A Comprehensive Review of Maintenance Strategies: From Reactive to Proactive Approaches

Abstract

Maintenance strategies have evolved considerably, transitioning from reactive approaches to proactive methodologies. In this paper we investigate papers and compare different approaches and clarify what maintenance strategy more noticed and why. We are seeking to answer this question. A systematic review of 38 peer-reviewed paper will be conducted to identify which strategies are most commonly used. This study systematically reviews two primary branches of maintenance—reactive (corrective) and proactive (preventive and predictive) strategies—through a comprehensive analysis of academic literature. A structured collection of peer-reviewed papers was compiled from Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore, using targeted keywords such as "maintenance strategy," "maintenance management," "reliability," and specific approaches ("Preventive Maintenance," "Condition-Based Maintenance," "Predictive Maintenance"). Our findings reveal that reactive maintenance, while simple and low-cost, often results in unplanned downtime and higher long-term expenses. In contrast, proactive methods (e.g., scheduled maintenance, condition-based monitoring) significantly improve operational efficiency, reduce failures, and optimize lifecycle costs. The evidence suggests that proactive strategies are the superior choice for industries where reliability and cost-effectiveness are critical.