• Novice
  • Aware
  • Competent

Work / Resource Management Process

The quality of the processes and practices used to manage the work coming from the operational and maintenance activities.

This may involve contracted services (design services or O&M).

The contractor and the owner/purchaser should have processes to manage or overview the work.

The process includes:

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Resource Allocation

How the organization allocates work to specific skills, individuals or crews, or external resources.

Best appropriate practice includes:

The work identified for recurrent and capital expenditures is broken down into key resource elements including:

  • Labor
  • Plant and equipment
  • Materials and spare parts
  • Contractors.

Resource Prioritization

How priorities are applied to the work and linked to customer response time, business risks etc.

Best appropriate practice includes:

The resources are allocated to individual work tasks and projects according to priority and required time frames.

Job Project Management

How multiple related tasks or larger projects are managed to ensure that the activity is completed cost effectively and on time (Critical Path analysis, PERT charting, Gantt charts, cost control).

Best appropriate practice includes:

The organization understands its entire resource requirements and can plan the efficient use of these resources, consistent with its Asset Management Plan.

Inventory / Stock Control

How the organization links work activities and assets back to inventory systems so that spare parts, materials, etc. can be ordered ahead of time to suit the work plan.

It also assesses the quality of the inventory control system for optimizing spare parts and materials.

Best appropriate practice includes:

Systematic planning techniques and good job estimates are used to ensure efficiency of work practices.

The maintenance management system is linked to the inventory and stock control/purchasing process, so appropriate resources are available for planned and unplanned activities.

Predictive Resource Planning

How the organization predicts and plans its workload and levels out abnormalities to ensure effective workloads for all staff.

Best appropriate practice includes:

In-house or contracted services can be effectively managed and monitored from an efficiency and effectiveness perspective.

Major projects or complicated tasks can be effectively managed with support tools.

 

Case Studies Australia

Work Planning

Roy Kinslow from Queensland Alumina reported at ICOMS-98 that a benchmarking study undertaken within the Alcan organisation showed:

  • Up to 15% reduction in emergency work when 35% of planned work was generated from routine maintenance inspections
  • Up to 15% reduction in emergency associated with removal of the root causes of failure
  • Up to 40% reduction in labour usage when 60% of work was planned and done to schedule.

Planning, however, is not just “thinking about it”. Roy says that work is considered to have been “planned” when:

  • The work order has gone through the planning process, and
  • The work order has detailed work methods and scope (fully defined and agreed)

In addition:

  • All materials must be available before the job starts
  • Equipment must be clean, safe and accessible
  • Special tools, equipment and services must be scheduled
  • Jobs must be identified at least one week in advance (ie on the schedule developed in the preceding week)

To be considered as planned and done to schedule, the planned job must be locked into the schedule in the previous week and start on the day that it was scheduled.

Changing Work Allocation Reduced Costs for the Launceston City Council

Launceston City Council uses some innovative maintenance management practices to achieve greater road sealing work volumes.

Road-sealing is seasonal work so the Council ensures that no road-sealing staff takes leave at peak times and has extended the working day by several hours, thus minimizing wasted setting-up and closing-down time.

Council also undertakes some city works during evening hours to minimize inconvenience to road users and finds that this also achieves more due to lower traffic volumes. It is also safer for staff.


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