PM Implementation Made Easy: Essential FAQs for

Success in Plant Maintenance

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Implementing a robust Plant Maintenance (PM) system is crucial for organizations to streamline their maintenance processes
and maximize equipment reliability. However, embarking on a PM implementation journey can be daunting without the right
guidance. In this blog, we will address the essential frequently asked questions (FAQs) that can pave the way to a successful
PM implementation. Whether you are new to SAP PM or looking for valuable insights, this guide will provide you with the
knowledge you need for a smooth and effective implementation.

1. Maintenance Planning:

How is maintenance planning structured in your company? (De-Centralized, Centralized, Partial Centralized)
How is capacity planning performed in your maintenance plants?
Do you subdivide your maintenance plant into locations for maintenance job facilitation or reporting purposes?

2. Maintenance Organization:

How is maintenance work organized within your company?

How are maintenance teams and labor resources organized?
What is the structure of your technical systems?

3. Master Data

Functional Location

Is the hierarchy of functional locations structured based on spatial, functional, or technical viewpoints? Is Real Estate
integrated?
How detailed should the functional location hierarchy be (e.g., number of levels, equipment installation and dismantling)?
How many functional locations do you have?
What is the purpose of each functional location?
How are functional locations organized?
How are functional locations linked to equipment?

Equipment

What types of equipment do you handle in your organization? (Machinery, Vehicles, Tools, etc.)
How do you manage equipment? (Individual equipment, Equipment hierarchies, Serial numbers)
How is equipment linked to functional locations?
Do you track warranties for technical objects?

BOM

Do you use BOMs for your equipment?

If yes, what type of BOMs do you use?
How are BOMs used in your maintenance process?

Work Centers

How many work centers do you have?

What type of work centers do you have?
How are work centers organized?
How are work centers linked to equipment?

Task List

Do you use task lists for your maintenance activities?

If yes, what type of task lists do you use?

Measuring Point / Counter

Do you use measuring points or counters for your equipment?

If yes, what type of measuring points or counters do you use?
How are measuring points or counters used in your maintenance process?

Classification and Categorization:

Are your technical objects classified using class/characteristics?

List and describe the different categories of equipment/functional locations that you maintain.

Maintenance Plans:

Do you use Maintenance Plans for time-based, performance-based, or both types of maintenance?

4. Maintenance Processes:

How are notifications created in your SAP PM system? (Manual entry, Automatic generation, Integration with external
systems)
What information is required when creating a notification? (Description, Equipment/Functional location, Priority, etc.)
What types of notifications do you use in your organization? (Breakdown, Corrective, Preventive, Safety, etc.)
How are notifications assigned to responsible individuals or workgroups?
Do you have specific workflows or approval processes for different types of notifications?
How do you determine the priority of notifications? (Urgency, Impact, Risk, etc.)
How is the priority communicated to the maintenance team?
What are the different status values that a notification can have? (Created, In Progress, Completed, Closed, etc.)
What maintenance types do you perform (e.g., breakdown, corrective, calibration, refurbishment, preventive)?
How are maintenance processes organized?
How do you manage and track your assets?
What information do you track about your assets?
How do you handle breakdown or emergency maintenance?
How do you perform corrective maintenance?
How do you perform preventive maintenance?
What procedures do you have in place for preventive maintenance?
Do you calibrate your equipment?
Do you refurbish your equipment?
Do you utilize the Fleet Maintenance process for managing your fleet of vehicles?
How do you plan and schedule your maintenance activities?
What factors do you consider when planning and scheduling maintenance activities?
How do you communicate maintenance plans and schedules to your team?
How do you settle the cost and view cost reports for equipment and functional locations?

5. Spare Parts and Inventory Management:

How do you currently manage spare parts and inventory?

What are your inventory control processes?
Do you have any challenges related to stockouts or overstocking?

6. Integration:

Do you have any third-party systems integrated with SAP PM?

7. User Requirements:

Who will be the primary users of SAP Plant Maintenance?

