Maintenance Best Practices: Communication in Maintenance Departments
Paweł Bęś, Logistics and Maintenance Marketing Expert, QRmaint
Posted 2/14/2025
Maintenance practices and strategies are crucial for each production plant regardless of its scope. Along with various strategies comes the role of the communication model. We choose to let people know where and what needs to be done. Simply put, we can no longer rely on paper lists, printed schedules, and phone calls to track our maintenance operations. Thus, the main goal of today’s maintenance department is to implement maintenance practices effectively through better collaboration and a robust communication system.
Organizations can achieve significant improvements by embedding digital collaboration directly into maintenance workflows. Studies show that this approach can reduce maintenance-applicable spending (excluding parts, equipment rental, and contractor costs) by 10% to 15%. Furthermore, it yields 20% to 30% productivity boosts in collaboration-heavy processes like root cause investigation, supplier management, and maintenance. This demonstrates the powerful impact of integrated digital collaboration on key performance indicators.
From our experience, we know that communication is crucial for maintenance departments. This is why manufacturing companies are using CMMS systems, which deploy maintenance best practices and facilitate a first-in-class communication system. This article discusses the importance of communication in maintenance departments and how companies can improve their workflows with seamless data exchange and real-time updates. See more below.
What are Maintenance Practices?
There is no doubt that maintenance practices are the actions taken to keep equipment, machinery, and infrastructure in good working order. They are simple; they just connect to work order management, which should be well-fitted to all operations. These practices aim to prevent failures and prolong the lifespan of the equipment. Moreover, they need to ensure optimal performance to prevent fast wear. Among many practices, we see many tasks, from simple, routine tasks like cleaning and lubrication to more complex procedures such as overhauls and replacements.
In each case, whatever maintenance practice or long-term strategy will be chosen by the maintenance team, there is always a requirement for a good communication system. No task or work order can be accomplished without further communicating this to the personnel. No financial forecasting can be made if we don’t know how much time and spare parts we need. This all boils down to data and information exchange. Therefore, a good communication system for the maintenance department should be included to ensure that any maintenance practice of our choice is done correctly.Â
Here’s a small breakdown of common types of maintenance practices that require a good communication model:
Preventive Maintenance
PM is about scheduled tasks to prevent failures. Examples include inspections, cleaning, lubrication, and part replacements. In this context, communication is key for scheduling and coordinating downtime. At the same time, it is about ensuring all relevant personnel are aware of planned maintenance activities.
In this case, it includes notifying operators, production managers, and other stakeholders about upcoming preventative maintenance to minimize disruptions. We may see that without clear communication, we cannot ensure technicians have the necessary information and resources before starting the work.
Corrective Maintenance
In that context, a corrective maintenance job involves repairs or replacements after a failure has occurred. Here, effective communication is highly recommended. Corrective maintenance requires that breakdowns be reported quickly and accurately, including details about the nature of the failure. Technicians must be scheduled quickly and provided with the necessary information to diagnose and fix the problem.
We also need real-time updates on the repair progress and estimated return-to-service time. Relevant stakeholders should be informed to manage expectations and minimize downtime. Finally, communication about the root cause of the failure can help prevent future occurrences.
Predictive Maintenance
We all know that predictive maintenance uses data and monitoring to predict potential failures and schedule maintenance proactively. So, right-settled communication plays a vital role in predictive maintenance. Data from sensors, monitoring systems, and all IoT devices must be communicated effectively to analysts and maintenance teams.
When potential failures are predicted, this information must be communicated quickly to schedule maintenance before a breakdown occurs. This allows for proactive planning and resource allocation. The right communication also ensures that the maintenance team understands the predicted failure mode and has the necessary tools and expertise.
Condition-Based Maintenance
Maintenance triggered by the actual condition of the equipment is often monitored through sensors and inspections. Similar to predictive maintenance, condition-based maintenance relies heavily on communication.Â
The condition of the equipment, whether determined by sensors or inspections, must be clearly communicated to the maintenance team. This triggers the necessary maintenance activities (whatever needs to be done). Clear communication ensures that the proper maintenance is performed at the right time based on the actual needs of the equipment.
Reactive Maintenance
Reactive means just “Run-to-failure.” This is the approach where maintenance is only performed after a breakdown. Even in reactive maintenance, communication is essential. While the approach is to wait for a failure, the breakdown still needs to be reported and communicated efficiently.Â
The situation’s urgency requires prompt communication to dispatch technicians and initiate repairs as quickly as possible. Communication about the nature of the failure and potential safety hazards is crucial for personnel safety. It is also about the entire lifecycle of machinery and the repair process.
How can we Improve Maintenance Communication?
We won’t go too far if we say that effective communication is the lifeblood of efficient maintenance operations. In 2025, we need a robust communication system that ensures everyone, from technicians on the shop floor to finance departments tracking costs, is on the same page.
A modern CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) can be a central hub for facilitating this crucial communication. This hub is for data acquisition, collection, and retrieval. Just imagine that a modern CMMS system integrates live chat for instant problem-solving. All staff can communicate issues via chat, sending images and text messages directly linked to a reported problem. They can manage their tasks within a function that streamlines work order management. CMMS system provides automated scheduling of maintenance tasks that are visible to all stakeholders. Technicians can get alerts on their mobiles about urgent issues. The CMMS also has built-in supplier management tools. This kind of integrated system can significantly improve communication across the board.
How can we improve maintenance communication? Let’s consider the key departments and personnel who require a seamless exchange of information and how a CMMS can facilitate this:
Technicians: They need clear work instructions. So, there must be access to equipment history and a simple way to report completed tasks and any issues, such as machine failures. A CMMS with mobile access allows technicians to receive work orders on their mobile devices. They are updated on the progress in real-time and can even initiate live chats with experts (or managers and team members) for immediate support.Â
Maintenance Managers: Managers need a comprehensive overview of all maintenance activities. So, they need data that includes work order status, resource allocation, and performance metrics. A CMMS dashboard provides this at a glance. The dashboard enables data-driven decision-making and proactive problem-solving with a KPI overview. Automated displaying features save time and ensure accurate tracking of key performance indicators.
Production Managers: Key decision makers from the production plant need to know when maintenance will occur to minimize disruptions to production schedules. A CMMS with automated scheduling and notification features informs production of planned downtime, allowing them to adjust schedules accordingly. Live chat functionality can also be used to quickly resolve any unexpected maintenance issues that arise.
Financial Departments: Finance departments need accurate cost data related to maintenance activities. They need to approve whatever invoice we have. A CMMS tracks all maintenance expenses, including spare parts, labor, and contractor costs, providing detailed reports for budget analysis and cost control. This integration streamlines the financial aspects of maintenance. Providing automated data like that reduces manual data entry and improves accuracy.
Supply Chain (Spare Parts Providers and Vendors): Efficient communication with suppliers is essential for the timely procurement of spare parts. A CMMS with integrated supplier management features allows for automated purchase order generation. There is also a feature for tracking delivery status and direct communication with vendors regarding lead times and availability. This minimizes delays and ensures that necessary parts are on hand when needed.
Summary
Clear and timely communication is crucial in each of these scenarios involving the use of a CMMS system. A CMMS helps the central nervous system. I’m not going too far by saying that it connects all stakeholders and provides a single source of truth for all maintenance-related information. A CMMS empowers maintenance teams to work more efficiently, reduce downtime, and contribute to a more productive and profitable operation.
Don’t you agree that communication is essential in maintenance departments? We have seen how downtime occurs when important tasks are lost or forgotten due to unstructured communication. Let’s consider how to prevent this with a CMMS system in 2025.
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