> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.softbooq.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Maintenance

> Maintenance logs, requests, schedules and technician management

The Maintenance module manages the upkeep of your physical assets — logging maintenance activities, handling repair requests, scheduling preventive maintenance, and ordering parts through Procurement when needed.

## What Maintenance owns

* **Maintenance requests** — reported issues and repair requests from staff
* **Maintenance logs** — records of completed maintenance activities per asset
* **Preventive maintenance schedules** — recurring tasks auto-created on a time or usage trigger

## Data flows into Maintenance from

| Module | What it sends                                    |
| ------ | ------------------------------------------------ |
| Assets | Asset records available for maintenance tracking |

## Data flows out of Maintenance to

| Module      | What it sends         |
| ----------- | --------------------- |
| Procurement | Parts purchase orders |

***

## Common tasks

### Submit a maintenance request

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Maintenance → Requests → New Request" />

  <Step title="Select the asset">
    Choose the asset that needs attention from the Assets register. If the asset is not listed, it has not been added to the asset register yet — add it in Assets first.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Describe the issue">
    Write a clear, specific description of the fault or required work. Include any symptoms, error codes, or relevant context that will help the technician diagnose the issue quickly.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Attach photos (optional)">
    Upload a photo of the fault. A clear image often saves significant time during diagnosis.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set priority">
    Choose a priority level: Low, Medium, High, or Critical. Critical requests are flagged to all maintenance staff immediately.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Submit">
    The request is queued and a notification is sent to your maintenance team. You can track its status in real time from your notification feed.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Assign and complete a maintenance request

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Maintenance → Requests and find the request">
    Filter by priority or status to find the most urgent open requests.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign to a technician">
    Select the technician responsible for this repair. They receive a notification immediately.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Order parts if needed">
    If parts are required before work can begin, click **Order Parts** to raise a Procurement requisition directly from the maintenance record. The requisition is pre-filled with the asset and request reference.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Update the status">
    Move the request through: Open → In Progress → Awaiting Parts (if applicable) → Completed.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Log the work done">
    Once completed, click **Mark Complete** and fill in: work performed, parts used and quantities, labour time spent, and total cost. This creates a permanent maintenance log entry on the asset record.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Schedule preventive maintenance

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open an asset record → Maintenance tab → New Schedule" />

  <Step title="Name the scheduled task">
    Give it a clear name (e.g. Annual Service, Filter Replacement, Safety Inspection).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the recurrence trigger">
    Choose: **Time-based** (e.g. every 3 months) or **Usage-based** (e.g. every 500 operating hours, if the asset has usage tracking enabled).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the lead time">
    Enter how many days in advance the maintenance request should be auto-created before the due date. This gives your team time to prepare and order parts.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign a default technician (optional)">
    If one person always handles this type of maintenance, assign them here so the request is auto-assigned when created.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Maintenance requests are automatically created on schedule and appear in the maintenance queue. You will receive a notification each time a scheduled request is created.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Review maintenance history for an asset

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the asset record in Assets → select the Maintenance tab">
    The tab shows a full chronological history of all maintenance requests and completed logs for this asset.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review cost and downtime">
    Total maintenance cost and total time out of service are summarised at the top. Drill into individual entries for details.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use this for asset lifecycle decisions">
    If an asset has recurring failures or high cumulative maintenance cost, this history supports the decision to replace rather than continue repairing.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Order parts from within a maintenance request

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the maintenance request → click Order Parts" />

  <Step title="Add the parts required">
    Enter the part name or select from the Inventory catalogue. Add the quantity needed and any supplier preference.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Submit the requisition">
    The requisition is sent for approval (if required) and can then be converted to a purchase order in Procurement.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Link back to the maintenance request">
    When the parts arrive and the PO is received, the maintenance request is automatically updated to show parts received — signalling the technician can proceed.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="An asset is not appearing in the maintenance request asset dropdown">
    Only assets recorded in the Assets module appear in Maintenance. If the asset is missing, add it to Assets first, then return to create the maintenance request.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A preventive maintenance schedule created a duplicate request">
    This can happen if the schedule was saved twice or the previous request was not marked complete before the next one was auto-generated. Mark the duplicate as Cancelled and ensure the completed request has been properly closed before the next trigger date.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A completed maintenance request is not showing in the asset's maintenance history">
    A request only creates a log entry when it is formally marked as **Complete** with the work details filled in. If a request was closed without completing the log fields, reopen it, fill in the work details, and mark it complete again.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Parts were ordered but the maintenance request status has not updated">
    The status update to **Awaiting Parts** is manual. Open the request and change the status once you have raised the parts order. The system does not automatically link PO delivery status to maintenance request status.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I cannot find a critical request that was submitted">
    Check the Requests queue filter — it may be set to show only your assigned requests. Remove the assignee filter or search by asset name to find requests assigned to other technicians or currently unassigned.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can non-technical staff submit maintenance requests?">
    Yes. Any user with an Employee role or higher can submit a maintenance request. Submission only requires describing the issue and selecting the asset — no technical knowledge is needed. The assigned technician handles the rest.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I set SLA timers for maintenance response and resolution?">
    Yes. SLA targets are configured per priority level under **Settings → Maintenance → SLA Rules**. For example: Critical must be responded to within 2 hours, resolved within 8 hours. Requests that breach SLA are highlighted in red in the queue.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How does usage-based preventive maintenance work?">
    For assets with usage tracking enabled (e.g. a machine with an hour meter), you can log usage readings periodically. The system triggers a maintenance request when cumulative usage since the last service reaches the configured threshold.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I track maintenance costs per asset over time?">
    Yes. Open any asset record → Maintenance tab to see total maintenance cost over any date range. Reports → Maintenance → Cost by Asset gives a cross-asset comparison, useful for identifying assets that cost more to maintain than replace.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I attach warranties or service manuals to an asset?">
    Yes. Open the asset record → Documents tab and upload PDFs or images. These are available to technicians when working on the asset without needing to hunt through filing cabinets or shared drives.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## See also

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Assets" icon="building" href="/erp/assets">
    Maintenance requests are linked to the fixed asset register.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Inventory" icon="boxes-stacked" href="/erp/inventory">
    Parts and materials consumed in maintenance jobs come from Inventory.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Procurement" icon="cart-shopping" href="/erp/procurement">
    Order replacement parts via a purchase order directly from a maintenance request.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>