Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering

A holistic approach to the maintenance “problem”

Jasper L. Coetzee,
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Jasper L. Coetzee, (1999) "A holistic approach to the maintenance “problem”", Journal of Quality in
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JQME
5,3
276
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Journal of Quality in Maintenance
Engineering, Vol. 5 No. 3, 1999,
pp. 276-280. # MCB University
Press, 1355-2511
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
http://www.emerald-library.com
A holistic approach to the
maintenance ``problem''
Jasper L. Coetzee
University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
Keywords Maintenance, Problem solving, Strategic planning, Production management
Abstract Modern production machines require a new approach towards the maintenance
``problem''. Maintenance engineers realise this and are eager to implement new philosophies/
techniques/methodologies that come available. The problem is that most of these are part
solutions and cannot produce the required results when not used in its larger (maintenance)
managerial context. These philosophies/techniques/methodologies should be used as a part of a
larger maintenance ``plan'', which is strategically driven. Success follows by using a top down
process of setting maintenance policy, enriching it with well thought through procedures and
supporting it with a proper maintenance business plan.
Introduction
Maintenance engineering and maintenance management are receiving more
and more attention, and quite rightly so, as the high productivity and high
capital cost of modern production machines, as well as the high maintenance
cost of such units dictate such an intensive approach. But the attention that the
maintenance discipline receives is often of a haphazard nature without any
proper integration between the various techniques employed.
The typical approach towards increasing the efficiency of the maintenance
function is to implement some highly publicised philosophy or maintenance
technique. These include reliability centred maintenance, total productive
maintenance, condition based maintenance, computerised maintenance
management systems, auditing systems and the like. While each of these will
certainly contribute to the success of the maintenance organisation, the
haphazard way in which they are introduced is a certain formula for sub-
optimality (Geraerds, 1990).
The correct way of addressing the need for a very effective maintenance
function in the organisation is by having a more holistic view of the
maintenance function. In this way the various philosophies/methodologies/
techniques employed are properly co-ordinated and phased, leading to success.
The effect of this is that a very successful maintenance improvement process
for the organisation is created.
The maintenance management process
As a basis for the discussion of the holistic (or integrated) approach, consider
the simplified maintenance cycle, presented as Figure 1. The maintenance cycle
(Coetzee, 1997a,b) is a descriptive model that explains the inner processes of the
typical maintenance organisation. It consists of two processes, a strategic
process (the outer cycle) and an operational process (inner cycle).
 Policy
Procedures
A holistic
Objectives
Business Plan approach
Management Planning

Maintenance Maintenance
277
Plan Operations

Short term
operational
management Operational
Information
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Maintenance
Long term History
strategic
management

Management Measurement
Figure 1.
Maintenance Audit,
Performance Measurement The maintenance cycle

The strategic (outer) process describes the overall managerial planning and
measurement process that is used by maintenance management to lead and
control the maintenance organisation. The management planning part of this
process consists of the sub-processes maintenance policy setting, maintenance
procedure definition, objective setting and business planning. The maintenance
policy determines the detailed design of the maintenance cycle for the specific
organisation. It ensures that the energy expended through various actions
results in a properly co-ordinated maintenance effort. The procedures are really
an extension of the policy to ensure that critical tasks are performed in a proven
and standardised way. The implementation of the policy and procedures takes
place through a regular (typically annual) setting of objectives and business
planning process. The objectives are aimed at bridging the gap between the
policy (and procedures) and the actual operating practices, while business
planning ensures that the organisational design, facilities, resources planning
and the budget are in step with the results envisaged through the policy,
procedures and objectives.
Measurement as envisaged by the outer (strategic cycle) consists of a regular
(typically annual) maintenance audit and a maintenance performance
measurement process (typically performed monthly). The audit has as
objective to determine how well the inner (operational) processes succeed in
achieving the results envisaged by management in setting up the maintenance
policy and procedures. The audit does this in two ways; first, by ensuring that
the present results are in line with those expected and second, by ensuring that
the necessary systems are in place that will guarantee long-term success.
 JQME Maintenance performance measurement, on the other hand, has the purpose of
5,3 assisting the strategic management function in identifying trends, using those
for directing the organisation and taking corrective action where necessary.
The operational (inner) process consists of the maintenance plan and the
maintenance operation itself. Maintenance engineers, making use of the failure
history and experience available in the organisation and using a methodology
278 such as reliability centred maintenance (RCM) design the maintenance plan.
This plan is then implemented through the maintenance operations function
doing preventive (predictive and use based) maintenance as prescribed, as well
as corrective work when breakdowns occur. The resulting operational
information (cost, performance, quality and safety information) is used by
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operational management to take short term corrective action where necessary.

