Preventive Maintenance Setup

What preventive maintenance is

Preventive maintenance (PM) is planned, recurring work done to keep equipment running reliably and to catch small problems before they become failures. It is the opposite of reactive maintenance, where you only act after something breaks.

Done well, PM reduces downtime, extends asset life, protects warranties, and makes spend predictable.

Why PM should be asset-linked

A PM task floating on its own is just a reminder. A PM task linked to an asset inherits everything that asset knows — its location, its manuals, its warranty, its service history. When a technician opens the task, the context comes with it, and when they complete it, the history updates.

Start with critical assets

You will not schedule everything at once, so start where failure hurts most. Use the criticality you captured on each asset to decide what gets a PM schedule first: life-safety systems, equipment that causes outages, and anything expensive to replace.

Use manufacturer and O&M recommendations

The manufacturer's manual and O&M documentation are your best starting point for what to do and how often. Pull intervals and procedures from them rather than guessing. If you uploaded those documents to the Document Hub, link them directly to the PM.

Balance calendar-based and condition-based maintenance

Calendar-based PM runs on a fixed schedule (monthly, quarterly, annually) and is simple and predictable. Condition-based PM is triggered by an observed or measured condition — runtime hours, a reading, an inspection result. Reliability-centered thinking blends the two: use calendar intervals for routine upkeep and condition triggers where you can actually measure wear.

Create PM templates

For tasks you repeat across many assets — filter changes, belt inspections, fire-damper tests — build a template once and apply it everywhere. Templates keep procedures consistent and make standing up a new building far faster.

1. Define the task steps and any required parts or tools.
2. Set the interval (calendar) or trigger (condition).
3. Attach the relevant manual or procedure document.
4. Apply the template to the matching assets.
5. Assign responsibility and a review cadence.

Assign responsibility

Every PM needs an owner. Assign tasks to a person or team so accountability is clear and nothing falls through the cracks. Unassigned recurring work is the most common source of overdue PM.

Link PM tasks to documents and warranties

Connect each PM to its procedure, the asset's warranty, and any compliance requirement. Technicians get what they need in one place, and you have proof the work was done — which matters for warranty claims and inspections.

Review overdue and recurring work

Set a regular rhythm to review what is due, overdue, and recurring. Overdue PM is an early warning sign — it usually means a schedule is unrealistic, unassigned, or unimportant. Adjust intervals to match reality rather than letting tasks pile up.

Move from reactive to planned maintenance

The goal is to shift the balance of your work from "something broke" to "we planned for this." Track the ratio over time. As planned work grows, emergencies shrink, costs stabilize, and your team spends more time preventing problems than chasing them.

Practical checklist