The most important points in brief
Do you want to create a maintenance plan that actually works in everyday practice and doesn't just look good on paper? Here's what you'll learn from this guide:
- How to inventory your equipment, define maintenance intervals, and clarify responsibilities. Step by step.
- Why do downtimes decrease when no maintenance appointments slip through the cracks?
- Where classic Excel maintenance plans reach their limits.
- How connectavo, as maintenance management software (CMMS), automatically keeps track of maintenance appointments, links checklists directly to the work order, and makes the documentation evaluable at any time.
What is a maintenance plan?
A maintenance plan is a systematic overview of all maintenance work required on your machines, systems, and equipment. It specifies which maintenance measures are to be carried out at which intervals, who is responsible for them, and which steps need to be completed. The goal is to ensure that maintenance measures are not left to chance or the memory of individual employees, but are documented in a binding manner.
In English-speaking countries, the abbreviation CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) has also become established for the software-supported implementation of this tool.
A complete maintenance plan typically includes:
- the affected system or device (including location and manufacturer)
- the type of maintenance measure (inspection or check, repair, replacement of wear parts)
- the maintenance interval (time- or operating-hour-based)
- the responsible technician or external service provider
- the necessary tools and spare parts
- Test points or a test protocol for documentation
Some companies also use the terms maintenance plan or maintenance calendar interchangeably. Essentially, they all refer to the same maintenance tasks, just with different names.
The maintenance plan is the operational tool you use to implement your maintenance strategy in everyday practice. Whether you rely on preventive, condition-based, or a combination of different strategies, you can find out which approach is suitable for which type of equipment at the following: Maintenance strategiesWe describe in detail how preventive maintenance can be implemented in practice in the following section. preventive maintenance.
Why a structured maintenance plan is important
A well-thought-out maintenance plan brings several tangible benefits to your company:
- Less downtime: Regular maintenance detects wear and tear before it leads to machine failure.
- Increased plant availability: Maintenance appointments are kept instead of forgotten, resulting in fewer unplanned machine downtimes.
- Increased productivity and longer service life: Well-maintained systems run more reliably and last longer.
- Improved process reliability: Clear work instructions ensure that maintenance work is carried out equally well, regardless of the person performing it.
- Traceable documentation: In the case of audits, insurance claims or warranty issues, it is possible to provide complete documentation of when each maintenance measure was carried out.
- Predictable spare parts and resource logistics: Those who know when maintenance is due can plan for spare parts and personnel in good time, instead of improvising at short notice.
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Why traditional maintenance plans fail in practice
In many companies, the maintenance schedule exists as an Excel spreadsheet – maintained by a single employee who has the overview memorized. This works as long as there are only a few machines with a single, uniform maintenance interval to manage. As soon as several systems with different maintenance intervals are added, it becomes complex.
A typical example from practice: A machine has several components with different maintenance intervals, for example, every 1,000, 3,000, and 6,000 operating hours. If the date of the last maintenance is also recorded to automatically calculate the next maintenance date, pure Excel solutions quickly reach their limits: Formulas have to be adapted for each new machine and each new interval, loops and links become unwieldy, and anyone unfamiliar with the necessary formulas gets stuck halfway. Even companies with established ERP systems grapple with the question of how to meaningfully structure a strategic maintenance plan for an entire production line versus individual plans for each machine.
The result is a familiar set of problems: outdated logs because no one has time to maintain them, estimated instead of documented maintenance dates, unclear responsibilities, and knowledge lost when a technician leaves. Ultimately, this leads to reactive rather than preventative maintenance – repairs are made when something breaks down, instead of preventing machine failures through timely servicing.
Creating a maintenance plan – step by step
1. Record equipment and machinery
First, create a complete list of all machines, systems, and equipment requiring maintenance and servicing. For each piece of equipment, record: name, location, manufacturer, and (if available) serial number and year of manufacture. This equipment list will form the basis for all subsequent steps.
2. Define maintenance intervals
For each system, define the maintenance intervals. There are two common approaches:
- Time-based intervals: Maintenance is performed at fixed intervals, for example monthly or annually. Easy to plan, regardless of actual usage.
- Operating hour-based intervals: Maintenance is based on the actual usage of the machine, approximately every 500 or 1,000 operating hours. A more realistic approach to wear and tear requires continuous recording of operating hours.
