When it comes to asset management strategies and plans, the final step of the journey is putting quality maintenance task instructions and service sheets into the hands of maintainers. It isn’t the final step, but the most important.  After all the time and effort put in to develop and optimise your maintenance strategy, what’s the use if it’s not implemented? 

Task and service sheets should reflect the desired way a precision maintenance job must be carried out. They’re more than just a list of tasks to allow “tick-and-flick” – great service sheets clearly describe each step, set clear and measurable specifications for what is acceptable or unacceptable to look like, and provide instructions on what to do if an inspected or installed component is found to be out-of-spec.  They should also enable measurements to be captured and reported so that trending can take place or allow an audit in case of a failure. 

The benefits of having quality task & service sheets can be seen in: 

• Better time and resource utilisation, 
• Clear definition of spare part utilisation and tools required for the job,  
• Reduced probability of newly introduced points of failure on the equipment as a result of the maintenance job, 
• Reduction on labour-related injuries, 
• Control and monitor procedures for improvement purposes. 

Organisations striving for excellence understand that following procedures and instructions on the job is a fundamental part of building a culture of proactive maintenance.  This means that task and service sheets can’t just be given to maintainers – they must be owned by them. 

Experienced maintainers believe that they’ve mastered numerous skills over the years and that they don’t need to be told how to put together an engine, a suspension kit, a pump, vibrating screen, or other critical pieces of equipment.  And they’re right – they don’t normally need to be told how to do their jobs.  So, for maintainers to truly own tasks and service sheets, they must be involved in their development to ensure the quality standards (the what) are blended with the practical implementation of the task (the how). 

Bluefield can assist in developing written and visual maintenance tasks & service sheets that help the maintenance crews deliver tasks that the operation requires, to achieve their goals safely and efficiently.  Our team of asset management specialists have years of hands-on experience in maintaining a wide variety of fixed and mobile assets across heavy industries, so we understand the fine technical details that are essential to delivering quality maintenance.  We’ve turned this experience into an in-house knowledge base containing maintenance task instructions for numerous assets that we can use as a starting point.   

Beyond our technical expertise, Bluefield is also experienced in working with clients’ maintenance teams to ensure that tasks and service sheets can be practically implemented on their sites.  We understand the importance of not just giving maintainers ownership of their maintenance tasks, but relying on their local knowledge to optimise the time, cost and other resource requirements. 

If you’re looking for a partner to help turn your strategies into practical tasks that help you get more from assets, contact Bluefield today.