Preventive Maintenance Checklist (+ Free Template)
Preventive maintenance (PM) is a maintenance strategy that helps organizations extend the lifespan and performance of critical assets. A company will create a preventive maintenance checklist to make this process more effective and easier to implement.
A preventive maintenance checklist is a simple but effective tool for standardizing maintenance and ensuring consistency. And it helps maintenance teams stay organized in their proactive efforts to avoid unexpected equipment breakdowns.
This article will help readers understand the importance of preventive maintenance checklists, their various types, and how to create a checklist that meets your company’s needs. We’ll also discuss how LLumin’s Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS+) is a central point of reference for maintenance teams which helps them adhere to checklist criteria.
What Is a Preventive Maintenance Checklist?
A preventive maintenance checklist is a structured document that outlines a series of maintenance tasks that should be performed on a regular, periodic, basis. This checklist can be as simple as recording the date, task, and technician who performed equipment or facility maintenance. It can also be more comprehensive with detailed instructions, guidelines, and safety protocols.
The advantages of using a preventive maintenance checklist revolve around its ability to ensure proactive actions are taken and that those actions are acknowledged. This is vital toward maintaining that critical equipment remains in good working condition. We’ll review the various preventive maintenance checklists in more detail below.
Types of Preventive Maintenance Checklists
Preventive maintenance checklists come in different forms, each customized to specific asset needs and maintenance requirements:
- Time-based Checklists: This checklist ensures regular maintenance to prevent deterioration and extend asset life. Maintenance tasks are scheduled for specific intervals, such as monthly, quarterly, or annually.
- Usage-based Checklists: This checklist ensures maintenance tasks align with actual asset usage or utilization levels to reduce breakdowns due to wear and tear. Maintenance tasks are scheduled based on an asset’s operational hours, cycles, or other measure of utilization.
- Pass-or-Fail Checklists: This checklist includes pass-or-fail requirements for tasks that call for binary evaluations. It can be used without the need for precise measurements to determine whether an asset complies with specific requirements, such as safety standards.
- Step-by-Step Checklists: Including detailed instructions for each maintenance task in a checklist benefits all checklist types. Clear and explicit instructions guide technicians in performing tasks consistently and accurately.
How to Create a Preventive Maintenance Checklist
It will take careful planning and evaluation of your maintenance requirements to create an efficient preventive maintenance checklist. To increase the checklist’s clarity and enforce standardization, consider including step-by-step instructions and pass-or-fail criteria when appropriate.
We’ve listed the basic steps for creating a checklist below to get you started
Steps | Description |
---|---|
1. Identify Assets | Make a list of all company assets that need routine maintenance. Sort them into groups based on usage and criticality. |
2. Gather Asset Information | Gather technical specs, maintenance records, and equipment manuals. Understand manufacturer recommendations and previous maintenance issues. |
3. Define Maintenance Tasks | For each asset, decide on specific tasks for maintenance. Include detailed instructions to help technicians complete the task, e.g., assign time or usage intervals, and include safety procedures to ensure compliance. |
4. Prioritize and Schedule | To balance workload, prioritize tasks based on asset importance. Create a schedule that aligns with your operational needs. |
5. Test and Refine | Before implementation, run the checklist through a small test run. Obtain opinions from stakeholders and the maintenance workforce. Adjust the checklist as necessary. |
Checklist Customization Tips
Use our example preventive maintenance checklist to its fullest potential by customizing it better to meet the needs of your specific business and facility. Modifying the checklist will improve its effectiveness and optimize maintenance tasks for your specific needs.
We’ve listed some helpful tips below:
- Include Asset-Specific Details: Add asset-specific information to the checklist, such as unique identification numbers, specifications, and maintenance history. This specificity level will help technicians perform targeted maintenance.
- Set Frequency and Intervals: Determine the appropriate frequency and intervals for each maintenance task based on asset usage and manufacturer recommendations. Some tasks may need to be completed on a daily basis. In contrast, others can be scheduled less frequently.
- Review and Update Regularly: Maintenance requirements may change over time due to equipment upgrades or operational changes. Review and update the checklist regularly to reflect these changes and ensure it remains relevant.
LLumin’s CMMS+ For Preventive Maintenance Excellence
If your organization is considering creating a preventive maintenance checklist to support its larger proactive maintenance strategy, consider how LLumin’s CMMS+ cloud-based, mobile-ready platform can elevate standardization processes to higher levels of effectiveness.
LLumin’s CMMS+ serves as a single repository for maintenance data, helping optimize maintenance operations, automate notifications to maintenance teams, and empower them to operate safely, accurately, and efficiently.
If you are looking for a cutting-edge CMMS+ that supports preventive maintenance, a seamless implementation process, and an expert customer support staff, then LLumin is a perfect fit.
Getting Started With LLumin
LLumin develops innovative CMMS software to manage and track assets for industrial plants, municipalities, utilities, fleets, and facilities. If you’d like to learn more about the total effective equipment performance KPI, we encourage you to schedule a free demo or contact the experts at LLumin to see how our CMMS+ software can help you reach your maintenance goals.
Take a Free TourKaren Rossi is a seasoned operations leader with over 30 years of experience empowering software development teams and managing corporate operations. With a track record of developing and maintaining comprehensive products and services, Karen runs company-wide operations and leads large-scale projects as COO of LLumin.