Maintenance KPI’s

If you have ever heard of the Stockdale Paradox, you probably would have read this quote: 

“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” – James B Stockdale

What does this have to do with Maintenance KPI’s, I hear you ask?

Well, your Maintenance KPI’s could very well be your brutal facts. Maintenance KPI’s is a management tool, that is increasingly used in most businesses to measure the health of their maintenance organisation.

Brutal Fact 1: Maintenance KPI’s are not likely to go away soon

KPI’s is a tool, a dashboard, to show you how you as a maintenance organisation is performing. If your maintenance KPI’s are not showing a positive picture, it could be pointing towards one or more of the following:

1. Your personnel do not understand the basics of your planning process and the interaction with the execution of maintenance activities
2. Your personnel are not following the correct processes (as prescribed by your business)
3. Your personnel do not know or do not understand the reason for the business processes
4. Your business does not have the correct processes defined
5. Your processes do not suit your current business environment
6. Your KPI’s are not measuring the right “stuff”

Maintenance KPI’s is not just an ‘upper management tool’. Every single individual within your maintenance organisationmust clearly understand what their contribution is to the delivery of each relevant KPI. If they do not – your maintenance organisation will not be successful over time. 

Brutal Fact 2: Understanding your KPI’s, is pivotal in your role

Facing these brutal facts is only winning half the battle, understanding and measuring will help you succeed. Understand your KPI’s and exactly how and why it is measured in a certain way. Verify your processes and ensure the processes support the delivery of your KPI’s. If the correct business processes are followed and the KPI’s are good, you know you have a good handle on your maintenance organisation.

If your KPI’s are not a priority, chances are, your maintenance is neither.