What a Maintenance Planner Actually Does (And Why It Isn't "Doing Maintenance")
A maintenance planner doesn't turn wrenches. Here's the actual job — scoping, job plans, kitting, scheduling — and why most teams are missing it.
The PlanRight Blog
Maintenance planning, done right.
Practical, no-fluff writing on the discipline of maintenance planning and scheduling — the economics of reactive work, the tools and metrics that matter, and the reliability practices behind a well-run operation.
The Planning Discipline
4 articlesJob Plans, Kitting, and the Anatomy of a Work Order That's Ready to Execute
A planned work order is a different artifact from a reactive one. The anatomy — job plan, steps, parts kit, estimate — that doubles wrench time.
Planning vs. Scheduling: Why Conflating Them Quietly Wrecks Your Week
Planning is what and how. Scheduling is who and when. Treat them as one job and both fail. How to separate them — and why it doubles throughput.
Backlog Isn't a Dirty Word: Building a Healthy, Groomed Maintenance Backlog
A backlog isn't a failure — it's inventory. The goal isn't zero, it's 4–6 weeks of groomed, ready work. How to build and measure one.
Economics & Build-vs-Buy
4 articlesThe True Cost of Reactive Maintenance (and Why It Hides on Your P&L)
Reactive maintenance costs 2–5× planned work — but most of that premium never shows up as a line item. Here's where it hides and how to size it.
Hiring a Maintenance Planner: The Full Salary Math Nobody Puts in the Job Req
The $90k salary is the smallest part. Fully loaded — benefits, recruiting, ramp, turnover risk — a planner runs $85k–$130k+. The real math.
The Fractional Maintenance Planner: When Part-Time Capacity Beats a Full-Time Hire
Most mid-sized sites don't need 40 hours of planning a week. A fractional planner gives the share you need — most of the value, a fraction of the cost.
Build, Buy, or Outsource: A Decision Framework for Maintenance Planning
Hire and build it in-house, buy software and DIY, or outsource the planning function? A clear-eyed framework — costs, risks, and when each path wins.
CMMS, Data & Measurement
4 articlesYour CMMS Is Not the Problem: Why Software Alone Never Fixed Planning
Teams buy a CMMS expecting it to fix planning. It can't — software is a tool, not a discipline. Why implementations stall and what closes the gap.
The Maintenance KPIs That Actually Matter (and the Vanity Metrics to Drop)
Schedule compliance, wrench time, PM compliance, reactive ratio, backlog weeks. The five KPIs that drive behavior — and the ones to drop.
Cleaning Up Asset Data Before It Sinks Your Planning Program
A planning program is only as good as its asset data. A practical sequence for a clean hierarchy, parts master, and PM library that won't rot.
Switching CMMS vs. Adding Planning On Top of the One You Already Have
Before you rip out your CMMS, ask whether the tool is the problem or the planning is. A framework for the migrate-vs-keep decision.
Reliability & Operations
4 articlesFrom Firefighting to Planned: A Realistic 90-Day Path Out of Reactive Maintenance
You won't fix a reactive culture in a week — but 90 days is realistic. A week-by-week path from firefighting to a running weekly schedule.
Preventive Maintenance Optimization: Doing Fewer PMs, Better
More PMs isn't better maintenance. PM optimization cuts low-value tasks, fixes intervals, and redirects hours to where failures happen.
Reliability-Centered Maintenance Without the Six-Figure Consulting Project
Classic RCM is often unaffordable for mid-market plants. A pragmatic, criticality-first approach that captures most of the value without the megaproject.
Planning Maintenance Across Multiple Sites Without Losing Consistency
Every site does maintenance its own way and you can't compare them. How to standardize planning across sites without crushing local ownership.