Service and Maintenance Checklist
Base Data
1 Set up ILC data for warehouses and locations to be used (if required). Include a warehouse code for each service van.
2 Set ‘Gross Item Prices in Service’ field in the Customer records. If this is set to No, service order invoices will be subject to the same discount and pricing rules as other order types for the customer (eg sales orders). If set to Yes, the values are taken straight from the Service Order.
3 Ensure that item records exist for:
maintained units
repairable subassemblies (installation components)
components
hourly work types that might be billed, for instance working time, travel time, waiting time etc. These are used to link the SMA specific charge-out rate tables to the tasks used in work recording. The values put into the purchase price field on these items are also the basis for labour cost estimates.
4 Set up Operation Rate Codes and Operation Rates for maintenance work. These will determine the base COST of labour consumed on service orders.
5 Create Hourly Labour Types for normal shift and any premium rates which employees may be entitled to. These can be used in Hours Accounting to surcharge the COST of maintenance.
6 Set up one or more Working Time Tables and indicate for all allowed times which Hourly Labour Type will apply.
7 Set the Service/System Configuration Parameter ‘SPF Module Implemented’ to Yes.
8 Create employee records for maintenance staff
9 Set up Work Centre records for service areas and link the employees to the appropriate work centre and working time table.
10 Set up Tasks for the work types set up as items in point 3.
11 Set the SMA Installation Control Parameter for Periods (normally to 52)
12 Set the SMA/Service Order Control parameters. Set the task for posting travel time to that set up at point 10. Initially, set all the default series to ‘0’ and ‘Variable’. Then add Series and First Free number details for the types of service order envisaged, perhaps one for periodic maintenance, one for installation work and several for different types of call. Then go back to the parameters and set up the default series, making the use ‘Fixed’ for order types with only one series.
13 Set the SMA/Link with Finance parameter to Yes.
14 Use Service Order Data Maintenance to set up Hourly Rates for the tasks. These are the basis on which INVOICE PRICE will be calculated. Hourly rates by customer may also be set up. Where these exist they take precedence over the standard rates.
15 From Service Tables, create Service Areas. These are mandatory. Average travel times may also be entered in this table. Zip Code ranges can be maintained for Areas; this is unlikely to be relevant in the UK except for internal maintenance on large sites that use grid references.
16 Using Order Types/Steps set up order type(s) for service orders.
17 Create a Transaction Type and Series for service invoices if necessary using General Ledger Master Data.
18 In Service Tables, set up Order Types and link to Transaction and external Order Types as created at point 16.
19 In Service Tables, set up period tables for the current year and as many future years as desired.
20 In Service Tables, set up Priority Codes and then use Service Order Control/Planning Control data to maintain a response time target for each Priority.
21 If Service Contracts are to be used, set up renewal type codes in Service Tables.
22 In Service Analysis Control/Analysis Tables, create Symptom, Problem and Fix records.
Location/Installation Data
23 In Service Tables, maintain Location Types (industry site groupings)
24 Installation Control/Service Locations to maintain locations (customer site details)
25 Installation Control/Warranty Terms to maintain Warranty Codes. Within each Warranty Code there may be Warranty Grades, that enable differential cost allowances to be set up for different periods within the whole warranty. Then maintain Warranty Components, which allow the percentage cost relief to be varied by Cost Price Component.
26 Set up Installation Type codes for the different types of unit to be serviced (model range), and link the item codes for the delivered products to an installation type.
27 Use Maintain Symptoms by Installation Type to enter a planned fix time for combinations of Symptom code and Installation Type.
28 Enter installation details. An installation is a single maintained unit at a defined location. Installations can be entered manually or generated from sales order details.
29 Maintain Components. These are repairable subassemblies that may be replaced during service, reworked and returned to stock. A serial number is assigned to each unit. This is different from the lot number, because it remains with the component through multiple repair cycles. There is no automatic link between serial numbers of components and the serialised lot numbers. Any consistency has to be enforced by manual disciplines.
30 Use Maintain Installation Components to record where components are installed. The Replace Installation Components session can be used to rotate components into and out of installations.