How many users will need access to the system?
Do you have any specific user roles or security requirements?

8. Reporting and Analytics:

Which reports do you commonly use in SAP PM for maintenance analysis and monitoring?
What are the critical KPIs for measuring maintenance performance in your organization? (MTTR, MTBF, Equipment
Availability, Backlog, etc.)

Conclusion:
Implementing a successful PM system is a game-changer for organizations seeking to optimize their maintenance processes
and achieve higher equipment reliability. By addressing the essential FAQs in this blog, we have provided you with valuable
insights and guidance to ease your PM implementation journey. By leveraging the right knowledge, best practices, and SAP
PM’s robust functionalities, you can achieve improved maintenance efficiency, reduced costs, and enhanced equipment
performance. Remember, a well-executed PM implementation sets the stage for long-term success in plant maintenance.
What is SAP PM?
SAP Plant Maintenance (PM) is a crucial component of SAP ECC. Here, SAP ECC is nothing but the ERP Central
Component. The primary funcAon of the SAP PM Module is that it performs all plant maintenance acAviAes in
line with the planned schedules. Not only that, it also performs prevenAve maintenance to ensure that

equipment run consistently without any breakdown.

Are you s)ll in poor light about what is SAP PM? Con)nue reading the following.

SAP Plant Maintenance closely inspects all plant equipment and measures its performance regularly. If any

malfuncAon or damage is found in any equipment, SAP PM Module automaAcally takes the following acAon to
maintain the equipment. Moreover, SAP Plant Maintenance analyzes the equipment operaAonal data and digs

out acAonable insights. So you can idenAfy the frequently occurring problems, causes for malfuncAoning or poor
performance of machines, and many other things precisely. This SAP PM module helps to opAmize workforce

acAviAes. Besides, you can opAmize material uAlizaAon as well as movements in the best manner possible.

How does SAP PM Work?

First, the equipment operaAonal data is acquired and stored in database tables. This collected data is known as
the master data. The Master data is the criAcal component in the funcAoning of the SAP PM Module. Generally,
the master data contains equipment data, task lists, locaAon of equipment, KPIs, maintenance history, and many

more. Note that you can manipulate the master data based on requirements. SAP PM takes maintenance acAons

based on the master data. For example, it makes maintenance acAviAes, regular inspecAons, repairs, and
replacements. The real-Ame data help to take immediate acAons by the SAP PM module. You can track the

various maintenance acAviAes of SAP PM through dashboards. The analyAcs and insights generated by the
dashboards help streamline plant maintenance acAviAes.

What is SAP PM used for?

There are four main areas where SAP PM is used extensively. They are equipment maintenance, repair or
replacement, inspecAon, and performance improvement.

Let’s address the uses of SAP PM a bit deeper.

Maintenance

SAP PM automaAcally takes necessary acAons to maintain equipment at the scheduled Ames. Because of this
feature, plant equipment runs conAnuously without downAme or malfuncAon. Simply put, SAP Plant

Maintenance helps sustain equipment performance at the set levels.

Repair

If any fault or abnormal condiAon is found in a machine, SAP PM instantly iniAates correcAve maintenance to
recAfy the same. For instance, it takes measures to repair the equipment or replace it. Thus you can reduce

downAme in plants to the minimum. In the same way, if any potenAal failure is found in any machine, SAP PM

takes immediate acAon to prevent the failure with prevenAve maintenance. So it is possible to run plants without
downAme. UlAmately, prevenAve maintenance cuts operaAonal costs and thus increases revenue.

Inspec,on

With SAP Plant Maintenance, you can closely inspect the operaAonal performance of equipment. Based on the
inspecAon results, SAP PM Module also analyses the equipment data and generates insights about the

performance of machines.

Improvement
By leveraging SAP PM, you can improve equipment performance. The following are the methods with which you
can do the same.

