PM schedules & templates

Recurring maintenance that runs itself - schedules that generate work orders on a rhythm, and templates that make programs repeatable.

Preventive maintenance is the highest-leverage habit in the CMMS: a schedule defined once generates correctly-formed work orders forever, and nobody has to remember anything.

PM schedules

A PM schedule says: do this work, on these things, at this rhythm. Each schedule carries:

• Association - any mix of assets, locations (facility rounds), systems (a system-level PM like "Refrigeration Monthly Inspection" covers every asset under that system in one recurring work order), or infrastructure features (recurring programs on linear assets - flushing, sweeping, CCTV)
• Frequency - daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, annual, five-yearly, or a custom interval in weeks
• Work details - title, description, category, priority, default assignee
• Form - optionally a form template, so every generated work order carries the inspection checklist

When the schedule fires, a normal work order appears in the queue - same views, same completion flow, same cost posting. Completion history stays linked to the schedule, so "have we actually been doing the quarterly?" is answerable in one click.

Rolling vs. fixed

Every schedule has a scheduling mode - the core decision about how the next due date computes:

• Rolling (the default) - the next due date counts from the last completion. Complete the quarterly two weeks late and the next one lands a full quarter after the day it was actually done. Best for condition-driven work where the interval between services is what matters.
• Fixed - due dates align to an anchor date pattern regardless of when the last one closed. The January inspection is due in January even if December's ran late. Best for calendar obligations - certificates, seasonal work, anything an auditor checks against a calendar.

Two refinements apply to either mode: business days only skips weekends when computing due dates, and lead time (in days) generates the work order ahead of the due date so it can be planned rather than discovered.

Network-scoped PM (infrastructure)

A schedule can target an entire infrastructure network instead of picking features one by one. Each cycle it fans out one work order per matching feature, and filters narrow the match: feature class, material, and a condition range. "CCTV inspect every concrete sewer main below condition 60" is one schedule, not a list you maintain by hand.

The schedules page

Maintenance offers four views - table, cards, calendar, and split (list beside calendar). Multi-select supports bulk activate and pause, and any schedule can be duplicated - the copy starts inactive so you can adjust it before it generates anything.

PM templates

A PM template is a reusable definition - the manufacturer's recommended service for a compressor type, your standard arena ice-plant rounds - not bound to any asset. Seed new schedules from a template and the details come pre-filled; attach a form to the template and every schedule created from it inherits the checklist.

Templates are how multi-site organizations keep programs consistent: define "Monthly Generator Run Test" once, instantiate it at every site.

The guided creator

Maintenance → New offers a guided flow that walks through association, frequency, and work details - the fastest way to stand up your first dozen schedules.

Scheduling advice

1. Start with what has a legal or warranty clock - life-safety inspections, elevator/boiler certificates (compliance tracks the paperwork side), warranty-mandated service.
2. Ride condition along. One condition question on each PM form and your assessment history builds itself.
3. Watch PM compliance on the dashboard - the percentage of PM work orders completed on time is the single best leading indicator of a maintenance program's health.
4. Prune annually. A PM that never finds anything and protects nothing critical is stealing wrench time from one that matters.

Calendar integration

PM-generated work orders appear in the calendar view, and schedules can export to iCal/Google Calendar so shared shop calendars stay current without copy-typing.