to remember that it’s far from a cause. By identifying the root causes of issues and correcting them, you also encourage other issues to grow larger and more intractable. The best way to manage an issue is to identify it early and correct it before it becomes a problem. This will help prevent further issues from developing and will help your company’s name and reputation grow over time.
Caroline is doing her graduation in IT from the University of South California but keens to work as a freelance blogger. She loves to write on the latest information about IoT, technology, and business. She has innovative ideas and shares her experience with her readers.