Optimizing Asset Strategy: A Practical Guide for Reliability and Maintenance Managers

The pressure to maximize asset performance and minimize downtime is relentless. Companies that excel in this area do so by implementing optimized maintenance strategies for their capital assets, thereby maximizing return on investment and gaining a true competitive advantage. However, creating and sustaining an optimized maintenance strategy is not a one-and-done effort. Instead, it’s a continuous improvement process that must adapt to changing business needs, new inspection technologies, and empirical data from completed work orders. 

For organizations managing thousands of assets in a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), the task can seem overwhelming. But with the right approach, you can transform this challenge into an opportunity for operational excellence. This article provides a step-by-step guide to building, deploying, and continuously improving a best-in-class maintenance strategy that is accessible, adaptable, and delivers measurable value.

Rethinking Maintenance: From Generic to Context-Driven Strategies

The Pitfalls of Traditional Approaches

Historically, maintenance strategies have often been based on incomplete or outdated information such as “gut feel,” expert judgment, or simply following original equipment manufacturer (OEM) manuals. As A.K.S. Jardine observed in 1973[1]"“…many preventative maintenance schemes are put into operation with only a slight, if any, quantitative approach to the scheme.” Unfortunately, this remains true in many organizations today. 

Frequently, task frequencies are chosen without supporting evidence, and strategies are sometimes based on production schedules or plant layout rather than actual equipment reliability needs. This can lead to a lack of ownership among maintenance personnel and stagnant strategies that fail to deliver results.

John Moubray’s maxim is critical: “Generic policies should only be applied to identical assets whose operating context, functions, and desired standards of performance are also identical.[2]” In practice, however, generic strategies are often applied too broadly, ignoring the unique context of each asset. The solution? Start with generic strategies, but always tailor them to the specific operating context of each asset.

Methodology: Building and Deploying Optimized Strategies

1. Define Equipment Classes

The foundation of an effective maintenance strategy is a clear understanding of your asset base. Begin by categorizing your assets into equipment classes—such as pumps, motors, transmitters, switches, breakers, and so on. For greater precision, break these down further by size or type (e.g., small, medium, large motors; hydraulic, diaphragm, or submersible pumps). 

For each class, define the common maintenance tasks. For example, for motors, generic strategies might include lubrication and vibration analysis. Use clear, consistent abbreviations for equipment classes (e.g., “PUGN” for general pumps) to keep your strategy organized and scalable.

Practical Tip:

Involve both maintenance and reliability engineers in this process to ensure that equipment classes reflect both operational realities and reliability requirements.

2. Build Generic Strategies

Once equipment classes are defined, develop a generic maintenance strategy for each class. This should focus on tasks that are common to all assets in that class. For example, all centrifugal pumps might require periodic seal inspections, while all electric motors might need regular insulation resistance testing.

How Generic is Generic?

The goal is to capture the maintenance activities that are universally applicable within each class, while leaving room for customization based on specific asset needs.

3. Map Strategies to Asset Hierarchy

With generic strategies in hand, the next step is to map them to your asset hierarchy. This hierarchy should reflect your plant’s structure—by area, function, or location. In SAP, for example, these are called Functional Locations (FLOC). 

Assign each equipment class’s strategy to the relevant assets in your hierarchy, considering how many assets each class covers. Some classes (like transmitters) may apply to hundreds or thousands of assets, while others (like pumps) may be less numerous.

Practical Example:

If your plant has 1,000 transmitters and 50 pumps, ensure that your asset hierarchy allows you to efficiently assign and manage strategies for both high- and low-volume asset classes.

4. Tailor Strategies to Asset Context

Once generic strategies are deployed, it’s time to tailor them for each asset’s real-world context. This is where the real value is unlocked.

• Modify Failure and Repair Data: Adjust failure modes, repair tasks, and frequencies based on the asset’s operating environment, criticality, and historical performance.
• Track Changes: Use a centralized database to log what was changed, when, and by whom. This is crucial for governance and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate Across Teams: Involve planners, schedulers, and operators early to ensure that strategies are practical and aligned with production needs.

Why This Matters:

Tailoring strategies ensures that maintenance activities are relevant, effective, and aligned with business objectives. It also fosters ownership and accountability among maintenance teams.

5. Package Tasks for Planning and Scheduling

To streamline execution, group maintenance tasks by frequency and trade. This makes planning and scheduling more efficient and reduces downtime.

• Bundle Tasks: For example, combine all monthly inspections for a given area or asset type into a single work order.
• Integrate with CMMS: Ensure your enterprise solution can directly connect with your CMMS, easing data migration and making strategy execution seamless.

Result:

Planners can now see, schedule, and execute maintenance tasks more efficiently, reducing downtime and improving asset reliability.

6. Measure, Monitor, and Continuously Improve

A maintenance strategy is only as good as its results. Use work order feedback to assess and refine your strategies.

• Leverage Work Orders: Analyze completed work orders to determine if tasks are effective and if frequencies are appropriate.
• Increase Visibility: Enterprise solutions make progress visible to all stakeholders, allowing management to monitor development in real time and authorize changes as needed.
• Embrace Continuous Improvement: Treat your strategy as a living document—review and improve it regularly based on data and stakeholder input.

Practical Example:

If a particular failure mode continues to cause unplanned downtime, revisit the associated maintenance tasks and frequencies. Adjust as needed and monitor the results.

The Role of Technology: Enterprise Reliability Software

Modern enterprise reliability software solutions such as Cordant™ Asset Strategy are game-changers for maintenance strategy optimization. They provide a centralized platform for:

• Storing and managing maintenance strategies
• Mapping strategies to assets and hierarchies
• Tracking changes and facilitating collaboration
• Integrating with CMMS for seamless execution
• Providing real-time visibility and analytics for continuous improvement 

Key Benefit:

With Cordant™ Asset Strategy, your team can access, adapt, and improve maintenance strategies quickly and efficiently, no matter how large or complex your asset base.

Creating an effective maintenance strategy starts with a clear vision of the end goal. By building, deploying, and continuously refining strategies that are housed in a central, accessible location you empower your team to drive reliability, efficiency, and competitive advantage across your organization.

Remember, the journey to optimization is ongoing. By following the steps outlined above, you can transform maintenance from a reactive, overwhelming task into a proactive, strategic advantage.