Operations and Maintenance

Operations and Maintenance (O&M) is the broad set of activities

involved in managing and maintaining large facilities. O&M will
typically encompass an array of tasks aimed at ensuring that your
physical assets are operating efficiently, continuously, and safely.
Tasks may include routine cleaning and inspection, minor
repairs, safety and compliance measures, inventory and spare parts
management, and more.

Operations and Maintenance is an inherently proactive maintenance

strategy, and therefore differs from reactive
maintenance and corrective maintenance models. O&M-based
strategies are rooted in ongoing upkeep and preventive maintenance,
and are aimed at reducing unexpected equipment failure or
prolonged downtime. They also help to ensure technicians, operators,
and contractors can carry out their work in as cost effective a
manner as possible.

By contrast, reactive and corrective maintenance activities are

initiated only when equipment experiences an
unplanned shutdown or fails altogether. These approaches
to maintenance operations often result in consequences like excess
costs, reduced energy efficiency, poor quality control, and
shortened life cycles for crucial assets.

Maintenance vs. operations

Maintenance and operations are two distinct but overlapping
dimensions of an organization’s asset management strategy. Each
dimension commands its own set of responsibilities and needs.
However, there is also a great deal of overlap between these areas,
as both maintenance and operations are critical to facility
management and oversight.
Below, we take a closer look at both the differences between
maintenance and operations, and the areas where these two areas
of asset management overlap.

What are the differences between operations and

maintenance?
There are a few basic distinctions between maintenance and
operations, particularly in their scope, objectives, and focus:

• Scope: The scope of maintenance activities includes preserving,

repairing, and ensuring the longevity of physical assets through
tasks like inspections, replacements, and upgrades. The scope
of operations includes day-to-day activities related to these
physical assets including production, service delivery,
and facility management.
• Objectives: Maintenance tasks are meant to
minimize downtime, reduce the risk of failures, mitigate
excess maintenance costs, and extend the useful lifespan of
assets while optimizing their performance, reliability, and
safety. Operations activities are meant to ensure efficient use of
assets in the production of goods, delivery of services, and
pursuit of broader organizational goals.
• Focus: Maintenance is focused on prioritizing tasks, allocating
resources, and coordinating activities to optimize asset
performance. Operations is focused on forecasting demand,
scheduling production or service delivery, and managing
resources to meet organizational objectives.

Where do operations and maintenance

work overlap?
While there are distinctions between maintenance and operations
activities, there are also many areas of facility management where
these two functions overlap. Below, we take a closer look at some of
the areas where maintenance and operations intersect:

• Asset utilization: Operational activities ensure that your assets

are being used efficiently and effectively. Maintenance
plans and schedules ensure that these assets are available and
reliable when they’re needed. Facilities management typically
requires coordination between these two areas to ensure that
assets are both working optimally and being used optimally.
• Risk management: Maintenance activities may be focused on
identifying risks of malfunction or failure, and initiating work
orders to preempt failure. Operations may conduct risk
assessment to ensure policies and procedures are in place for
smooth and safe operation of assets. Maintenance and
operations personnel must coordinate in real time to ensure
continuity between assessment, identification, and mitigation of
risk factors.
• Continuous improvement: Establishing seamless interoperability
between maintenance and operations can promote continuous
improvement. Operations will typically provide leadership in
process optimization and quality improvement initiatives.
Maintenance teams will engage in the hands-on tasks required
to optimize asset performance and increase productivity.

Merging operations and maintenance

In some contexts, maintenance and operations don’t simply overlap
but are, in fact, treated as a single entity. This is often the case in
asset-intensive industries such as manufacturing, energy production,
and transportation. Here, cross-functional teams may work toward
shared objectives, collaborate on decision-making processes, and
align asset management activities.

Organizations that treat these components as a single entity may be

said to use an O&M strategy, along with the preventive maintenance,
asset optimization, and holistic facility management that this strategy
implies.
What is an Operations and Maintenance
(O&M) manual?
An Operations and Maintenance (O&M) manual is a comprehensive
document containing detailed instructions and guidelines for
managing and maintaining a facility, asset, or property. It serves as a
centralized resource for operations and maintenance personnel,
providing essential information on how to operate, maintain,
troubleshoot, and manage a given asset effectively and optimally.

The role of O&M manuals in operations

and maintenance programs
An O&M manual plays several crucial roles in supporting your O&M
program. First and foremost, an effective O&M manual will
standardize business operations and ensure consistency in output
quality by bringing together all the relevant information in one place.

Your O&M manual should set clear standards, delineate processes,

and spell out protocols for achieving operational efficiency and
maximizing productivity, as well as facilitating collaboration across
relevant departments by providing a common reference point for
all stakeholders.

Below, we take a closer look at the key functions performed by your

O&M manual.

• Standardization: Eliminate procedural ambiguity

by standardizing operating and maintenance procedures across
the organization.
• Aggregation: Bring together all the data and information on the
operation of your facilities in one place.
 • Training: O&M manuals can be incorporated into onboarding
programs for new personnel and can be especially valuable as
reference material during hands-on training.
• Troubleshooting: Your O&M manual should
include troubleshooting guides and procedures to help
personnel diagnose and resolve equipment issues quickly.
• Compliance: O&M manuals should ensure compliance with
regulatory requirements and industry best practices.
• Knowledge: Your O&M manual is a valuable document capturing
your organization’s collected knowledge on your assets,
maintenance strategies, and on your facilities as a whole. It will
dramatically simplify the process of bringing new hires and
contractors up to speed.

