The daily feedback loop

by Arne Oas

So, now you’ve gotten to the point where the first set of work orders have been assigned and passed out to your staff. It’s the responsibility of the worker’s immediate supervisor to ensure that the assigned work is being accomplished. If there is any deviation to the plan, it will be that supervisor who approves the change to the schedule.

The technicians perform the work. What do you do when the techs turn in those work orders?

At the end of each shift, the supervisor needs to collect all the completed work orders. Starting with one clipboard (I prefer that each person has his or her own), remove all of the work orders. If you have planned properly, clip the next day’s scheduled work on the clipboard for distribution the next day. Rapidly review the work orders for the work that was completed that day. If you use electronic work orders or if the workers are doing entry, you still need to perform this review to ensure proper documentation of work exists in the system.

Review the work orders for the following information:
A) The date that the work was accomplished.
B) The initials of the person(s) that worked on the job.
C) The amount of time the person(s) took to work on the job.
D) The failure code stating the reason for the work.
E) The solution code describing what fix was performed.
F) The parts used and the quantity of parts used. (Only the part number and quantity need to be documented for any item used.)
G) Any work orders not completed.

Review the work orders for suggested changes and indicate those that are approved. Approval here will allow data entry to go ahead and make the change. Approval can be as simple as the supervisor initialing the request.

Review the work orders for new work or problems based on notes of defects or conditions. Slash (draw a line) through all notes or problems to indicate to data entry that the notes have been reviewed and the necessary follow-up action started. Slashing the note provides a double-check function through data entry. If they don’t see a slash, they can route the work order back to the appropriate supervisor for action. Proceed to the next person (clipboard) and perform the same steps. Forward all the reviewed work orders to data entry.

After that step, meet with the next shift’s supervisors. Pass on critical jobs that must be completed and brief them about any ongoing work.

 Data entry personnel should receive all the preventive maintenance (PM) and repair work orders from the responsible person. After collecting all the previously assigned work orders, they should divide them into five groups. They should sort the groups as follows:
1) Blank PM work orders — those that are not completed
2) Clean PM work orders — those with only time and labor
updates
3) Dirty PM work orders — those with notes or changes
4) Scheduled repair work orders
5) Emergency repair work orders

 The work orders are sorted into these five groups for ease of entry into the computer system. Each group requires different information and actions. The work should then be entered (completed) in the computer.

Make any authorized changes. Return questionable items to the supervisor. File the work orders and hold them for a minimum of four weeks to allow for possible software problems that may necessitate work re-entry. Where required, file special regulatory work orders in their appropriate locations.

At the end of the day, print, distribute and review the following CMMS reports:

Work accomplishment (reports the time of the previous day’s work): Review this report to check for large variances between the time to accomplish the work and the estimated time. Investigate any large variances.

Completed work list: Distribute this to the maintenance and operations foremen and supervisors in order to inform them of accomplished work.

Work order backlog list: Update this daily and distribute it to all maintenance and operations foremen and supervisors to inform them of the work still outstanding or open.

This is the daily feedback loop that will allow the supervisor to monitor and control the work. E-mail me with any questions or concerns that you may have about this topic.

Arne Oas is the senior consultant for Computerized Facility Integration. He can be reached at or by e-mailing . 

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