Maintenance Technology April 2017 - 6

UPTIME

Aligning 'Our' Goals
With Business Goals

Bob Williamson
Contributing Editor

ut expenses. Boost performance. Those
are among the goals of many businesses.
Frequently, though-too frequently, in
fact-maintenance managers find themselves between a rock and a hard place: improving
maintenance while reducing costs.
By its very nature, the maintenance function is a
business expense. As an extreme, we could eliminate
the entire maintenance budget as a cost-cutting
measure. Having done that, the business would
suffer under significantly more expensive run-tofailure equipment-management practices, leading
to increased costs of repair and lost revenues from
unpredictable/unplanned equipment and facilities
downtime.
Maintenance can be defined as "actions for
sustaining a desired level of equipment performance."
From a maintenance professional's perspective, the
big picture is more about sustaining desired levels of
business performance.
Let's be clear, we could be discussing the maintenance department as we explore the principles
of aligning maintenance with business goals. But,
when reviewing the scope of maintenance work, we
must think and look well beyond the maintenance
department and consider the maintenance function,
regardless of the organization(s) performing the
work. This is a crucial distinction when it comes to
the alignment of goals.
Typically, the maintenance department is
perceived as the party that's responsible for the
health and well being of equipment and
facilities. Yet, many (if not most)

of the causes of unhealthy and poorly performing
equipment and facilities go well beyond the scope of
the maintenance department. As a result, maintenance basically gets to address the symptoms, not the
true causes, of problems.

Efficiency vs. effectiveness
The noted business-management consultant, author,
and educator Peter Drucker defined efficiency and
effectiveness this way:
■ Efficiency: Doing things right-able to accomplish
something with the least waste of time and effort.
(Focuses on process).
■ Effectiveness: Doing the right things-producing
the intended or expected result. (Focuses on
results, outcomes, throughput).
Just because maintenance is performed efficiently
does not necessarily mean that it is effective.
NASCAR race-team pit crews offer an excellent
example. An efficient pit stop can be performed in
record time. The pit crew's work processes are highly
efficient. But, if they always change four tires while
only two tires are showing signs of performancehandling wear, pit stops are ineffective.
In the business context
Business
of auto racing and
Opportunity
pit stops, it's
Shareholder

Expectations

tto

Work Execution

MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

Strategic
Themes/Policies

Strategic
Business Plan

Equipment
Data Losses

KPIs
Objectives/
Initiatives

m
gn

Business Goals

-D

p
To

This business line of sight reflects
alignments from the upper-most
purposes of an enterprise, down
to plant-floor work execution.

Mission & Vision

Organization
Structures

Engineering

Job Roles &
Responsibilities
Work
Processes

Plans for
Maintaining

Maintenance
Work
Standards

OEM

Operations

Contractors

HR/Training

Parts/
Purchasing

Performance
Management

APRIL 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maintenance Technology April 2017