As a maintenance manager, you know how everything is scheduled with the best intentions and then life, or work as it were, gets in the way. There are emergency calls, being shorthanded, or just not enough time in the day.
Along with preventative maintenance, there is another way to help make sure that work orders get done and that is by prioritizing your tasks. A good way to prioritize tasks is to divide them into different categories.
Here is an example of what may work well for you:
Emergencies
These tasks, for obvious reasons, take top priority. These are the tasks that have to be done immediately such as the HVAC going out, water leaks, fires, natural disasters, and anything that either can lead to the damage of the property, the injury to someone on the property, or a major inconvenience to people on the property.
Priority Tasks
Next on the list is those tasks that take high priority. These are the tasks that are not emergencies but still affect how your operations are completed. This might include something that is not imperative to do immediately but needs to be done as soon as possible such as a roof that is leaking or major equipment that is not working properly.
Mid-Range Priority Tasks
These tasks are comprised of things that need to be done but do not take top priority. This includes preventative maintenance tasks, scheduling work with vendors, or taking care of minor things like a squeaky belt or replacing AC filters or oil filters.
Read More: Working With a Skeleton Crew
Low Priority Tasks
These are things that should be completed, but can wait for the other categories to be completed first. This includes cosmetic renovations, furniture installation, repairs that are not crucial to operations, and so on.
This is simply a set of guidelines, but no matter how you adjust it to make it your own, having priorities when it comes to your maintenance department is something that helps you run things easier and with less stress. Using a CMMS software for organizing your priorities will also save you a bunch of time.
.svg){kind=small}