When conducting preventive and predictive maintenance procedures, it’s normal to take the time to document the work as you go. But when equipment is down, the tendency is to get the equipment running and then document things later in the day.
Following this tendency can make a big difference in revenue. If you shorten downtime by 10 min. half a dozen times a week, that’s an hour of revenue. But following this tendency can also repeatedly extend the downtime for the same problem, thereby lowering revenue.
For example, Bob has problems with a cover because, in addition to having 24 screws, it’s warped and heavy and hard to get back in place. Hours after completing that repair, Bob finally stops to document the repair job. In the meantime, he’s forgotten about the cover. So Joe goes through the same thing on the next repair, repeating the same waste of time.
Always document actionable items that can reduce downtime at the time you encounter the problem. You can document the mundane reporting items later.
