You're managing facility maintenance with limited funds. How do you decide which projects take priority?

Gerenciar a manuten??o com fundos limitados exige uma abordagem estratégica para maximizar o impacto e minimizar riscos. - Avalia??o de Riscos - Impacto Operacional - Análise de Custo-Benefício - Estado Atual dos Ativos - Disponibilidade de Recursos - Alinhamento com Objetivos da Empresa Equilibrar a limita??o de fundos com a necessidade de manter a opera??o eficiente e segura, reduzindo ao máximo os riscos de falhas e impactos negativos.

When the maintenance budget is limited, then 2 elements raise as fundamental and always will be a priority. The first item is Safety and there is no discussion about that. The facility must not only be safe for the workers also for the communities that are nearby. The second item, is Regulations (Partially linked with the first). The facility must apply with the existing Regulations (national, local etc) to make sure that is operated in a safe way, environmentally “acceptable” etc.

Prioritize projects that address safety hazards or potential liabilities, as these pose immediate risks to personnel and operations. Focus on projects that prevent or address failures in critical systems that could disrupt operations or cause significant damage.

I would start by identifying and ranking project priorities based on their value to the organization. Key considerations: Value to the Organization: Assess which projects align with the organization’s strategic goals, deliver the highest return on investment. Determine the potential impact of each project. Essential vs. Non-Essential Projects: Identify projects that are critical to the organization’s operation and those that can be deprioritized without compromising functionality. Conduct surveys and gather input from key stakeholders to understand the perceived impact and contribution of each project. Key questions: What is the potential impact of this project? How does this project contribute to the org? What are the potential risks?

Evaluate the cost impact of deferring maintenance versus completing the project now. Prioritize projects where delaying could lead to more expensive repairs or downtime in the future. Give preference to projects that offer a clear ROI, such as those that reduce operational costs or improve efficiency.

Go through the whole plant and look for defects in the wiring. IE loose wiring. Check all the piping for leaks and loose tubing fittings. Inspect all control valves to make sure the valve positioners are secure. Have your technicians create a list of items that they saw while walking down the plant. The advantage to this approach is that you see whats really broken versus what appears to be broken in your records.

Once the first two fundamental items (Safey and Regulatory requirements) are totally satisfied, then a third item becomes very important. This item is the own operational priorities of the facility. This item is partially captured in the first two items but also collects all the aspects related with the operational excellence that is not reflected in Safety and Regulatory requirements. Here it is required to perform an assessment to identify which elements are fundamental for running the business and are not related with the first 2 items.

Prioritize maintenance projects that directly impact core business operations or essential services, ensuring minimal disruption to key functions. Focus on projects that help minimize downtime, particularly for equipment or systems critical to daily operations.

Regulatory requirements like Safety are one of the top priorities when there is a budget restriction. Regulatory requirements include all the relevant aspects that can affect a facility to operate in a normal basis. These requirements include not only safety, also environmental aspects, design codes, building permits etc, so it is crucial to have a review of all of them in a regular basis. Normally these requirements are dynamic, so they change /are updated every few years. Depending on the seriousness of the non-compliance, the plant may be shutdown until the requirement is solved, may involve the payment of a fine, or an advice with a time limit to solve it. The ideal situation is to always comply.

I will put the regulatory compliance or safety as my very 1st priority compare to others. It is very simple, not comply to local authorities regulations or laws, then wait for operation stop work instruction or summons from authorities.