Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM): 10 Questions Answered

Planned preventive maintenance, usually shortened to PPM, helps facilities teams maintain buildings and assets before problems occur.

Rather than waiting for something to break, maintenance is planned in advance based on factors such as manufacturer guidance, asset condition, usage, risk and relevant requirements.

Here are 10 common questions about PPM and how to manage it effectively.

1. What is planned preventive maintenance (PPM)?

Planned preventive maintenance is maintenance that is scheduled in advance to help keep assets, equipment and facilities in suitable working condition.

PPM tasks can include inspections, testing, servicing, cleaning and replacing components at planned intervals.

For example, a facilities team might schedule an air-conditioning unit for regular servicing rather than waiting for it to develop a fault.

The aim is to manage maintenance proactively and identify potential problems before they become more disruptive.

2. What is the difference between PPM and reactive maintenance?

The main difference is when the maintenance happens.

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Most facilities teams need both. Not every failure can be prevented, but a good PPM programme can reduce reliance on purely reactive maintenance.

3. Why is planned preventive maintenance important?

PPM gives facilities teams a structured way to manage recurring maintenance rather than relying on memory, spreadsheets or last-minute reminders.

It can help teams:

• See what maintenance is coming up
• Identify overdue tasks
• Plan workloads
• Maintain consistent maintenance records
• Identify recurring asset problems
• Keep evidence of completed work

It can also give facilities managers a clearer picture of the condition and maintenance history of their assets.

4. What should be included in a PPM schedule?

A useful PPM schedule should clearly show what needs doing, when it needs doing and who is responsible.

For each task, consider recording:

• The asset, equipment or location
• The maintenance task
• How frequently it needs to happen
• The next due date
• Who is responsible
• Any instructions or checklist
• The completion status
• Notes or evidence from completed work

Keeping this information consistent makes the schedule easier to manage and review.

5. How often should preventive maintenance be carried out?

There is no single PPM frequency that works for every asset.

The appropriate frequency can depend on:

• Manufacturer recommendations
• Legal or regulatory requirements
• Risk assessments
• How frequently the asset is used
• Its age and condition
• Its operating environment
• Previous maintenance and fault history

Facilities teams should establish appropriate maintenance requirements for each asset rather than automatically applying the same monthly, quarterly or annual schedule to everything.

6. How do you create a PPM schedule?

Start with the assets and maintenance requirements you already have.

A simple process is:

1. Identify your assets. Know what equipment and facilities you are responsible for.
2. Identify maintenance requirements. Establish what work or inspections are needed.
3. Set appropriate frequencies. Determine when each task needs to happen.
4. Assign responsibility. Decide who will complete or manage the work.
5. Schedule the tasks. Create clear due dates or recurring schedules.
6. Record and review. Keep a record of completed work and regularly review whether the schedule remains appropriate.

The quality of the information matters. Automating an inaccurate maintenance schedule will not make it a good one.

7. Who is responsible for PPM?

Responsibility depends on the organisation and the type of maintenance involved.

PPM may be managed or completed by:

• Facilities managers
• Maintenance teams
• Site managers
• Engineers or technicians
• Specialist contractors

Some organisations use a combination of internal teams and external contractors.

What matters is clear ownership. Each planned task should have someone responsible for making sure it is completed and properly recorded.

8. How do you measure PPM performance?

One useful measure is PPM completion or compliance, which looks at how much scheduled maintenance has been completed as required.

However, a single percentage rarely tells the whole story.

Facilities teams should also consider:

• How many PPM tasks are overdue
• How long tasks have been overdue
• Why planned work is being missed
• Whether the same assets repeatedly develop faults
• The balance between planned and reactive work
• Whether maintenance frequencies still make sense

The goal is not simply to complete as many tasks as possible. It is to make sure the right maintenance is happening at the right time. There are multiple KPIs that you can track to ensure you are on the right track to being fully compliant.

9. Can you manage PPM in Excel?

Yes. Excel can work well for a simple PPM schedule, particularly when there are relatively few assets, sites and people involved.

It can become harder to manage when the operation grows.

For example, you may need multiple people to update the schedule, recurring tasks become more complex, or facilities managers need a quick view of upcoming and overdue work.

At that point, dedicated facilities management software can provide a more structured way to manage PPM.

Related: Facilities Management Software: 15 Questions Answered

10. How can facilities management software help with PPM?

Facilities management software can bring your PPM schedule, assets and maintenance records into one place.

Instead of manually checking a spreadsheet for upcoming dates, teams can create recurring maintenance tasks and see what work is upcoming, completed or overdue.

Completed work can also be connected to the relevant asset, creating a useful maintenance history over time.

FaultFixers helps facilities teams manage planned preventive maintenance alongside reactive maintenance, work orders and assets across single or multiple sites.

If you're looking to move your PPM schedule away from spreadsheets and manual processes, you can try FaultFixers for free or book a demo.

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