Optimising maintenance performance: An application of the theory of constraints

Abstract

The maintenance function performs a range of activities to deliver reliable equipment performance and meet business goals. This activity is described by a series of independent, yet integrated, processes that form a maintenance work management system (MWMS). All processing systems are in some way constrained by bottlenecks. The Theory of Constraints (TOC) is a philosophy effective in optimising the performance of processing systems by working on bottlenecks. The concept of lead and lag measures evolved from use of the Balanced Score Card. Lead measures can be levers to achieve lag measures (targets). Lead measures can be used to define bottlenecks and manage the work flow in the WMS and thereby ensure maintenance performance is improved and eventually optimised. Direct application of TOC to managing maintenance WMS performance, using integrated lead and lag measures, derived from data captured within a CMMS, will enable an organisation to realise performance far beyond that possible by traditional approaches.