CorrecAve and PrevenAve Maintenance

Repair or replacement of faulty equipment

Regular inspecAon

As a whole, SAP PM Module increases the availability as well as the service life of equipment remarkably. Also, it
avoids downAmes and replacements in the best way.

What func8ons does SAP PM Include?

SAP Plant Maintenance performs mulAple funcAons to opAmize equipment maintenance in a plant.

Let’s have a close look at them now.

SAP PM streamlines and manages all the associated technical objects carefully. The objects can be

funcAonal units, equipment, individual plants, etc.

It performs correcAve maintenance in case there is any malfuncAon or damage to any of the equipment.

It performs prevenAve maintenance to prevent potenAal break down or damages in equipment. It

precisely carries out rouAne maintenance tasks such as sending maintenance noAficaAons and orders,
updaAng maintenance history, and so on.

Furthermore, it gathers, stores, and analyzes maintenance data, making it a single source of truth.

So employees can access this master data at any Ame seamlessly.

Key Benefits of SAP PM

You can reap many benefits by employing SAP PM Module in your plant.

Let’s outline the benefits below.

#1.Automa,ng maintenance tasks

SAP PM automates maintenance requests as well as orders. Also, it automates recording the maintenance data.
Not just that, it tracks the expenses associated with equipment maintenance.

#2.Enhanced Produc,vity

As SAP Plant Maintenance comes with advanced dashboards, you can track the analyAcs of plant maintenance

and valuable insights in a single view. It helps to opAmize maintenance processes and thus level up business
performance to new heights.

#3.Increased Efficiency
SAP PM increases equipment efficiency by performing maintenance as required. Hence, overall business
performance is enhanced.

#4.Enhanced Visibility

SAP PM Module Aghtly integrates with other SAP modules such as SAP MM, SAP PP, SAP SD, etc. This integraAon

helps to reduce errors in equipment and repair Ame significantly. Also, it elevates the visibility across the

performance of the equipment from mulAple perspecAves.

#5.Improved Asset Management

ImplemenAng SAP Plant Maintenance in a plant helps improve the equipment performance with real-Ame

operaAonal data. For instance, assets or equipment are neatly handled without malfuncAon or breakdown. It is
done with the help of prevenAve maintenance. So with all the well-funcAoning equipment, you can confidently
make process work orders, quick plans, etc.

#6.BeHer Compliance

As SAP Plant Maintenance monitors equipment closely, any slight deviaAon in the KPIs of equipment is flagged
instantly. Whether correcAve or prevenAve maintenance, SAP PM executes them at the correct Ame and ensures
the normal funcAoning of equipment. This advantage enArely avoids unplanned plant maintenance or poor

performance of equipment.

Features of SAP PM
SAP PM is an SAP Module that comes with many noteworthy features out of the box.

Let’s now look at them in the way ahead.

#1. Preven,ve Maintenance

SAP PM Module helps supervisors and technicians to idenAfy the equipment that can potenAally fail. These
equipment are idenAfied at earlier stages. Suitable prevenAve measures are taken at the right Ame to avoid

potenAal equipment breakdown and downAme.

#2. Correc,ve Maintenance

IdenAfying and recAfying faulty equipment is simplified in SAP PM. You can repair or replace the equipment as
early as possible, reducing downAme dramaAcally.

#3. Workforce Management

SAP Plant Maintenance comes with a unique feature known as PM Supervisor that allows supervisors to allocate

maintenance tasks to their technicians effecAvely. Also, supervisors can communicate with technicians and ask
them to a[end to criAcal maintenance tasks. It aids in speeding up maintenance tasks and simultaneously

reduces downAme.

#4. Asset Management

With the SAP PM Module, you can idenAfy failures and malfuncAons in the assets or equipment of a plant and
correct them quickly before they cause any damage.

#5. Robust Dashboards

Dashboards of SAP PM enhance visibility across all plant maintenance acAviAes. With the analyAcs and
acAonable insights provided in the dashboards, you can make informed decisions and generates reports with the

help of operaAonal data.

