Stuff happens. Downtime will occur at some point or another. But downtime doesn’t have to bring business to a screeching halt. Not if you’re prepared.
START WITH REVIEWING YOUR ASSESSMENT
Your assessment should have included key things such as:
- Identifying your processes
- Reading SOPs
- Checking equipment and software
- Identifying risks
- Inventorying your assets
All the information you collected in assessing these various parts and pieces of your equipment and processes act as the framework for your plan.
CREATE THE PLAN
- What will I do first? What will I do next? Etc.
- Where else should I check? Where are the other parts or backups?
- When will I determine I need to call out for service? When do I notify my superiors?
- Who will I tag to assist? Who is the best service provider to reach out to for this problem?
Remember that all these questions and answers build towards the ‘how.’ HOW will I get this machine or process back up and running as quickly as possible? After you’ve created the plan, get someone to give it a second eye to make sure it’s comprehensive and understandable no matter who is reading it. Next, decide where you’ll keep the plan. Then determine how you want to communicate to your team where this plan lives and its purpose.
CROSS REFERENCE YOUR MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS
The biggest thing is not leaving anything to chance. Be proactive. When downtime occurs, you’ll be prepared to act quickly rather than wasting time determining what to do.