Management and Administration of Maintenance Functions
Core concepts
This domain is about running the maintenance organization. Understand organizational models: in-house, outsourced, and hybrid, and the trade-offs in control, cost, and flexibility. Know staffing and workload planning using craft hours, backlog, and productivity factors. Study budgeting: operating vs capital, zero-based vs incremental, and how to build a defensible maintenance budget from asset inventory and PM frequencies. Learn work order workflow: request, prioritize, approve, schedule, dispatch, complete, close, and analyze. Understand backlog management - a backlog beyond roughly four to six weeks of available craft hours signals understaffing or poor planning. Know key metrics: PM compliance (PM completed ÷ PM scheduled), schedule compliance, mean time to repair, and cost per square foot. Study training, safety programs, and succession planning, plus records and documentation for audits. Understand continuous improvement methods such as root cause analysis and 5S.
Traps in questions
Questions often confuse PM compliance (did we do scheduled PM on time) with schedule compliance (did we complete the weekly schedule as planned). Another trap is treating a large backlog as good productivity; it usually signals a planning or staffing gap. Watch for budgeting questions that mix operating (recurring labor, parts) with capital (asset replacement, major projects). Do not confuse delegation with abdication - accountability stays with the manager.
Worked rule of thumb
If 480 PM tasks are scheduled monthly and 432 are completed on time, PM compliance = 432 ÷ 480 = 90%. Set a target (e.g., 90–95%) and investigate causes when it slips: parts shortages, access issues, or understaffing.