Overview
Note
Please mind that the terms Overhead Maintenance (4WM) and Operational and Overhead Maintenance (WM) for this scope item are used synonymously.Overhead maintenance allows you to record activities that are not part of typical maintenance tasks such as training, development, documentation, and so on.
Operational maintenance allows you to record routine maintenance activities such as greasing, which is done by the maintenance or production team.
If you need to record activity that is not reactive, proactive, or improvement in nature, you can use overhead or operational maintenance.
Overhead and operational orders support all the phases of the business process like planning, approval, preparation, scheduling, execution, post execution, and completion.
Business Benefits
- Record and track activities that aren't part of traditional maintenance processes
- Save costs
- Keep an asset productive for longer
Key Process Flow

Overhead Maintenance
- Create an overhead order
- Plan an overhead order
- Submit an overhead order for approval
- Release an overhead order for preparation
- Review maintenance backlog for readiness
- Schedule an overhead order
- Perform time confirmation of pre and main maintenance order operations
- Perform time confirmation of post maintenance order operations
- Technically Complete an overhead order
Operational Maintenance
- Create an operational order
- Plan an operational order
- Submit an operational order for approval
- Release an operational order for preparation
- Review maintenance backlog
- Schedule an operational order
- Perform time confirmation of pre and main order operations
- Perform time confirmation of post maintenance order operations
- Technically Complete an operational order
Applicable Process Steps
The following table lists the SAP Fiori apps and business roles that are used in the Overhead Maintenance (4WM) process steps:
Overhead Maintenance (4WM) process steps
Process Step | Business Role | Transaction/App |
---|---|---|
Create and Plan Maintenance OrderCreate an overhead order. | Maintenance Planner | Create Maintenance Order |
Submit Order for ApprovalAfter you have planned resources for the maintenance order, it can be submitted for approval to the supervisor. This will set the status of the maintenance order to Ready to Prepare subphase. | Maintenance Planner | Create Maintenance Order |
Approve Maintenance Order (Optional)This process step shows you how to approve a maintenance order from My Inbox (F0862) app. | As per agent determined in the workflow. | My Inbox (F0862) |
Review and Release Maintenance OrderWe are in Ready to Prepare subphase. In this process step, you can review a list of approved maintenance orders and release them for Preparation phase. | Maintenance Planner | Find Maintenance Order (F2175) |
Maintenance Backlog OverviewThe maintenance order is in Preparation phase now. Maintenance Backlog Overview screen will allow you to view various cards. You can check Maintenance Backlog Card which shows backlog of maintenance orders based on phase or buckets. | Maintenance Planner | Maintenance Backlog Overview (F5105) |
Convert Purchase Requisitions to Purchase OrdersThis process step shows you how to assign purchase requisitions to a source of supply and to convert assigned source purchase requisitions to purchase orders. | Purchaser | Manage Purchase Requisitions (F1048) |
Goods Receipt for Purchase OrderHere you post the goods receipt for the purchase order. | Warehouse Clerk | Post Goods Receipt for Purchasing Document (F0843) |
Post Goods IssueYou are now in Execution phase of the process. Here you post the goods issue from storage location. | Warehouse Clerk | Post Goods Movement (MIGO) |
Submit Order for SchedulingOnce Preparation is done and backlog is reviewed, the order can be set for Ready to Schedule to start Scheduling phase. | Maintenance Planner | Find Maintenance Order (F2175) |
Schedule Maintenance Order and Submit it for ExecutionIn this step, you can schedule the order operations and set the operations ready for execution. | Maintenance Planner | Find Maintenance Order (F2175) |
Execute Maintenance OrderIn Execution phase, technician will execute Pre and Main operations. | Production Operator - Discrete Manufacturing or Maintenance Technician | Perform Maintenance Jobs (F5104A) |
Main Work CompletedAfter execution of Pre and Main work by the Technician, the Maintenance Supervisor will review the work and change the status from Main Work Completed to Post Execution phase. | Maintenance Supervisor | Find Maintenance Order (F2175) |
Maintain Service Entry SheetIn this activity, you report the performed services in the service entry sheet. | Purchaser | Manage Service Entry Sheets - Lean Services (F2027) |
Execute Post Work OperationsIn this process step, the technician will execute post operations activities (if any) and also update the malfunction details and failure data. | Production Operator - Discrete Manufacturing or Maintenance Technician | Perform Maintenance Jobs (F5104A) |
Review Maintenance CostMaintenance planner can review the cost of maintenance orders. | Maintenance Planner | Maintenance Order Costs (F4603) |
Technically Complete Maintenance OrderThe maintenance order is technically completed after the required maintenance work has been performed. The technical completion reduces all the purchase requisitions, open reservations, and capacities still outstanding for the maintenance order. Nevertheless, the order can continue to receive costs, for example, through invoice receipts for delivered and used materials. However it is blocked for all changes in the processing. The order settlement transfers the costs incurred that were temporarily collected for the maintenance order, to the recipient, for example, to the cost center for the maintained object. This process step shows you how to technically complete a maintenance order. | Maintenance Planner | Find Maintenance Order (F2175) |
Create Supplier Invoice with PO/GR RelationIn this process step you create the invoice with reference to the purchase order. | Accounts Payable Accountant | Create Supplier Invoice - Advanced (MIRO) |
Release Supplier InvoiceIn this process step you release a blocked supplier invoice. | Accounts Payable Accountant | Supplier Invoices List (Version 2) (F1060A) |