e. Job Preparation

During job preparation, the Planner assembles the planned job package. This package for any given job contains documentation of all planning effort. Given the data contained within the package, coupled with a thorough verbal exchange between Planner and Maintenance Superintendent, followed by similar exchange between Superintendent and assigned mechanic, nothing should be lost between strategic planning and tactical execution of the plan.

• Detailed Work Order

• Job plan detail by task

— Step by step procedures

— Site Set-Down Plan (if a significant tear down)

• Labor deployment plan by craft and skill

— Man-hour estimates

— Consider contract as well as in-house resources

— Consider the use of the GANTT bar chart to help convey task sequencing to assigned crews

— Maximize pre-shutdown fabrication and other preparation

• Bill of Material

• Acquisition Plan

— Authorized Inventory vs. Direct Purchase

* With availability, commitment and staging location

— Make/Buy

• Required Permits, clearances and Tag Outs to the point feasible and safe (final steps must be taken by the responsible mechanic and equipment operator)

• Prints, sketches, Polaroid pictures, special procedures, specifications, sizes, tolerances and other references which the assigned crew is likely to have need of

As appropriate, the assembled package is reviewed with the Maintenance Superintendent and the Requester.

The Planner then holds the Planned Job Package for necessary procurements.

f. Procurement

Within the Procurement Process:

• Purchasing sources all materials requiring direct purchase, obtains necessary competitive bids, obtains delivery dates, and cuts associated purchase orders

— Monitors and expedites materials/parts delivery

• Receiving all maintenance materials whether for direct purchases or stock replenishments

• On basis of the Weekly Master Schedule, the storeroom picks, kits, stages, and secures those scheduled job items available from Stores

— Documents all requisitions via the CMMIS

— Stocks and maintains the Maintenance Storeroom including regular cycle counting to assure continuing accuracy of inventory

The job is released for scheduling only when all required resources (other than manpower) are on-hand.

g. Job Scheduling and Coordination

Scheduling is the process of allocating and coordinating the resources required for specific jobs and determines when jobs get done and which resources can best be applied to their performance.

It involves:

• Production and Maintenance Liaison (for non-emergency or urgent work) – issue current and well-organized relevant backlog reports to production and maintenance supervision in preparation for weekly schedule coordination.

View liaison with a particular "customer" as a permanent relationship. Learn and take interest in their problems. Remain abreast of their workloads, short and long-term plans, and priorities. Help them think far enough in advance to facilitate effective planning. Provide continuity to their maintenance knowledge, records, and information.

• Determination of Resource Availability—to ensure that expectations for backlog relief are realistic.

• Moderate Weekly Planning Meetings—to achieve a consensus between equipment custodians and maintenance/engineering supervisors as to the most effective near-term deployment of available maintenance resources.

• Preventative Maintenance Scheduling—to ensure that all preventive/predictive routines are scheduled at their predetermined frequencies.

• Backlog Management—prepare work programs to keep resources balanced with workload and to define the man-hours of work to be loaded onto each crew's schedule assuring requested completion dates (real or implied by assigned priority) are met: ensuring that even low priority jobs reach the schedule in a reasonable period of time.

• Daily Scheduling—to coordinate new high priority work orders with those already in the weekly plan. Always strive to optimize schedule compliance, despite essential schedule "breakers." Always select a little more than enough work for each many, each day.

• Support of Job Execution—to ensure that the responsible supervisor receives and understands the planning package for each scheduled job.

Follow-up coordination to assure that all agreed-upon supportive actions of others are performed on schedule.

• Job Assignment to Specific Mechanic—is a local procedural matter. The scheduler may perform the function in order to best consider alternative strategies ahead of time or the supervisor may retain this responsibility for local reasons or to enable the scheduler to focus more on "tomorrow" rather than being caught up in "today".

• Schedule Follow-up—to determine the level of schedule compliance and reasons for completion shortfalls. This is a "constructive" responsibility towards future improvement.

This full scope of scheduling effort applies not only to operating weeks, but also to "down" days and to major outages/turnarounds.

During job scheduling, the Planner:

• Maintains computerized backlog file of work orders awaiting scheduling

— Those unplanned, requiring engineering, awaiting materials, awaiting equipment access, etc. are filed accordingly

— Once ready for scheduling they are filed by required start date

• Coordinates with Production through chairmanship of a structure meeting designed to reach accord regarding the most important jobs to be scheduled during the approaching schedule week (Friday through Thursday). Jobs are selected from those in the backlog which are ready to be scheduled (no holds for material, etc.)

