Operations & Maintenance Planning

To successfully operate and maintain assets as efficiently as possible, develop plans for a full year of operations and a full year of maintenance. Each year, these plans should be reviewed and updated. Without written plans, it is unlikely the system will be able to optimize operations and maintenance or ensure the assets are fully functional and performing optimally. The plans allow the system to know when, where, and what the cost will be to complete operation and maintenance activities. Some unplanned events will still occur but should be minimized. As the system collects data on operations and maintenance that data can be used to improve the plans over time. 

Operations plans should include: 

• • Standard operating procedures 
  • Alternative operating procedures  
  • Emergency operating procedures  

Each set of procedures should be easily accessible, and their location should be well known. Have multiple copies of emergency procedures spread throughout the utility so that they can be easily accessed during an emergency or crisis. Consider keeping both digital and paper copies of emergency procedures. 

The operations plan is the manual for operating the utility. Operations plans define the who, what, when, why, and how of the daily operations. It should define how resources (personnel, financial, and physical assets) will be allocated to achieve the level of service goals.  

Maintenance plans should include the schedule for routine, planned, predictive, preventive, and warranty maintenance for all the system’s assets. The maintenance plan should also include known information about how to complete corrective maintenance. 

The O&M plans should help determine the activities needed, the preferred schedule, proper procedures, equipment needed to complete the tasks, and associated costs. The plans should also guide the O&M budget process