When determining maintenance intervals, refer to the manufacturer's specifications for the respective system. These are generally the most reliable source for sensible maintenance intervals. This will create a dependable schedule for all future maintenance appointments.
3. Clarify responsibilities
For each piece of equipment, define who is responsible for carrying out the work: an internal technician, a team, or an external service provider for specialized inspections. Also specify which tasks are delegated to whom in day-to-day operations. Clear responsibilities prevent maintenance appointments from being left unattended.
4. Store work instructions and checkpoints
Document the specific steps to be performed for each maintenance task. A well-defined checklist with the relevant inspection points ensures that maintenance is carried out completely and consistently, regardless of who performs it, and that your maintenance processes remain traceable. How to Structure checklists for maintenanceWe will show you this in a separate article.
5. Plan for spare parts and equipment
Record the necessary spare parts and tools for recurring maintenance tasks. This allows you to determine in advance of the maintenance appointment whether wear parts are in stock or need to be reordered.
6. Document and evaluate the maintenance plan
Every maintenance measure performed should be documented – including the date, the result of the inspection, and any abnormalities found. This documentation is not only important for fulfilling legal obligations but also provides the data basis for identifying patterns in machine failures. Which Evaluations in maintenance We will describe in detail in another article what specific conclusions can be drawn from this.
Should I create a maintenance plan in Excel or with software?
| criterion | Maintenance plan in Excel | Digital maintenance planning (e.g. connectavo) |
| Automatic appointment calculation | Only possible with manually maintained formulas, prone to errors with multiple intervals. | Automatically per system and interval |
| Multiple machines/intervals | It quickly becomes confusing. | Infinitely scalable |
| Memories | Not automated | Automatic reminder before due date |
| Access in the field | Hardly usable on mobile devices | Mobile app for on-site technicians |
| Link to work order | Manually | Work order can be created directly from within the maintenance department. |
| Documentation/Evaluation | Manual evaluation required | Centrally documented and analyzable |
For small businesses with just a few machines, an Excel spreadsheet might suffice to get started; however, as maintenance planning grows, its limitations quickly become apparent. With connectavo's maintenance planner, you enter your equipment, intervals, and responsibilities just once – the software then handles scheduling, sends timely reminders, and links each maintenance task to the relevant checklist. This increases productivity because technicians spend less time searching for appointments. You can see how it works in detail on our website. Features overview.
From Excel chaos to a digital maintenance plan
H2: Maintenance plan template – this information belongs in it
Even if you initially want to start without software: A maintenance plan template should contain at least the following columns so that it remains expandable later.
- Plant ID / Name
- Location
- Maintenance type (inspection, preventive maintenance, repair)
- Interval (time or operating hours)
- Date of last maintenance
- Calculated next maintenance date
- Responsible technician / service provider
- Required spare parts / tools
- Status (open, due, completed)
- Test report / Notes
This structure can later be transferred 1:1 into maintenance software – the fields remain the same, only the maintenance and scheduling are then handled by the system instead of a formula.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
A maintenance plan is a systematic overview of all maintenance measures for your machines and equipment – ​​including intervals, responsibilities and work instructions.
The maintenance plan should be continuously updated: Every maintenance task is documented, new systems are added, and intervals are adjusted as needed. With a digital solution, updates occur automatically with each completed work order.
It depends on the system. Time-based intervals are easier to plan, while operating-hour-based intervals are more closely aligned with actual wear and tear. Many companies combine both approaches depending on the type of system.
For individual machines with a single maintenance interval, Excel is often sufficient. However, as soon as multiple systems with different intervals are managed, Excel quickly reaches its limits. Maintenance software provides automatic scheduling and reminders in these situations.
This depends on the size of the company: often the responsibility lies with the maintenance manager or a designated plant manager, while the work itself is carried out by technicians or external service providers.
At least: system name, location, maintenance type, interval, last and next maintenance date, responsible technician, required spare parts, status and test report.
This depends on the number of your machines and systems. Initial setup usually takes a few days to a few weeks, primarily due to time-consuming data collection. With clear planning and a template that you can gradually fill in, the workload can be spread over several weeks without disrupting ongoing operations.
If a planned maintenance task is postponed, the new date should be immediately documented in the maintenance plan. If maintenance work is neglected for an extended period, the risk of unplanned machine breakdowns increases significantly. Therefore, the plan should never be left without an updated alternative date.