Periodic Maintenance
31 Using Installation Control Parameters set the defaults for generating Service Orders for PM work.
32 Maintain Servicings to set up the PM cycles available for each unit type (item code).
33 Use Maintain Items by Servicing to define the parts consumed during each servicing type.
34 Link Servicings to Installations.
Technicians, Skills and Service Vans
35 Use Service Order Control/Planning Control Data/Maintain Skills to set up skill codes.
36 Maintain Skills by Technician to add skill codes to technicians (employees)
37 Maintain Skills by Installation Type to link skill codes to groups of maintained products.
38 Use Service Order Control/Planning Control Data/Maintain Working Time Tables by Technician to link technicians to working time tables.
39 Use Maintain Technicians by Service Area to link technicians to areas as defined at point 9.
40 Use Maintain Service Cars to link technicians to vans.
Service Orders
41 Set Service Order Parameters
42 Maintain Parameters for Link with Finance
43 Generate Planning for PM to create planned maintenance events at status ‘no advice’.
44 Generate Servicings from the planned workload to produce demand at status ‘advised’.
45 Confirm Servicings and change the status to ‘OK’.
46 Generate Service Orders – the equivalent of transferring an MRP or DRP order. The service orders are created the servicing planning status is changed to ‘processed’.
47 Service Orders can also be raised directly using one of two sessions. The telephone entry version provides more search facilities and is designed to be used by a help desk.
48 Blank service orders can be raised for maintenance events not relating directly to an installation.
49 A technician can be linked to a service order. Time of appointment can be calculated based on availability and travelling time if required. For any components needed, if the technician is assigned a service car, the allocation is from that warehouse code. Otherwise the allocation is against the default warehouse.
50 Estimated time and material costs can be added to a service order using ‘Maintain Service Order Cost Estimates’. The records added are the item codes, and the cost estimates come from the purchase cost field.
51 Materials on a cost estimate can be interfaced to purchasing by generating Planned INV orders from the cost estimate. These have then to be confirmed and transferred as usual.
52 Maintain Actual Costs and Revenues allows the actual time and material used to be recorded on the service order. Materials are costed at Standard, hours on the basis of the operation rate code attached to the employee’s work centre. If Hours Accounting is used to enter time, the cost is based on the working time table and hourly labour type.
53 Each cost line entered to the service order will result in a line on the invoice to the customer, except where the line is excluded from the invoice at the user’s decision.
54 The invoice value of service order lines is defined by the sales price on the item if material, and the hourly charge out rates if labour, discounted by the percentage relating to any warranty arrangements.
55 Before the invoice is printed, the service order should be closed. This raises its status to ‘costed’ and removes it from workload planning.
56 A batch routine is available to post closed service orders to history. A further routine deletes service orders from the live file, leaving only the history records.
Link to Finance
57 Maintain Cost Analysis Types allows the setup of analysis codes for interrogating different types of service cost. Debit and credit account references are set up for each of these.
58 Link the cost analysis types to the service types referred to in SMA Parameters using the ‘Maintain Parameters to Link with Finance’ session.
59 Create financial transactions for invoiced service orders using the ‘Create Financial Transactions for Service Orders’ session.
Contract Control
60 Use ‘Maintain Contract Types’ to set up different types of contract with their transaction type and order series’
61 Set up Contract records using the Contract Maintenance session. Maintenance of Contract Types can also be done using the ‘zoom’ button next to Contract Type on Form 2.
62 For each Contract Type, enter debit and credit financial account details using the ‘Maintain Accounts for Contract Installments’ session.
63 Set up Package Parts. A package part is a set of terms for the execution of contract activities; service type, response time, working time table and contract discount can be set up.
64 Set up Package Components. These are cost price components making up a package part. A discount value is set up for each. Where a service order line has a cost price component that matches a package component, this discount value over-rides any other discount calculated.
65 Use ‘Maintain Service Packages’ to set up package codes and link to package parts. Link the service package to installation type. Periodic maintenance servicings for the service package can then be set up.
66 Contract quotations can be prepared by linking installation ranges to a set of contract terms. Quotations raised in this way can be converted to contracts.
67 Instalment invoicing for contracts can be set up by using ‘Maintain Contract Instalments’. Invoices must be confirmed before printing.
68 When invoices are printed, use ‘Create Financial transactions for Contract Instalments’ to post transactions to Finance.
69 Budgets for contract costs can be set up at cost price component level.
70 There are batch routines allowing block update of service package and contract prices, either by percentage or flat amount. Suggested prices can also be calculated automatically.
71 Each contract has a renewal type. Contracts due for renewal can be analysed by type and renewal date range.