See It Before You See It
Hello, and welcome to the world of thinking Out(side) of the box. This series will focus on the different applications within Maximo and the creative process of making them work to meet your needs. First, it would only be right if I introduce myself! My name is Joseph Battle, I am a lifelong student but since we want to get to the meat of this blog, I’ll keep it short and sweet about me. I have 15+ years of combined experience ranging from Operations & Management to Engineering and Supply Chain. I’ve been fortunate to work from an operator to an operations manager and now as a Functional Consultant. Whew, now that that’s out of the way let’s get into it!
I’ve named the title of this blog “See It Before You See It” because the first place we need to start with is a vision. Imagine someone gives you a 10k piece puzzle (one of the hard ones that doesn’t have the square border) and tells you to put it together but they don’t give you the picture. It could be done but it’s a lot harder. As a team, we at Interloc Solutions give you the picture and the outline in building that puzzle.
Paper, it’s hard to get rid of but it can be so beneficial when you do.
It doesn’t matter the size of the company, in my experience there are ALWAYS fires to be put out. When you are always in the fires, it’s hard to get room to breathe. Though the initial lift takes some work, scheduling and understanding your workload can lead to a less stressful and more predictable environment. Graphical Scheduler and the related applications are becoming more advanced and user friendly. These applications can help you to “See it before you see it”.
Benefits of Using Maximo's Graphical Scheduler
Maximo's Graphical Scheduler is a powerful tool that brings a host of benefits to your asset management and maintenance operations. Here's why it's worth considering:
1. Enhanced Visualization: The Graphical Scheduler provides a visual representation of your work orders and tasks. This makes it easier to see the big picture and understand the workload distribution across different periods. It's like having the puzzle box cover showing you what the completed picture should look like.
2. Improved Planning and Forecasting: By visualizing your schedule, you can better plan for future work and allocate resources more effectively. This foresight helps in preventing over-allocations and under-allocations, leading to a more balanced workload.
3. Increased Efficiency: With a graphical interface, scheduling becomes more intuitive. Drag-and-drop functionality allows for quick adjustments, helping you respond to changes and emergencies swiftly. This reduces the time spent on administrative tasks and increases the time available for actual maintenance work.
5. Better Communication: Sharing the visual schedule with your team fosters better understanding and collaboration. Everyone can see what needs to be done and when, which helps in aligning efforts and improving overall team coordination.
Key Features of Maximo's Graphical Scheduler
Maximo's Graphical Scheduler comes packed with features designed to make scheduling a breeze:
1. Interactive Gantt Charts: These charts provide a detailed timeline view of all scheduled work, making it easy to track progress and make necessary adjustments.
2. Resource Loading and Leveling: This feature helps in balancing the workload by showing the availability of resources and suggesting optimal allocations.
3. Calendar Integration: The scheduler integrates with your calendar systems, ensuring that all planned work aligns with actual availability and operational constraints.4. What-If Scenarios: This functionality allows you to create hypothetical scenarios to see the impact of different scheduling decisions before implementing them. It's a safe way to experiment with various approaches without disrupting actual operations.
By leveraging Maximo's Graphical Scheduler, you can transform your scheduling processes, making them more efficient, transparent, and manageable. It's about seeing the full picture and aligning your resources and tasks to achieve a smoother, more predictable workflow. So why not give it a try and see how it can help you "See it before you see it"?
Day in the life of a Maintenance Planner
Rise and shine, our maintenance planner, Alex, starts the day by reviewing the schedule for the complex maintenance operations. Managing multiple assets with varying maintenance schedules can be overwhelming, but with the Graphical Scheduler, Alex sees a clear visual representation of all work orders on interactive Gantt charts.
This allows Alex to quickly identify which tasks are due, which resources are available, and ensure that no task falls through the cracks. It's like having a detailed roadmap that ensures everything stays on track.
By mid-morning, the work orders start pouring in. Alex is dealing with a high volume of work orders from different departments. The Graphical Scheduler aids in prioritizing tasks based on urgency and resource availability. With just a few clicks, Alex can adjust the schedule, assign tasks to the right technicians, and make sure that the workload is distributed evenly. This functionality keeps operations running smoothly, even when the demands are high.
After lunch, Alex faces an unexpected equipment breakdown. In such a dynamic and unpredictable environment, quick adjustments are crucial. The Graphical Scheduler’s drag-and-drop functionality allows Alex to swiftly reschedule tasks, allocate resources to address the urgent breakdown, and communicate the changes to the team. This adaptability helps Alex manage unforeseen issues without disrupting the overall workflow, ensuring that critical operations continue seamlessly.
As the day winds down, Alex shifts focus to long-term project planning. There’s a significant upgrade project scheduled for next quarter, which requires meticulous planning and resource management. Using the What-If Scenarios feature, Alex experiments with different scheduling approaches, assessing the impact of each on the overall project timeline. This safe environment to test scenarios helps Alex develop a robust plan that aligns with operational constraints and ensures resource optimization.
By leveraging Maximo's Graphical Scheduler, Alex's day as a maintenance planner is transformed. From handling complex operations to managing high volumes of work, adapting to dynamic environments, and planning long-term projects, the Graphical Scheduler provides the tools needed to maintain control and visibility over all maintenance activities. It's about seeing the full picture and aligning resources and tasks to achieve a smoother, more predictable workflow.
So, why not step into Alex’s shoes and see how Maximo's Graphical Scheduler can revolutionize your day as a maintenance planner?