Backlog is a maintenance metric that indicates how many weeks it would take to complete all known work with the current resources. Some organizations may try to differentiate between overdue tasks and upcoming work (referred to as “forelog”), but the traditional definition of backlog encompasses all work. This metric offers leaders a clearer view of the plant’s operational health and serves as a critical factor in strategic planning and resource allocation.
Many Maintenance and Reliability (M&R) reference books, training programs, and consultants suggest a “world-class” backlog target of 4 to 6 weeks. However, your actual backlog may be significantly higher, reaching up to 20 weeks of mores, which could lead your leadership to question your effectiveness as an M&R professional. In response, you might attempt to rationalize or adjust your reported figures, such as excluding types of work from the total. But ultimately, if the work is valid and requires resources, it still needs to be done and is part of your backlog. This approach does not improve the situation. So, what is the root cause of the problem?
First off – don’t panic.
The 4 to 6-week backlog benchmark was established decades, when defect detection relied primarily on visual inspections or, in more advanced cases, oil analysis. M&R practices have since evolved significantly, particularly in the last decade, with advancements in both methodologies and technology. Modern defect detection technologies, such as condition monitoring sensors and inspection tools, combined with advanced analytics, have not only improved the accuracy of failure detection, but also extended equipment run-time. Decades ago, the time between defect identification and failure may have been only a few weeks; today it can be several months. Reliability teams now leverage these improved monitoring capabilities, enabling the detection, mitigation, and management of deficiencies with far greater precision than ever before. This increased capability enables organizations to identify and address far more asset deficiencies that ever before, leading to a higher volume of backlog.
With these enhanced capabilities, the 4 to 6-week backlog benchmark is no longer applicable, necessitating a new approach to evaluating your backlog metric. The appropriate level depends on the operation and the maturity of your maintenance and reliability program. What truly matters is monitoring the trend over time:
- If your backlog is increasing, with a high rate of emergent work and lower-than-expected reliability, your backlog is likely too high. This suggests that detected defects are not being addressed before failure.
- Conversely, if your backlog is decreasing, you maintain near-perfect schedule compliance, and the plant is running with high reliability, you’re performing exceptionally well. However, if this persists for too long, it may indicate that you are overstaffed.
- If your backlog is stable and key performance indicators (KPIs) are trending positively, your backlog is likely balanced with your workforce. Ideally, the amount of emergent and proactive work generated by the plant should match the amount of work the workforce completes in a week.
Stay tuned for Part 2 for ideas on effectively managing larger backlogs
