Planned Maintenance
Planned maintenance encompasses all maintenance activities that are scheduled in advance with allocated resources, parts and timeframes, including preventive, predictive and condition-based strategies.
Planned maintenance is the umbrella term for all maintenance work that is scheduled and prepared in advance, as opposed to reactive repairs after a breakdown. It encompasses preventive maintenance, predictive maintenance, condition-based maintenance, and any other proactive approach where the work is identified, resourced, and timetabled before it is carried out. The goal is to maximise the proportion of work that is planned rather than reactive.
Why it matters
Planned work is consistently cheaper, faster, and safer than reactive work. When maintenance is planned, the right parts are on hand, the right technician is available, and the work window is coordinated with operations to minimise disruption. Increasing the planned maintenance percentage is one of the most reliable ways to reduce total maintenance costs and improve asset availability.
How MapTrack helps
MapTrack centralises all planned maintenance activities in a single calendar, automates scheduling by time or meter readings, and tracks planned-versus-reactive ratios so teams can measure improvement.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between planned and preventive maintenance?
Preventive maintenance is one type of planned maintenance, focused on fixed-interval servicing to prevent failures. Planned maintenance is the broader category that includes preventive, predictive, condition-based, and any other maintenance work that is scheduled in advance. All preventive maintenance is planned, but planned maintenance also includes things like scheduled corrective repairs and planned shutdowns.
What percentage of maintenance should be planned?
Best-practice benchmarks suggest that 80 per cent or more of total maintenance work orders should be planned. World-class organisations achieve 85 to 95 per cent planned work. Tracking this metric monthly reveals whether the maintenance programme is maturing and where reactive breakdowns are still consuming resources.
How do you transition from reactive to planned maintenance?
Start by analysing breakdown history to identify the assets that generate the most unplanned work. Establish preventive maintenance schedules for those assets first, using OEM intervals as a baseline. Introduce pre-start inspections so operators catch early warning signs. Over time, expand the programme to cover more assets and refine intervals based on actual failure data. A CMMS or maintenance platform automates scheduling and tracks progress.
Related terms
Preventive Maintenance
Preventive maintenance (PM) is a proactive maintenance strategy in which assets are serviced at predetermined time or usage intervals to reduce the likelihood of failure. Tasks may include inspections, lubrication, filter changes, calibrations, and component replacements. PM schedules are typically based on manufacturer recommendations, regulatory requirements, or historical failure data.
Maintenance Scheduling
Maintenance scheduling is the process of planning when maintenance tasks will be performed, assigning resources (technicians, parts, equipment), and sequencing work to minimise disruption to operations. Effective scheduling balances preventive maintenance intervals, corrective work priorities, resource availability, and production demands. It transforms a backlog of work orders into an executable plan.
Work Order
A work order is a formal document or digital record that authorises and tracks a specific maintenance task. It typically includes the asset identification, description of work required, priority, assigned technician, parts needed, safety requirements, and completion details. Work orders provide a structured workflow from request through approval, execution, and closeout.
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