Tips and Tricks for Maintenance – The Jedi Approach
When contemplating the insurmountable task of facility management, it may seem like something only a Jedi can accomplish.
While seeking out a Jedi, as the Oxford Dictionary describes, “a mystical knightly order trained to keep peace and order in the Universe” may be a far reaching approach to maintaining a facility, one can still look to the Force and one liners from the characters who relied on it for advice in sustaining quality and productivity.
“When gone am I, the last of the Jedi will you be. The Force runs strong in your family. Pass on what you have learned.” – Yoda (StarWars.com)
Ultimately, one of the best measures on the preventative and predictive end of maintenance is planning for turnover and those individuals who will eventually step into new roles and open positions.
With a predicted phenomenon of baby boomers retiring and in industries with fast-paced development and growth, it is important to create a system to record and sustain information.
In a world of change, labor shortages and utilization of technicians unfamiliar with a specific facility, how do you capture this information and share it with the next technician?
As Leia says, “Somebody has to save our skins” (StarWars.com).
Who is going to step in and “save our skins,” and more importantly, how are they going to know what to do?
Have a backup plan and approach for recording information in the future and share it with the next technician.
eFacility helps facility managers capture and pass institutional knowledge of their facility.
eFacility documents the facility and provides all of the information necessary to complete a work order (including blueprints, P&IDs, notes from the last fix, videos, and more) from their mobile device.
Managers must embrace change and get in front of the quickly evolving field to remain effective in their positions.
Expert Lisa Richards, suggests that through the use of technological tools to record and share information, one can in many cases save their own skin by quickly accessing information themselves. In other cases, managers can cut down on wasted time due to the loss of crucial institutional knowledge.
“Do. Or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda (StarWars.com)
In maintaining a facility one can not simply make a half-hearted attempt at completing the task and completing work orders willy nilly. Instead managers must take preventative actions to avoid more costly reactive approaches to maintenance.
Get organized. Take action.
Lisa Richardswrites that it is important to create a list of assets and schedules for maintenance and task completion.
According to Michael Cowley of Facilities Net, it is important to understand the culture and innact a preventative maintenance approach that is in line with the priorities of those operating and inhabiting the facility.
Cowley suggests choosing a specific team and time frame for focusing on maintenance measures to ensure that it happens and also to make sure that it does not end up taking out too much time.
Once you know your approach, expert Lisa Richards recommends that managers record it and remain consistent.
“Your focus determines your reality.” – Qui-Gon Jinn (StarWars.com)
After taking measures to understand, shift, or create a culture prepared to fully care for a facility, one can decide upon an approach that will best suit the company.
Varsha Saha compiled a list of suggestions from industry experts; one of the points recommends that it is often beneficial to have a three-pronged approach that relies on reactive, preventative, and predictive measures.
Lisa Richards of Mapcon writes that just as important as deciding upon an approach and implementing it, it is also vital that managers ensure that they keep it simple.
“Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.” – Yoda (inc.com)
There are also unavoidable issues that do arise but also have a plan for how to respond or react can save time and money.
It is important to note that a purely reactive approach to maintenance is often difficult to sustain and to budget for.
According to Ricky Smith of Engineered Systems, another trick to maintenance is implementing technological measures to assist with the tracking and prediction of maintenance needs.
In the list of suggestions compiled by Varsha Saha, one expert suggests that one must complete routine walkthroughs to assess the day to day needs and small fixes.
Another expert in the field, Ricky Smith, also recommends taking measures to ironically “focus on failures.” If managers understand how various components of a facility can potentially fail the individual can then take preventative measures to maintain those components or at least more efficiently investigate and resolve an issue.
Reflect and Reassess
No measure is perfect and just as important to implementing a clear focused, active approach for maintenance, one must routinely reflect, reassess, and provide constructive feedback for the continued maintenance of a facility.
Michael Cowley writes that determining performance measures can be a great asset to the reflection and feedback process for maintenance to ensure that a data-driven approach is utilized.
This is also a place where those who are talented at relationship building often shine as one can collaborate with the individuals making use of the equipment and space to continuously evolve as the facility grows and ages.
Following these tips will help managers keep the symbiotic peace of a facility running smoothly and in the case of unforeseeable failures having a plan for reacting can set individuals’ minds at ease.
When all else fails, may the force be with you.
References
(2015, December 25). 15 Star Wars Quotes to Use in Everyday Life. Retrieved from https://www.starwars.com/news/15-star-wars-quotes-to-use-in-everyday-life
(2017, May 26). 40 Memorable Star Wars Quotes. Retrieved from https://www.starwars.com/news/40-memorable-star-wars-quotes
Converse, D. (2002, April 12). Tips to succeed in facility management. Retrieved from https://www.reminetwork.com/articles/newly-hired/
Cowley, M. (2018, May 23). 5 Tips for Successful Preventive Maintenance – Facilities Management Insights. Retrieved from https://www.facilitiesnet.com/maintenanceoperations/article/5-Tips-for-Successful-Preventive-Maintenance-Facility-Management-Maintenance-Operations-Feature–17773
(n.d.). Jedi: Definition of Jedi by Lexico. Retrieved from https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/jedi
Daum, K. (2015, December 14). 57 Inspirational Quotes From ‘Star Wars’ and George Lucas. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/57-inspirational-and-useful-quotes-from-star-wars-and-george-lucas.html
Richards, Lisa. (2014, March 14). 7 Preventative Maintenance Tips for Your Facility. Retrieved from https://www.mapcon.com/blog/2014/03/7-preventative-maintenance-tips-for-your-facility
Saha, Varsha. (2019, July 2). 50 Facilities Management Tips and Best Practices – Camcode. Retrieved from https://www.camcode.com/asset-tags/facilities-management-tips-and-best-practices/
Smith, Ricky. (2013, November 1). Five Tips For Optimizing A Facility Preventive Maintenance Program. Retrieved from https://www.esmagazine.com/articles/96205-five-tips-for-optimizing-a-facility-preventive-maintenance-programTips and Tricks for Maintenance – The Jedi Approach
