Lesson 2 of 5
Time-based maintenance plans
10 min
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A maintenance plan tells SAP what to do, on which object, and how often. SAP's training defines it as the object that automatically generates call objects: maintenance orders, maintenance notifications or service entry sheets. Each plan has scheduling data and at least one maintenance item, which holds the planning data (planning plant, planner group, order type), the reference object and, optionally, the task list.
Single-cycle and strategy plans
| Plan type | Use when | SAP GUI | Contoso example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-cycle plan | The same work repeats at one fixed interval | IP41 | Annual safety inspection of crane hoist 10000480 in Detroit |
| Strategy plan | Different work falls due at different intervals | IP42 | Compressor 10000460: 1M check, 3M service, 12M overhaul with strategy CMC-TIME |
| Multiple counter plan | Several cycles (time and counters) combine | IP43 | Forklift: every 250 operating hours or every 6 months, whichever comes first |
Maintenance plan types. Plans are changed with IP02 and displayed with IP03.
A single-cycle plan always calls the complete task list. A strategy plan uses a maintenance strategy: a set of packages, each with a cycle length and unit, plus a scheduling indicator and default scheduling parameters. Packages in one strategy can use different units (months and years) but must share the same dimension, such as time. When several packages fall due on the same date, the package hierarchy decides which one is performed. Contoso gives the longer packages the higher hierarchy and assigns each operation to every package that should include it: the visual check belongs to all three packages, the oil change to 3M and 12M. When the 12M overhaul is due, its call therefore contains all three operations, and nothing is called twice.
- Jan 1Cycle startPlan for compressor 10000460 starts
- Feb 11MVisual check and leak test
- Apr 11M + 3MCheck plus oil and filter change
- Jul 1, Oct 11M + 3MQuarterly service again
- Jan 1 next year1M + 3M + 12MAnnual overhaul with all packages due together
Cycle, offset and scheduling parameters
The cycle is the interval. The offset sets the first due date of a package, so that, for example, a quarterly service can start in month two rather than month three. The scheduling indicator sets how dates are calculated: time-based by key date, time-based by factory calendar, or performance-based. Then come the parameters that fine-tune the dates and the calls. SAP's documentation groups them into date determination and call control.
| Parameter | What it does | Contoso setting |
|---|---|---|
| Shift factor, late completion | How much of a late completion moves the next due date (0% none, 100% all) | 100%: a late service resets the interval |
| Shift factor, early completion | The same for early completion | 0%: finishing early does not pull the next date forward |
| Tolerance (+/-) | Deviation, as a % of the cycle, ignored when calculating the next date | 10% |
| Cycle modification factor | Stretches or shrinks all cycles, for example for harsh conditions | 1 (no change) |
| Call horizon | When the call is created within the cycle, as a % | 85% |
| Scheduling period | How far ahead SAP calculates future dates | 365 days |
| Completion requirement | No new call until the previous call object is completed | On for the crane hoist safety inspection |
Scheduling parameters and Contoso's choices. Strategy plans take defaults from the strategy.
SAP's documentation gives a clear shift factor example. A plan's next date was the 1st of the month, but the order was confirmed 15 days late. With a late shift factor of 0%, the following date stays on the 1st of the next month; with 100%, it moves 15 days later; with 50%, it moves about half that. Tolerance works the other way: a 10% tolerance on a 30-day cycle means deviations of up to 3 days are ignored entirely.
What would you do?
The compressor's quarterly service is often done a week late because of production schedules. Dan worries that the plan "drifts" and that services get further apart every year. Which settings should Rosa explain?
In Fiori, Contoso's planners use Manage Maintenance Plans and Manage Maintenance Items. SAP's training points out that these apps support compliance views, an automatically calculated final due date and reasons, which are not available in the older tools. The classic transactions remain available in Private Edition for planners who maintain plans in bulk.
- Plans generate call objects (orders, notifications or service entry sheets) through maintenance items.
- Single-cycle plans call the whole task list; strategy plans call packages with different cycles.
- Cycle and offset set due dates; shift factors and tolerances decide how early or late completion moves them.
- Call horizon, scheduling period and completion requirement control the calls.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. Which plan type fits work with different intervals for different tasks?
2. An order is confirmed 15 days late. With a late shift factor of 100%, what happens to the next due date?
3. What does the offset of a package set?
4. Which part of a maintenance plan holds the reference object and the task list?