Types of O&M manuals

An O&M manual might be a single document or a collection of
documents relating to distinct aspects of your facility such as
maintenance, operation, installation, administration, and support.
While electronic database platforms make it easy to compile
everything in a single place, larger facilities will typically create a set
of submanuals addressing different activities, functions, and
divisions.

The following are among the types of O&M manuals that might be
included:

• Product installation and maintenance manuals with instructions

for installing and maintaining products, equipment, or systems,
along with step-by-step procedures, diagrams, and safety
precautions.
• Backup and recovery manuals outlining procedures for restoring
malfunctioning programs, software applications, or hardware
including guidelines for bringing critical systems back online and
implementing data recovery and restoration strategies where
needed.
• User Manuals from OEMs and suppliers offering instructions on
use of products, equipment, or systems including details on
 operation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and safety
precautions.
• Emergency and safety manuals outlining procedures, protocols,
and guidelines for responding to emergencies, accidents, or
safety incidents including evacuation procedures, emergency
contacts, and first aid protocols.
• Work assistance manuals providing guidance for performing
specific tasks or activities including checklists,
documentation templates, and instructional materials.

10 key O&M manual components

An effective O&M manual typically includes detailed information such
as:

1. An introduction and overview defining the scope of your

manual, identifying the intended audience, and providing an
overview of the asset.
2. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for utilizing the asset
correctly, efficiently, and safely.
3. Maintenance procedures for performing preventive maintenance
tasks, scheduling inspections, and inventorying spare parts
lists.
4. Troubleshooting guides for diagnosing and resolving common
operational issues and malfunctions.
5. Safety information for taking precautions to prevent accidents
and injuries, identifying hazards, and performing
emergency maintenance procedures.
6. Training requirements for onboarding and preparing those who
will operate, maintain, and manage the asset.
7. Revision history tracking changes and updates to the manual
over time.
8. Decommissioning and disposal information outlining procedures
for decommissioning and disposing of physical assets when
necessary.
9. Technical specs and reference materials such as appendixes,
tables, charts, maps, floor plans, schematics, diagrams,
engineering drawings, and a glossary of key terms.
 10. OEM and vendor contact information for support and service
inquiries.

What are the goals of an O&M program?

Your O&M program is intended to optimize asset management, ensure
operational efficiency, and support all aspects of facility
maintenance with both documentation and detailed reference
material. Below, we outline some of the top goals and benefits of an
effective O&M program:

• Enhancing safety by implementing safety protocols, scheduling

regular inspections, and providing safety training and resources.
• Improving asset performance by facilitating proactive
maintenance techniques and consequently enhancing
availability, uptime, and longevity of assets.
• Reducing downtime and disruptions by implementing preventive
maintenance schedules, streamlining maintenance routine
procedures, and shortening repair times.
• Identifying cost-saving opportunities through efficient
maintenance practices, refined inventory management, and
reduced repair and replacement expenses.
• Ensuring regulatory compliance by aligning processes,
procedures, inspection schedule, and documentation with
safety, environmental, and regulatory standards.

O&M in action
Now that we know what an O&M manual typically includes and what
it’s meant to do, let’s take a closer look at an O&M program in action.
As noted earlier, an O&M manual would be appropriate in any setting
involving large facilities and critical physical assets. This might
include operations in sectors like transportation, energy production,
water treatment, and chemical processing.
Below, we describe how an Operations and Maintenance (O&M)
strategy might apply in the manufacturing sector:

• Preventive maintenance: An O&M manual may outline

a preventive maintenance schedule for the production
equipment in a manufacturing facility including regular
inspections, lubrication, and calibration. Maintenance teams can
leverage this information to perform routine maintenance,
cleaning, and part replacement activities in order to prevent
equipment failure and optimize performance without requiring
in-depth technical expertise.
• Process optimization: An O&M manual can be used to outline
optimal production processes and equipment usage in order to
reduce inefficiencies, maximize output, and prevent asset
damage as a result of misuse. This makes it possible for
machine operators to utilize assets within certain specified
parameters to ensure maximum functionality.
• Inventory management: Your O&M manual should also include
clear procedures for optimizing spare parts inventory, ensuring
timely repairs and replacements, and performing part
replacement.

CMMS technology and O&M

Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) platforms
can play a crucial role in enhancing and simplifying Operations and
Maintenance (O&M) for organizations across various industries.

Below are just a few ways a CMMS platform can help your business
implement, sustain, and continuously improve your O&M program:

• Streamlining asset management by centralizing information

about equipment, machinery, and facilities.
• Facilitating preventive maintenance by automating the
scheduling, tracking, and execution of routine maintenance
tasks.
• Managing Work Order flow by creating, assigning, and
tracking work orders for maintenance tasks, repairs, and
inspections.
• Refining spare parts inventory management by monitoring
inventory levels, tracking spare parts, and replenishing stock as
needed.
• Providing data analytics and reporting so users can track
important metrics, gauge their performance against Key
Performance Indicators (KPIs), make data-driven decisions, and
engage in predictive maintenance activities