One of the most dreaded words a maintenance manager can hear is "audit." And when the auditor's report comes out, those on the receiving end may feel like they are being cross-examined in a courtroom. However, facility assessments do not have to be a cause for anxiety. There is an alternate assessment tool that can be an opportunity for positive change. This tool is the maintenance effectiveness assessment (MEA).
Audits and MEAs do share some similarities but have some stark differences. Although both employ similar protocols and methodologies, the MEA has a completely different purpose, approach and philosophy. The audit focuses on compliance, while the MEA focuses on improvement.
Fundamentally, the MEA is an investigation to find ways to improve. Just like audits and benchmark studies, the MEA follows a structured methodology. Key practice areas reviewed include strategic planning and policy deployment, maintenance organization, training and development, communication, work management, outage management, preventive maintenance and others.
When conducting an MEA, assessors use a variety of tools, including questionnaires, interviews, benchmarks, plant and equipment observations, productivity studies, surveys, focus group interviews and documentation reviews.
Preparation for the MEA can begin by as much as 6-8 weeks before the scheduled date of the assessment. The more information is gathered up-front, the more time assessors can spend on analysis and the less time on searching for data or documents. More time spent on analysis results in concise conclusions that meet minimal resistance and opposition from the organization being assessed.
The number of days required to perform an MEA may range from three to as many as 20, depending on the size and complexity of the business. The assessors will analyze daily the results of the interviews, review the data compiled and organize their notes. From the analysis of data, interviews, questionnaires, documents and performance metrics, the assessors will begin building a case for improvement.
The report will highlight findings to include major strengths and opportunities for improvement. To be most effective, the assessors should build and present a compelling case to the maintenance leadership team for adopting the recommendations. This could be based on cost savings, greater throughput or even improved asset integrity.
The MEA should be viewed as a "catalyst for change," as opposed to some sort of painful examination that does nothing but frustrate the maintenance leadership team and organization. In order to translate the MEA into a compelling business case and opportunity for positive change, several things must happen:
- Leadership must take time to explain to their maintenance team and even the operations team that their performance represents an opportunity for improvement based on preliminary data the leadership has compiled.
- Leadership must communicate to the maintenance and operations team that, based on their assessment, they are engaging an outside party to assess their maintenance organization and business.
- Leadership must support and encourage cooperation with the maintenance assessors to ensure they get all the data and information required to complete their assessment and build a business case.
- If leadership believes the assessment findings were a fair and accurate representation of their maintenance practices and organization, they must embrace the assessment conclusions and proposed way forward.
- Once the maintenance team has consensus and alignment on the assessment findings and recommendations, leadership should sponsor the assigned improvement team or steering committee to build an improvement plan around the recommendations.
The challenge of maintenance organizations today is not only to improve but to improve at a rate faster than ever imagined. Taking years to develop the behaviors, culture, practices and processes necessary for a high-performing maintenance organization will be intolerable, if not fatal. This is where the MEA, if used properly, can be a powerful tool for improvement and a catalyst for change.
For more information, visit www. marshallinstitute.com or call (800) 637-0120.
