Launching Predictive Maintenance: Key Questions and Practical Steps

\"I have a solid work‑control process and I'm ready for the next step. I know predictive maintenance is more cost‑effective than my old preventive program, but how do I get a program started?\"

When an organization wants to truly embrace predictive maintenance, it typically has three foundational questions that must be answered before moving forward. These questions set the direction for your strategy and execution.

Success hinges on having robust processes for planned, scheduled, and executed work—otherwise predictive insights will not translate into tangible savings. In short, you need to answer what, where, and who.

Which technologies should you deploy, on which assets, and by whom? Once you answer these, you can craft a process, build a business case, and justify investment.

Which predictive technologies make the most sense to introduce early in your program, and where will you apply them within the facility?

Start by mapping your equipment list and criticality with a tool like the Allied Asset Health Matrix. This framework analyzes your full asset roster, matches known failure modes to suitable predictive solutions, and reveals coverage opportunities.

The resulting matrix shows, for each technology, where it can be applied and how many opportunities exist. From there you decide the level of predictive coverage based on asset criticality and the most cost‑justified technologies.

After determining scope and location, the next decision is…

\"Who will staff the predictive maintenance program? Does my organization have the skill set and willingness to internalize this effort?\"

Be honest—this choice drives the business case and ROI. Your answer may be in‑house, outsourced, or a hybrid mix.

In the best‑case scenario, you already have—or have hired—an experienced predictive team. If staffing budgets are tight, you’ll need to reallocate existing resources for training and execution.

A proven tool to free up resources is a Preventive Maintenance Evaluation (PME). By reviewing each task in your current PM schedule, PME identifies non‑value‑added steps, often around 30 % of tasks that don’t address specific failure modes.

Removing those tasks immediately frees labor that can be redirected to train staff on PdM technologies. Additionally, PME often shows that 30 % of existing PM tasks can be transitioned to PdM, completing them more efficiently and effectively.

These steps provide the initial focus areas for your program. Once resources are freed and the most effective PdM tasks are in place, you can scale the program over time.

In short, answer the three fundamental questions—what, where, and who—and you’ll have the foundation for a successful predictive maintenance journey.

To learn more, visit www.LCE.com.