A planned maintenance programme should identify the assets covered, the basis for each task, its timing, the responsible person, the expected completion evidence and the process for handling findings. Planned preventive maintenance (PPM) describes scheduled work intended to help prevent failures. A useful property programme also keeps reactive faults and recommended follow-on work visible.
Define the boundary first
State the buildings, systems and areas included. List exclusions and shared responsibilities that need clarification. An asset omitted from the register can disappear from the programme even when a contractor visits the building regularly. An asset included twice may generate duplicate instructions.
Separate the client representative who approves work from the contractor who performs it and the specialist who sets technical requirements. A management schedule should not invent technical inspection intervals. Use the relevant requirements, manufacturer information and competent advice for the particular asset.
Build around these fields
| Programme field | The question it answers | Useful evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Asset and location | What does this task cover? | Asset identifier and location record |
| Task and basis | Why is the activity needed? | Relevant instruction or assessment |
| Due date or trigger | When should it happen? | Agreed schedule and its basis |
| Delivery owner | Who arranges and performs it? | Named role and supplier scope |
| Completion evidence | How will we know it happened? | Report or record appropriate to the task |
| Follow-on action | What remains unresolved? | Linked action reference and owner |
Connect visits to findings
A completed contractor visit does not necessarily mean that every asset is working correctly or that every recommendation has been resolved. Record attendance, receipt of the report, review of findings and closure of remedial actions as distinguishable events.
Illustrative example: A service report arrives with two recommendations. The scheduled visit is complete, but each recommendation receives an action reference, an owner and a next decision. The programme links to those actions rather than hiding them inside an archived attachment.
Make the programme usable every month
Create views for upcoming work, overdue work, missing reports and decisions awaiting approval. Agree who checks each view and who can update the underlying records. Keep original findings accessible so a changed priority can be explained later.
Use the maintenance action register for follow-up, alongside the programme. Review the relationship between both records after supplier changes, major faults or changes in the building’s use.
What this programme does not establish
A spreadsheet cannot by itself prove that a building is compliant or that equipment is safe. The HSE’s equipment maintenance guidance is a useful primary reference for maintenance planning and competent delivery. Its equipment focus is not a universal building checklist.
For the practical assembly process, read how to create a maintenance plan. Hope & Harbour’s maintenance planning review helps organise records, expose gaps and define a programme suitable for the agreed management purpose.
Useful next steps
Maintenance action register · Questions by area
- Planning coastal commercial-property maintenance in Devon and Cornwall
- How to create a useful commercial maintenance plan
- How to prioritise a property maintenance backlog
This guide provides general management information. Decisions about a specific property may need site assessment and appropriately qualified technical or legal advice.