Explaining the Standard Process

The standard process is the classical approach to perform corrective maintenance, meaning tasks which do not occur on a regular basis, but are triggered by a breakdown or an unexpected problem. The process is open and flexible regarding the sequence of steps and the combination of objects.

Watch the following video to learn more about the Standard Process.

Maintenance tasks can be performed by internal work centers or by external service companies.

Therefore, maintenance orders can contain internal or external operations - where each operation represents an individual step within an inspection, repair or preventive maintenance task.

If an external company is required, the planner creates an external operation which initiates the procurement of the required services. You have the following options for service planning within a maintenance order:

• Plan an external operation and create a purchase requisition
• Plan an external operation with service specification and create a purchase requisition
• Plan an external operation with a lean service and create a purchase requisition

You can plan the materials required to execute a task for each operation in the maintenance order. The materials can be Bills of Materials (BOMs) components for the reference object, or freely assigned materials.

Material planning is integrated with Material Requirements Planning (MRP) and Purchasing.

Via SAP S/4HANA Add-On for resource scheduling: SAP S/4HANA Asset Management for Resource Scheduling (RSH) you can simulate and create schedules for an efficient processing of your orders.

You can choose the schedule that best fits your needs and freeze it. In the execution phase, you can then track the individual orders and their operations and monitor schedule attainment.

The figure shows the different steps in the process of Resource Scheduling:

• Maintenance plans / Orders create workload for work centers.
• Work Center Utilization can be checked and visualized.
• Orders can be added to schedules for an improved planning.
• Schedules can be shared, reviewed and frozen.
• Schedule Attainment can be tracked.

Before releasing the order you can check the availability of:

• Internal work centers
• External service companies
• Internal and external material
• Safety requirements

When you release a maintenance order, the system checks the availability of materials, production resources, and tools. At the time of release (at the latest), material reservations become relevant for materials planning - materials can be withdrawn, and purchase requisitions can be generated.

Order execution is either based on the traditional paper-based process or on the use of mobile devices. The technician gets the required material from the warehouse (planned or unplanned), and executes the maintenance task.

Materials can also be procured externally. Material procurement is initiated from within an order operation.

Time Confirmation

Before a maintenance task can be technically completed, the working times are entered in the time confirmation, and the activities, damages, and causes of damage are entered in the technical confirmation.

• Technician does not use SAP: planner performs all confirmation and completion steps.

• Technician uses SAP: app Perform Maintenance Jobs or mobile app.

Technical Confirmation

Technical findings are entered either in the malfunction report on which the order is based, or in an activity report, which is entered after the creation of the order. Technical findings can contain information such as Damage, Cause of Damage, Activities, Machine Downtimes.

You have the following options for the technical completion of a maintenance order:

• Complete the maintenance order and notification separately
• Complete the maintenance order together with the assigned notifications

After you complete the maintenance order, its status is updated to TECO (technically completed). In other words, the maintenance work required for this order is finished. Order Settlement and Business Completion are performed by the controller.

Watch the demo video to learn more about the standard process.