Procedures Module Overview
Most shops have established specific procedures or tasks to be completed during inspections and scheduled maintenance. The Procedures module is where you can input those procedures into TMS and then apply those procedure records to work orders and schedules.
For example, you might create a procedure called "A/C - PM - QUARTERLY" that contained instructions for checking an air conditioner, such as check belt condition, check evaporator coil, inspect filters, and check electrical connections. You can reuse this procedure on as many air conditioner PM schedules needed.
The Procedures module can also be used to:
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Assign time estimates to procedures. Estimated time can be tracked via reports to help with workload planning and projections.
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Charge time and materials directly to a single procedure when it is completed on a work order.
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Specify what materials are needed to complete a procedure. When a work order is generated with the procedure, the materials list is added to the work order, and a technician can see what materials they need.
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Create procedure groups to bundle standard procedures together so that they are always added to a work order in the same sequence.
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Create sub procedures if there are procedures that require data entry of some kind.
The Procedures module is closely tied to the Work Orders and Schedules modules.
Before You Get Started
There is no limit to the number of standard procedures that can be created in TMS, but there is a potential danger in creating too many procedures. If the final number is extremely large, and the procedures haven't been set up in a way that they can be easily identified, the historical pattern for most users is to avoid using them.
We recommend that you create only those procedures that are important. Don't create procedures for everything you do. A good rule of thumb is that 20% of the total number of procedures you perform account for 80% of the time expended. If you start using TMS with only the top 20% of your total procedures, you might never need to add any additional procedures. If the large number of remaining procedures (80%) allows you to analyze only 20% of your total time, the effort to track that time isn't worth the effort required to collect it.
If there are relatively few of standard procedures that your department uses on a regular basis, consider using action codes in the Work Orders module to enter short tasks that are repeatedly performed.
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