— Issue Backlog Status Report to all attendees on day preceding meeting

* Link multiple jobs on the same equipment or in the same proximity

— Be conscious of PPM's due so these can also be reflected in discussions and resultant schedule

* Consider approaching PPM's. Perhaps they should be performed early to take advantage of the scheduled downtime and avoid another shutdown in only a matter of a few weeks

* Be sure the PPM's of all groups are considered

— Negotiate for downtime windows during which selected maintenance can be performed. Obtain specific agreement on timing of necessary equipment access.

* Coordinate with Production Planning

* Make reliable outage duration estimates

* Search for the best time to take the equipment down and perform the necessary work. Consider it from all perspectives but that of the internal customer must ultimately prevail.

• Arrange for necessary safety inspections, fire watches, and standby positions associated with ladder safety, vessel entry, etc.

In selecting jobs for the Weekly Master Schedule, all parties should be aware of those jobs approaching their requested completion dates. Any such jobs which cannot be scheduled to meet those dates can be discussed with the Requester in the context of priorities established by all attendees.

• Based upon input from, and agreements reached during the coordination meeting, the Planner prepares a Weekly Master Schedule.

— Verify availability of parts, materials and special tools required for execution

— In concert with Maintenance Supervisors, allocate available resources to specific jobs

* Balance work scheduled with man-hours available

- Make a conservative provision for urgent schedule breaks

- Schedule 110% of remaining man-hours to identify fill-in jobs to be performed should scheduled jobs be unavoidably delayed

- Prepare weekly/daily schedules in accord with established importance

— Issue final schedule.

* Incorporate all preventive/predictive maintenance inspections at their predetermined frequencies

* Schedule the timely completion of all identified corrective maintenance

* Review the schedule and planned job packages with the Maintenance Superintendent to assure that nothing falls through the cracks due to misinterpretation of intent or meaning

The Weekly Master Schedule should now be a document of which all parties, through contribution, accept ownership. Requested schedule breaks require the sanction of the Production Manager, Production Superintendent or Shift Supervisor on the off-shifts.

h. Daily Schedule Adjustment

During daily schedule adjustment, the Planner:

• Checks preparedness for each day of the Weekly Master Schedule

— Have the planned job packages been reviewed with the Maintenance Superintendent?

— Is each crew aware of their assignments?

— Have you checked with Production supervision? Will the equipment be available when scheduled crew arrives at the job site?

4. Additional Planning Responsibilities

• Planning and scheduling for shutdowns (major and minor)

— Bar charts

— Networks

— Development of model shutdown plans by standard segments

• Development of Planner reference systems including a file of Planned Job Packages for recurring jobs, plus labor and material libraries for each equipment center.

• Keeps the Maintenance Superintendent properly informed of abnormal or critical situations and seeks advice on matters outside the Planner's knowledge or authority.

• Makes recommendations for system improvement.

• Promotes the conservation of energy.

5. Administrative Responsibilities

• Through the Maintenance Administrator, responsible for:

— Custodianship of the CMMIS

— Maintenance timekeeping, payroll input, and cost distribution

— Maintenance of vacation, absenteeism and tardiness records

• Maintains essential records and files from which he prepares and distributes accurate and meaningful management reports.

• Interpretation and provision of historical equipment cost information.

• Participation in budgetary preparation, tracking, and analysis.

• Assists the Maintenance Superintendent and Production Manager in periodic analysis of cost trends with recommendations for continual improvement.

• Performs other maintenance related tasks and special assignments as requested by the Maintenance Superintendent or Production Manager.

Specific Exclusions from the Planner's Job

The Planner should be assigned 100% to the planning function. Many organizations use the planner to fill in for maintenance supervision and others when they are absent for one reason or another. Unless somebody in turn fills in for the Planner, this practice must not be condoned. It conveys lack of commitment to the function and a belief that the function is not essential (and in the next downsizing can be done without).

Other exclusions from Planner responsibilities are:

• Involvement in daily emergency and urgent requests. There is no opportunity to plan such work. If any planning is to be accomplished, the Planner must focus on tomorrow and beyond.

• Daily assignment of individual mechanics to specific jobs. However, the Planner should develop the recommended manpower deployment plan for assignment of individuals to specific jobs—this is a preparatory exercise.

• Maintenance Engineering including development of the PPM system, analysis of Equipment History and re-engineering points of repetitive equipment failure.

• Planning and Scheduling for major shutdowns. It is not practical for the same individual to concurrently plan and schedule normal weekly/daily effort as well as major shutdown efforts.

Distribution of the Planner Day

Planner's Job

Timely and accurate preparation and distribution of meaningful control reports.

The planner should be assigned 100% to the planning function, and not switched around to fill in for someone who has gone on vacation.

The planner must avoid getting involved in unscheduled emergency and urgent work, if he/she is to get any planning done. The first day from a planner’s perspective is " tomorrow."