Planned Maintenance Introduction
This guide covers the xAssets Planned Maintenance module, which lets you schedule, track, and manage recurring maintenance for any type of asset. Use this module when you need to ensure assets are serviced on a regular basis -- whether by time interval, usage interval, or both.
Who This Guide Is For
This guide is for facilities managers, maintenance coordinators, fleet managers, and administrators who need to:
- Schedule recurring services for assets (e.g. annual inspections, quarterly filter changes, mileage-based servicing)
- Generate and track work orders for maintenance tasks
- Assign work to technicians or work centres
- Monitor maintenance costs and compliance
What Planned Maintenance Does
The Planned Maintenance module lets you schedule and track recurring services for any asset in xAssets -- PCs, servers, printers, vehicles, furniture, HVAC systems, fire extinguishers, or anything else in the database. Assets can be entered manually, imported from network discovery or Active Directory, or brought in from other line-of-business systems.
Core Concepts
The module is built around three key concepts that work together:
| Concept | What It Is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Service Process | A reusable template describing what a service involves -- procedures, priority, default assignments | "Annual PAT Test", "Car Minor Service", "HVAC Filter Replacement" |
| Service Plan | A schedule that links a Service Process to one or more assets and defines how often the service should occur | "Test all portable appliances every 12 months", "Service vehicle every 10,000 miles or 12 months" |
| Work Order | An individual task created from a Service Plan, tracking the actual service to be performed on a specific asset | "PAT test for Laptop #00041681, due 15 March 2026" |
The Core Workflow
- Define a Service Process -- a template describing what the service involves.
- Create Service Plans -- schedules that determine when each asset is serviced, based on time intervals, consumption intervals (such as mileage), or both.
- Generate Work Orders -- the system creates work orders automatically based on service plans. These can be assigned to individuals or work centres, tracked to completion, and closed.
xAssets can also send email notifications to custodians or teams when work orders are created or become due.
Getting Started
If you are setting up planned maintenance for the first time:
- Maintenance Setup -- configure the module and enable maintenance features
- Maintenance Settings -- review system settings
- Service Interval Units -- understand time-based and consumption-based units
- Creating a Service Process -- define your first service template
- Creating a Service Plan -- schedule services for your assets
What You Will Find in This Guide
| Chapter | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| Planned Maintenance | Introduction, concepts, setup, settings, and service interval units |
| Asset Service Data | Per-asset maintenance records, clock readings, and service history |
| Generating Work Orders | The three-step process: service processes, service plans, and work order generation |
| Work Centres | Grouping technicians and teams for work order assignment |
| Work Orders | Tracking, managing, and completing maintenance tasks |
| How-To Guides | Step-by-step instructions for common maintenance tasks |
Common Tasks
These how-to guides walk you through the most frequent maintenance operations:
Practical Examples
- HVAC maintenance: Create a Service Process for "Quarterly HVAC Filter Replacement". Deploy Service Plans to all HVAC units in the building. Work orders are generated every 3 months and assigned to the Facilities work centre.
- Vehicle fleet servicing: Create two Service Processes: "Car Minor Service" and "Car Major Service". Create Service Plans for each vehicle -- minor service every 10,000 miles or 12 months (whichever comes first), major service every 30,000 miles. The system tracks mileage using clock readings and generates work orders when assets approach their service thresholds.
- Fire extinguisher inspections: Create a Service Process for "Annual Fire Extinguisher Inspection". Deploy Service Plans to all fire extinguishers. Work orders are generated annually and assigned to the Safety Officer.
Accessing Planned Maintenance
To access Planned Maintenance, open the Maintenance menu as shown below.
Related Articles
- IT Asset Management Overview -- The IT asset management user guide
- Configuration Guide Overview -- System-wide configuration guide
- Fixed Asset Management -- Financial asset tracking and depreciation