February 03, 2025

The Ultimate Guide to School Maintenance Programs

When we discuss various industries that require maintenance for smooth operations, do you think of schools? Any school, college, university, or other educational institution needs regular maintenance.

In this article, we'll discuss the following:

• What are school maintenance and the various types of maintenance?
• The importance of a solid maintenance program.
• Steps to creating a successful program.
• How a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) benefits.

What is School Maintenance? Understanding Types and Definitions

The goal of any maintenance program should be to keep assets at a baseline functionality. A dedicated department usually conducts these activities. However, you might also contract with outside companies for certain jobs.

Your basic types include:

1. General repair. You might term it as corrective repair. An asset breaks or fails and a technician makes the necessary repairs. This includes any asset. Vehicles, computers, lighting, plumbing systems, HVAC, structural, etc.
2. Inspection. Part of preventive maintenance (PM). As part of the overall PM program, you'd schedule routine inspections of various assets. Buildings, vehicles, lighting, etc.
3. Lubrication. Many assets require this PM. Oil changes. Greasing exercise equipment. Mowers. Forklifts.
4. Cleaning. You might add many cleaning activities to your PM program. Otherwise, they might come in the form of submitted work requests. Cleaning parking lots. Carpeting. Siding. Offices and classrooms. Basements. Dorms. Parking lots and walkways. Entries. Windows.
5. Regulatory. Many assets need certain maintenance to stay compliant with regulatory requirements.
6. Installation/removal/move. Technicians may install new assets, remove old assets for disposal, or move equipment to another location.

The Importance of a Comprehensive School Maintenance Program

Unfortunately, many industries and companies still have a reactive mindset. This means that technicians don't conduct maintenance until there is a failure or breakdown. While this may seem like a good idea to save expenses, usually, it doesn't.

With a reactive nature, you risk:

• More emergencies.
• More overtime.
• More emergency purchases.
• More safety hazards.
• More delays and interruptions of normal educational activities.

Discover how streamlined maintenance processes can elevate production. Learn more.

To see the benefits of regular maintenance, look at the opposites of the above.

Extended asset life.

Fewer safety risks.

An organized inventory system.

Fewer emergency purchases.

Fewer interruptions during school hours.

Better learning environment. Think of learning (or working) in a place where you experience a lack of comfort. Too warm/cold. Minimal lighting. Poor quality surroundings. Malfunctioning equipment.

How would all of these affect morale and the potential for educational success?

All of these and more result in overall lower costs. You should look at the maintenance department as an investment.

Steps to Create a Successful Maintenance Program for Schools

1. List your assets. All of them. Don't forget anything. This means buildings, offices, classrooms, computers and other equipment, vehicles, grounds, and property.
2. List your goals. You have goals in your educational curriculum. You need goals in your maintenance department.
3. Hire and train. You want to work for the best team possible. This means hiring a supervisor or manager who exhibits leadership skills. Look for someone adept at:
• Excellent communication. One who can relate and interact with team members, faculty, staff, and students. One who can speak clearly and express him/herself with succinctness.
• Dedication. A go-getter. A hard worker. One who exhibits the desire to achieve the set goals.
• Problem-solving. One who gathers information regarding any obstacles or challenges, and makes informed decisions.
• Mentoring. Supporting and encouraging the team.
• Various other skills, including, maintenance experience.
• For the team members, you want those with similar skills. Those who want to learn and advance skills. Those who understand the importance of feedback and critique.
4. Establish the parameters, standards, and operations of maintenance processes. Read on for how you achieve this through a CMMS. A manager will set schedules, oversee inventory, and create a PM strategy. The manager will decide how to process work requests and how to write up work orders.
5. Secure your inventory. Assets require parts and supplies. Organize your stockrooms and storage areas.
Know what you have and how much you have. Know how much you use for particular jobs. This will benefit you when budgeting for purchases.
6. Understand all safety issues. Make sure the team understands guidelines and has enough PPE on hand. Post regulations and safety measures. Include them in your work orders.
7. Understand the property. This means proper authorizations to offices and buildings. Perhaps the school contains a lab. You might put certain procedures in place to limit access.
8. Develop emergency protocols. While PMs help stave off the unexpected, you must be ready if emergencies arise.
9. Implement and execute. Put the policies from above into action. Check for issues and resolve them. Address each as they arise and anticipate those in the future.
10. Monitor, review, and adjust. Once you have a program running, monitor it for "weaknesses." Do one or two of your technicians need more training or guidance? Acknowledge the strengths of your team. Review all goals and policies. Do any need to be changed or adjusted or deleted? You should look for ways to improve. New techniques, new software, further training.

Ready to revolutionize your maintenance department? Schedule a live demo today.

Why Schools Need a CMMS for Maintenance Management

To help organize your existing maintenance program, invest in CMMS software. This will centralize operations because it acts as a database for all aspects of activities.

1. Asset management. Create your record of assets. Your school might encompass a large area of the city. With a CMMS, you might divide the school into zones. Each zone has certain assets.
2. Assign PMs to assets. Assign certain parts to the assets you know will require the same stock job after job.
3. Organize your stockroom. A quality CMMS will assign a specific location for each item. Use this to save search time. You want to increase technicians' productivity. Getting them to "wrench time" faster through easier access to parts benefits everyone.
4. PMs. Create your record of asset PMs. Note the priorities and cycles.
5. Work order management. This means proper processing of work requests and detailed work orders.
What information will you include on your work orders? Type, priority, location, asset, inventory, labor information, and other data.
6. Reports. Your CMMS should offer information reports for any data you input. Do you want asset maintenance history? How about a record of equipment readings for a date range? Generate the documentation to show regulators and auditors.
7. Labor. The CMMS acts as a database for your employees. Personal information. Holiday time. Timecard processing. Create crews and crafts for specialized jobs.

How to Ensure Long-Term Success with Your School Maintenance Program

Successful educational institutions rely on successful maintenance programs for sustainability and asset life. You need a properly planned program using skilled managers and technicians.

When investing in a CMMS, look to the provider for the following:

• Training opportunities.
• System scalability. You want to purchase only what you need, not be burdened by extra modules you won't use.
• Customization. In time, you might have the need for specialized reports or features. Can the CMMS provider accommodate?
• Updates/upgrades. Your maintenance team seeks to improve, so should your CMMS provider.

Mapcon Technologies has developed the finest CMMS for your school. Call 800-922-4336 to discuss details and ask for a free demonstration. U.S.-based support and plenty of training opportunities.