Nothing is worse than an unexpected machine breakdown. Regardless of whether your car breaks down privately or an important component of a construction machine fails, it costs time, nerves and money.
To reduce the likelihood of such an incident, it makes sense to use a maintenance plan. In this article, I offer such a plan free of charge.
What is a maintenance plan?
A maintenance plan is a document that specifies when and how often certain maintenance work should be carried out on an appliance or system. Maintenance work can include, for example, cleaning, lubricating, repairing or replacing parts.
Why is a maintenance plan important?
A maintenance plan has many advantages. It can help to extend the service life of an appliance or system, increase safety and avoid unexpected breakdowns.
Benefits of a maintenance plan
- Increased service life: Regular maintenance work can help ensure that an appliance or system lasts longer.
- Increased safety: Maintenance work can help to ensure that an appliance or system is safer.
- Prevention of breakdowns: Regular maintenance work can help prevent unexpected breakdowns.
- Reduced costs: Regular maintenance work can help to reduce the cost of repairs and spare parts.
Free Excel template for a maintenance plan
To make it easier for you to get started with maintenance, I have created a free Excel template for a maintenance plan. The template contains fields for the following information:
- Device or system
- Type of maintenance work
- Contact persons
- Frequency of maintenance work
- Date of last maintenance work
- Annual, monthly, weekly and daily overview
Screenshots and explanations of the Excel maintenance template
Overview of the planner
Overview with maintenance work and machine details. All information on the machine and the maintenance work is automatically transferred to the other worksheets.
Daily maintenance planner
In the “daily” worksheet, you will find all the information from the overview (currently represented by a “0”, as nothing has been entered so far).
In the lower section, you can then make all the necessary entries for maintenance for each day of the month. Please adjust the month manually.
Weekly maintenance plan
The weekly planner only differs in that it uses calendar weeks instead of weekdays.
Monthly service plan
The months in which maintenance should be carried out are specified here.
Annual maintenance schedule
Finally, maintenance, which should be carried out once a year. The maintenance work is filled out automatically and will be displayed here (shows “0” because of lacking data).
Download the Excel maintenance template
You can download the template here, fill it in with the necessary data and print it out. It probably makes sense to keep the printouts directly on the machine in a folder.
Support excel-template.net with a donation!
If you like my templates, I’m looking forward to a little donation 🙂
The German “Wartungsplan” can be found here.
Bonus: Maintenance protocol
A maintenance log is usually added to the maintenance plan. After all, the work carried out should also be recorded and evaluated.
Maintenance log: How to document your maintenance work
A maintenance log is a document in which all relevant information about maintenance work on an appliance or system is recorded. It is used to keep track of the maintenance work carried out and, if necessary, to trace what was carried out when and how.
Why is a maintenance log important?
A maintenance log is important for the following reasons:
- Documentation: The maintenance log serves as documentation of the maintenance work carried out. This can be important for warranty claims or when planning future maintenance work to prove that the work has been carried out properly.
- Overview: The maintenance log helps to keep track of the maintenance work carried out. This can be helpful to ensure that all necessary maintenance work is carried out and that the equipment and systems are kept in good condition.
- Traceability: The maintenance log helps to ensure that the maintenance work carried out is traceable. This can be helpful if problems occur with an appliance or system and it is necessary to check the maintenance work carried out.
How should a maintenance log be kept?
A maintenance log should contain the following information:
- Device or system: The device or system on which the maintenance work was carried out.
- Type of maintenance work: The type of maintenance work carried out, e.g. cleaning, lubrication, repair or replacement of parts.
- Date of maintenance work: The date on which the maintenance work was carried out.
- Work carried out: A detailed description of the work carried out.
- Result of the maintenance work: A brief summary of whether the maintenance work was successful.
Screenshot of the maintenance log
Download of the maintenance protocol
Other options to maintain a machine
It is certainly not everyone’s cup of tea to use Excel to log and monitor maintenance. Especially when it comes to reminders, software that automatically reminds you of the important things would be appropriate.
Here you will find two providers who have good solutions:
- My Maintenance Planner has extensive knowledge of the maintenance requirements in all industries
- First audit is a promising digital maintenance planner
