Creating a Maintenance Plan

Overview

This step-by-step guide walks through creating your first maintenance rule in ARMOR. Whether you're tracking oil changes, inspections, or any other preventative maintenance, this guide covers the complete process from start to finish.

Before You Begin

Prerequisites

• Account permissions: Admin or Super role required
• Asset setup: Assets must exist in ARMOR with telemetry (for usage-based maintenance)
• Tag strategy: If using tag-based scoping, ensure assets have appropriate tags

Information to Gather

Before creating a maintenance rule, collect this information:

• Maintenance task name (e.g., "Oil Change", "Annual Inspection")
• Interval type: runtime-based, distance-based, or time-based
• Threshold value (e.g., 250 hours, 5000 miles)
• Calendar backup (max days between maintenance)
• Which assets need this maintenance (scope)
• How to initialize counters (zero or current)

Step-by-Step: Creating Your First Maintenance Rule

Step 1: Navigate to Maintenance Management

1. Log into ARMOR web portal
2. Click Administration in the main menu
3. Select Maintenance Management
4. You'll see a list of existing maintenance rules (empty if this is your first)

Step 2: Open the Create Dialog

1. Click the "Create New Maintenance Rule" button (top-right or prominent button)
2. A dialog opens with multiple tabs and form fields

Step 3: Configure Basic Information

Maintenance Definition Tab

Name Field:

• Enter a clear, descriptive name: "Oil Change - 250hr Interval"
• Key is auto-generated from name (lowercase, underscores replace spaces)
• Name should be specific enough to identify task and interval

Data Name Field:

• Display name shown in alerts and UI
• Usually same as Name, or simplified version: "Oil Change"

Example:

Step 4: Configure Trigger Settings

Choose Data Field

Select what telemetry field to monitor:

• runtime - For engine hour-based maintenance
• distance - For mileage-based maintenance
• None/Leave blank - For time-only maintenance

Set Threshold

Enter the value at which maintenance should trigger:

• For oil change every 250 hours: 250
• For tire rotation every 5,000 miles: 5000
• For time-only: 0

Select Unit

Choose the unit matching your threshold:

• hours - Most common for runtime
• miles or kilometers - For distance
• days - For time-only rules
• minutes - For very short intervals

Set Max Days (Calendar Backup)

Enter maximum days between maintenance events:

• Typical value: 365 (annual backup)
• For more frequent backup: 180 (semi-annual)
• For no calendar backup: 0 (not recommended)

Example Configuration:

Step 5: Customize Alert Messages (Optional)

Set Message: Text displayed when maintenance is due

Clear Message: Text displayed when maintenance is completed

If left blank, ARMOR uses default messages based on the maintenance name.

Step 6: Define Scope (Which Assets)

Select which assets this maintenance rule applies to. Choose one method:

Option 1: Account-Wide (All Assets)

• Leave all scope fields empty
• Rule applies to every asset in your account
• Best for: Universal maintenance like annual inspections

Option 2: Site-Based

1. Click "Select Sites"
2. Choose one or more sites from the list
3. Rule applies to all assets at those sites
4. Best for: Site-specific compliance or regional requirements

Option 3: Asset-Specific

1. Click "Select Assets"
2. Search for and select individual assets
3. Rule applies only to selected assets
4. Best for: Unique equipment with special needs

Option 4: Tag-Based (Recommended)

1. Click "Add Tag Filter"
2. Select tag category (e.g., "Manufacturer")
3. Select tag value (e.g., "Kaivac")
4. Add additional filters if needed (e.g., Model: "17CC")
5. Rule applies to all assets matching tag criteria
6. Best for: Manufacturer/model-specific maintenance, scalable solution

Step 7: Set Initialization Mode

Choose how to initialize maintenance counters for existing assets:

Zero Mode

• Resets all counters to 0
• Use if: Maintenance was just performed on all assets
• Result: All assets trigger alerts after accumulating threshold value from zero

Current Mode

• Uses current telemetry values as starting point
• Use if: Unknown maintenance history, or want to stagger maintenance events
• Result: Assets with 100 hours trigger after next 250 (at 350 total), assets with 200 trigger at 450, etc.

Step 8: Review and Save

1. Review all settings in the dialog
2. Verify scope shows expected number of assets
3. Click "Save" or "Create Maintenance Rule"
4. Rule is created and immediately active

Complete Example Walkthrough

Scenario: Kaivac Floor Scrubber Oil Changes

Requirements:

• All Kaivac 17CC scrubbers need oil changes every 300 hours
• Maximum 1 year between oil changes (for rarely-used equipment)
• Oil changes were completed last month on all scrubbers

Configuration:

Result: All 47 Kaivac 17CC scrubbers now track oil change maintenance. Alerts will trigger after each accumulates 300 hours of runtime or after 365 days (whichever comes first).

After Creating Your Rule

Verify Rule is Active

1. Check Maintenance Management list - new rule should appear
2. Click on rule name to view details
3. Verify "Status" shows "Active"
4. Verify "Assets in Scope" shows expected count

Test on a Pilot Asset

Before rolling out fleet-wide:

1. Navigate to one asset in scope
2. Check asset detail page for new maintenance item
3. Verify counter is tracking correctly
4. If using "zero" mode, counter should show 0 or small value
5. If using "current" mode, counter should show current telemetry value

Monitor First Alerts

• Alerts will appear as assets reach thresholds
• Check Alerts page regularly for new maintenance alerts
• Test marking maintenance complete to ensure counter resets

Common Scenarios and Configurations

Scenario 1: Fleet-Wide Annual Inspection

Scenario 2: Vehicle Tire Rotation

Scenario 3: High-Use Equipment Accelerated Maintenance

Best Practices

• Start with one rule: Create and test one maintenance rule before adding many
• Use descriptive names: "Kaivac 17CC Oil Change" is better than "Maintenance 1"
• Always include Max Days: Provides calendar backup for rarely-used equipment
• Leverage tags for scalability: Tag-based scoping auto-applies to new assets
• Test initialization mode: "Current" mode prevents flood of immediate alerts
• Customize alert messages: Specific messages help technicians understand what's needed
• Document your rules: Keep notes on why thresholds were chosen
• Review quarterly: Adjust thresholds based on actual maintenance needs

Troubleshooting

Rule Created But No Assets in Scope

Problem: Scope shows "0 assets"

Solutions:

• Check tag filters - ensure tags match actual asset tags (case-sensitive)
• If site-based, verify sites have assets assigned
• If asset-specific, verify assets still exist and aren't archived

Alerts Triggered Immediately After Creation

Problem: Many alerts appear right after creating rule

Cause: Init mode = "current" and assets already exceed threshold

Solutions:

• Mark maintenance complete on all affected assets (resets counters to 0)
• Or: Delete rule, recreate with init mode = "zero"
• Or: Adjust threshold higher to accommodate current values

Can't Save Rule - Validation Error

Common Issues:

• Name is required - can't be blank
• Threshold must be a number
• Max Days must be 0 or positive integer
• At least one scope must be defined OR leave all empty for account-wide

What's Next?

After creating your first maintenance rule:

• Viewing & Completing Maintenance Events - How to mark maintenance complete
• Auto-Scheduling Maintenance From Runtime/Hours - Advanced runtime configuration
• Maintenance Calendar View - Visualize upcoming maintenance
• Custom Overrides at Site/Asset Level - Override rules for specific cases

Getting Help

If you need assistance creating maintenance rules, contact the ARMOR Support Team with your requirements and we'll help configure them correctly.