The difference between Planning and Scheduling

Too many people confuse Planning and Scheduling, two related but different processes. In this brief article, we would like to clarify the difference between the two.

In a CMMS, this process is supported first by defining Job Guidelines or Preventive Maintenance Instructions – different names can be used – defining frequency, actions, spare parts, skills etc. and by the Planning process itself, creating planned jobs over a period of time. The plan allows forecasting of resources needed (people, skills, facilities, subcontractors), parts to purchased, etc.

Planned tasks are output of the planning process described above, to which unplanned tasks (typically corrective maintenance) are added. In a manufacturing plant, Maintenance scheduling usually involves Production (which also has its own planning and scheduling process). In other facilities, operational needs are also taken into account. In the CMMS, this is done with a Scheduling tool or equivalent.

In smaller companies, both planning and scheduling processes may be managed by the same person (Planner), which contributes to confusion between the two processes. In larger companies, different people may be involved (for example several Planners working on their plans, and Team Leaders or Coordinator preparing their team schedule).

Due to lack of understanding of this process and due to existing habits without using a system, customers often underutilize or wrongly utilize their CMMS. The CMMS Planning tool is often thought to be both a planning and scheduling tool, which brings questions such as “how can I assign people in the plan?”, “how can I know one year in advance who should do the job?” or “why do I need to run the Planning process every day?”.

For more technical information on Coswin 8i Scheduling tool, see this Tips & Tricks article.

Tags： CMMS、preventive maintenance、Coswin 8i、corrective maintenance