The resultant maintenance history and experience is used to improve the
maintenance plan on a regular (annual or bi-annual) basis.
A last comment regarding the maintenance cycle is that the outer and inner
processes are not each limited to a certain level of management, but each of the
different managerial levels typically contributes to both the outer and inner
processes. This is depicted in Figure 2.

Fragmented solutions
Until fairly recently maintenance theory was non-existent. In the meantime
technology was developing at a pace which made present maintenance
practices obsolete. As possible maintenance ``solutions'' thus became available,
they were seized by hungry maintenance practitioners to solve their seemingly
non-solvable situation. These ``solutions'' include reliability centred
maintenance (RCM), total productive maintenance (TPM), condition based
maintenance (CBM), computerised maintenance management systems (CMMS),
auditing systems and the like. Most of these (apart from TPM and auditing
systems) are aimed at the inner cycle of the maintenance cycle and will thus not

Maintenance Chief
Managerial (outer)
cycle

Maintenance middle
management

Operational (inner)
cycle
Figure 2.
Managerial input Supervisors
 produce the results envisaged, because of it not addressing the total complexity A holistic
of the total maintenance function (outer and inner processes). approach
While each of the philosophies/techniques listed above play an important
part in the solution, it must be implemented in a properly co-ordinated way.
The problem with the fragmented ``solutions'' towards improving the
effectiveness of maintenance is not that each of the individual methods is not
valid for what it intends to achieve, but rather that it does not assist the 279
maintenance practitioner in positioning the technique as a part of a total
maintenance strategy. The only exception to this is that of TPM which is a
philosophy addressing the total complexity but which has had limited success
in the western world due to a difference of managerial outlook.
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The holistic approach

The complexity of the maintenance function as depicted by the maintenance
cycle requires an approach, which is strategically driven (from the outer cycle
of the maintenance cycle). And this should also address important areas such
as organisational climate, the suitability of personnel for their post
requirements, training, facilities, systems, etc.
The maintenance organisation is an organism of which the various parts
must function in full harmony towards the achievement of a maximum
contribution towards the goals of the business, and such harmony cannot be
achieved by implementing highly sophisticated (and localised) solutions to
problems experienced in sub-parts of this organism. The only solution is a
holistic approach that touches all the critical parts of the (maintenance)
organisation at the same time.
Figure 3 is a diagrammatic representation of the various main areas depicted
in the maintenance cycle. It shows the dependence of the various areas on one
another. The bottom-most area (the execution of maintenance work) is regarded
by many as the heart of maintenance (and it is that in a sense). But this (bottom-

Policy

Procedures

Maintenance Plan

Maintenance Information/
Operational Systems

Figure 3.
Maintenance Operations Implementation order
 JQME most area) is dependent on each of the areas above it. Thus, the most important
5,3 (and foundational) area is the maintenance policy, which dictates what
procedures should exist and to which the maintenance plan is subordinate, and
so forth.
The solution is thus to take a cross-section (the strategically most important
one) of the maintenance organisation and address all these areas (the ones
280 shown in Figure 3) simultaneously. This leads to success in that part of the
organisation represented by the cross-section, after which other cross-sections
are addressed using the same holistic approach. The objective is to ``upgrade''
small and manageable parts of the maintenance organisation as a whole to
ensure success. And, of course, success breeds success.
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In this process of cross-sectional therapy, the modus operandi is a total

(holistic) intervention that brings the organisational climate and organisational
processes in pace with the objectives of the business. This intervention includes
areas such as policy, procedures, management planning, measurement
(auditing and performance measurement), maintenance plan, training (at all
levels), communication and management control. The approach is thus to apply
a variety of techniques to a small part of the organisation instead of applying
one technique over the total organisation.
The result is an intervention that cuts deep through the organisation,
resulting in marked positive effects to the organisation's bottom line. The
profitability of the organisation is improved through better levels of
availability of equipment and sustained higher production rates.

Closure
The increased use of various methodologies/techniques/philosophies to
improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the maintenance function in the
organisation is a very important step to enable it to cope with the increased
importance of the function. But this will only be successful if combined with a
total (holistic) approach that develops solutions based on a top down
requirements' analysis.
References
Coetzee, J.L. (1997a), ``Towards a general maintenance model'', Proceedings of the 1997 IFRIM
Workshop, Hong Kong.
Coetzee, J.L. (1997b), Maintenance, Textbook, Maintenance Publishers, Pretoria, p. 475.
Geraerds, W.M.J. (1990), ``The EUT-maintenance model'', IFRIM-report 90/01, Eindhoven.
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