Types of Maintenance Tasks

Maintenance tasks indicate which action—or set of actions—a maintenance technician is supposed to perform to complete a work order.

Different maintenance tasks are assigned based on the type of equipment that needs maintained. For instance, an asset that’s not critical to operations might be assigned a discard task while an asset that’s critical to operations might be assigned a restoration task.

However, not every task type is as cut and dry. For instance, an inspection or failure finding task may be assigned in an environment that embraces a proactive maintenance approach. For these tasks, technicians run through a maintenance checklist and need to look for subtleties in the equipment’s operational state. After this, they determine if a follow-up task (i.e. work order) is needed.

These are just a handful of different maintenance tasks that have been formalized across several industries, but other tasks types can be created based on an organization’s unique needs.

Failure finding task

Failure finding tasks, used in reliability-centered maintenance, reveal hidden failures or potential failures. A failure finding task is part of a comprehensive routine maintenance program. It affects the components of a system that are not readily seen during a routine inspection or addressed during preventive maintenance work. They usually have a protective function in the overall system and can make up 40 percent of failure modes.

Inspection

As a key component of a maintenance program, inspections include tasks that check the condition of equipment and determine what tools, materials, and labor are required to service them. Many inspections must be conducted while a production line is running or equipment is operating. Inspections cannot interrupt manufacturing or production processes, and many pieces of machinery cannot be checked adequately without seeing them in action.

Scheduled discard task

A scheduled discard task involves replacing a specific part or component of a piece of equipment at regular time intervals, regardless of its performance quality. Manufacturing companies or other businesses that run production lines will scheduled discard tasks on key pieces of equipment and machines.

Scheduled restoration task

A scheduled restoration task is a complete overhaul of machinery or equipment that is performed on a predetermined schedule regardless of the condition of the equipment. They are designed to bring piece of equipment or machinery back to its original operating condition. Unlike routine maintenance tasks, they are not focused on repair, inspection, or cleaning to simply keep things running and in good working order.