Whenever some one mentions time management, the first thought is how this can affect and improve the leasing or administrative functions at a property. Have we considered the opportunities to improve maintenance with time management?

It seems the frustration of not enough time plagues the maintenance team, as often as the leasing staff. It was a really busy week, so “we didn’t…..” This explanation is why a turn wasn’t completed, or preventive maintenance was not completed..the order for supplies was not complete…

Time never changes, we all have 24 hours in a day…generally forty hours in a work week. To review maintenance performance can identify startling results. Using the work order software, total the work orders completed in a week, or month. Happy Acres has a hundred service requests received and entered for the month. The first reaction is WOW, a hundred service requests. But, to break down the work flow, there are usually 20 working days each month. This translates to five service orders each day, a staff of one, or two? This isn’t a heavy workload.

The frustration, “maintenance didn’t get this done,” usually isn’t a maintenance problem. It’s a scheduling and communication problem. Imagine starting the day with the team meeting:

-Quick review, any emergencies
-Any service requests not completed from the previous day?
-Which units are scheduled for move in this week, and next?

Scheduling time for the service orders, with the expectation, this morning we’ll get these five service orders complete. This afternoon one person will finish the turnover, one maintenance will change filters. At four p.m check with the office to see if there are any new service requests that need to be completed today. Are there any supplies that need to be ordered for this week.

Planning a day can grow to planning a week. Saving unnecessary trips to a local hardware for miscellaneous parts can add an hour to the workflow every day. Looking at the location of service requests to assign work in neighboring units, instead of trekking back and forth to the maintenance shop or the office between each assignment can also increase productivity.

Looking at the “must do’s” and blocking out the time needed, eliminates the frantic chaos caused, when we thought we’d have time to do a quick walk through before the move in, and then before you know it, it’s the end of the day and critical items have not been completed.