Municipal Preventative Maintenance Software

Questions about preventive maintenance software for municipalities

How a preventive maintenance workflow runs

Service intervals differ by asset, so a lift station pump, a snow plow and a fire hall furnace can each follow their own cycle. A preventive maintenance workflow can run like this:

1. Each asset's maintenance requirements come from its record, starting with the manufacturer's recommended schedule and any changes your municipality makes.
2. The schedule goes on the Master Calendar. Schedules you already keep in Outlook or Excel can be imported.
3. When service comes due, the Master Calendar generates the work order and sends it to the assigned crew member's phone or tablet.
4. The crew member does the work and records what the task asks for, such as a mileage reading or tire measurements.
5. A reading outside its limit can start another work order, and a rule at each step decides what runs on its own and what goes to a supervisor for review.
6. The completed work order returns to the asset's record, so the next visit starts from the full history.

Take a police cruiser due for an oil change every 5,000 miles. At the service, the mechanic records a mileage of 127,324, tire pressures of 34, 34, 33 and 21, and tread depths of 6/32, 5/32, 3/32 and 5/32 inch. The low tire and the worn tread can start a second work order to replace the tires, without anyone having to remember to write it.

What a preventative maintenance workflow does

• Assigns maintenance tasks. The workflow draws on each asset's maintenance requirements and uses the Master Calendar and work orders to direct the work to the right crew member on the right day.
• Tracks that the work was done. Each task stays open until the work order is completed, so supervisors can see on their dashboards what is done and what is overdue.
• Recommends the next action. Readings gathered during a task, such as mileage, tire pressure or a pump's run hours, can trigger the next work order, from new tires to a closer look at a pump.

Public works and municipal fleet maintenance software

A public works department services plows, mowers, dump trucks, police cruisers and generators on different clocks, some by date and some by miles or hours. Each piece of equipment can carry its own interval, and the Master Calendar puts the garage's whole week in one view, beside the department's street, park and building work. Mechanics see their queue on a tablet in the shop, and a workflow can flag overdue vehicles to a supervisor before one breaks down on a snow route.

Residents help too. A resident who spots a broken streetlight or a leaking hydrant can report it through the Citizen Action Center with a pin on the map and a photo, and staff can turn the report into a work order on the same calendar.

Preventive maintenance for water and sewer pump stations

The EPA's Guide for Evaluating CMOM Programs at Sanitary Sewer Collection Systems says pump stations should be inspected and maintained on a regular schedule, and that emergency repairs should be a small share of the maintenance budget, around five to ten percent. It lists what an effective preventive maintenance program includes:

• trained personnel;
• scheduling based on knowledge of the system, which the Master Calendar carries for each pump and main;
• detailed instructions for maintaining each piece of equipment, which can start from the manufacturer's requirements and specifications linked on the asset record;
• a system for recordkeeping, which the finished work orders build up on each asset;
• history and records of the system, which sit on the asset and property records.

Utility authorities on Diversified Billing already keep their meters and properties on the same platform. One work order app serves every department, so a field worker's tablet can carry meter reads from billing beside preventive maintenance on pumps and grinder pumps from operations.

Benefits for staff, management, and citizens

Benefits for staff

• Clear task lists with all details on mobile devices
• Less back-and-forth with the office, since each task arrives with its asset's requirements
• Easy reporting with photos and readings from the field

Benefits for management

• Transparent, real-time view of all preventative maintenance work
• A maintenance history on every asset for budgets and replacement planning
• Proof of compliance for safety and regulatory audits

Benefits for citizens

• Safer, more reliable city infrastructure
• Faster response to issues when they arise
• Confidence that their community is being cared for proactively