#6. Rule-based Data Filters

SAP Plant Maintenance employs rule-based filters with which you can precisely trace the data that you need. It is
done with the help of locaAons, beginning and end Ames, etc.

#7. Holis,c PM Integra,on

With the liquid User Interface feature of SAP PM, you can connect with external sources and databases smoothly.
It allows you to import data in PDF or Excel form.

What other SAP Modules does SAP PM Work With?

The significant thing about SAP Plant Maintenance Module is that it integrates seamlessly with the following SAP
modules.

Let’s see what SAP modules integrate with SAP PM Module and their crucial funcAon individually.

#1. SAP MM - SAP Materials Management

This SAP Module governs the material procurement and logisAcs in companies.

#2. SAP SD – SAP Sales and Distribu,on

This SAP module streamlines product orders, packing, and shipping products. It also does billing and invoicing of
the products.

#3. SAP PP – SAP Produc,on and Planning

This is an SAP module that opAmizes planning as well as producAon acAviAes.

#4. SAP HR – SAP Human Resources

This is yet another SAP module that integrates with SAP PM, which manages payroll, supports talent hunAng,
records a[endance, performs employee management, and more.

Why SAP PM is Important for your Business

Leveraging SAP Plant Maintenance in your plant is an excellent idea to enhance equipment performance and
boost producAvity to a high level.

Here are the pointers that describe why implemenAng SAP PM Module in your business is highly significant.

Employing SAP Plant Maintenance opAmizes material movements in a plant. If you need an equipment part,

you can get it quickly using SAP PM.

As repairs and lack in performance are idenAfied and recAfied instantly, maintenance processes and

efficiency are enhanced to greater heights.

SAP PM simplifies the work of maintenance managers, equipment users, maintenance technicians, and

purchase managers. They can access real-Ame data at any Ame. It allows them to make fast and accurate

decisions. So Ame is saved, and producAvity is improved significantly.

Most importantly, deploying SAP Plant Maintenance is simple and a cakewalk. You can deploy SAP PM

Module in your plant within 12 weeks. You can also tailor SAP PM as per your business requirements. So
rebuilding the enAre SAP PM module can be eliminated.

SAP Plant Maintenance encourages data transparency. As you know, the SAP PM Master data is the single

truth source. Any technician or supervisor can access the relevant data at any Ame. So they can make
quick decisions and run the equipment consistently.

SAP Plant Maintenance tracks the KPIs of equipment accurately. Maintenance engineers, as well as

operaAons managers, need to make necessary decisions regarding maintenance.

SAP PM Module integrates seamlessly with other prime SAP modules such as SAP PP, SAP PP,
SAP MM, and SAP SD.
On top of all, the main reason why you need to leverage SAP Plant Maintenance is that it dramaAcally
reduces costs. SAP PM Module eliminates repeAAve mundane tasks, speeds up maintenance tasks, adopts
prevenAve maintenance, and triggers correcAve maintenance at the right Ame. Hence, it saves costs and

boosts income.

SAP PM FAQs
1. What do you mean by SAP PM?
SAP Plant Maintenance stands for SAP Plant Maintenance. It is one of the SAP modules that automaAcally govern
plant maintenance.

2. What do you mean by PM order in SAP?

The role of PM order in SAP is criAcal. It plans, performs, and controls the maintenance of funcAonal locaAons
and equipment efficiently.

3. What are the responsibili,es of an SAP PM Consultant?

Organizing organizaAon master data

Scheduling maintenance tasks and making updates
ExecuAng repairs, tracking KPIs, and so on.
Performing configuraAon tasks.

4. Is learning SAP PM tough?

Not at all. Learning SAP Plant Maintenance is easy.

5. What are the different T - codes used in SAP PM?

The different T- codes used in SAP Plant Maintenance are IW31, IW33, and IW32. These T-codes help to maintain
maintenance orders in a plant.

6. What should be the cri,cal skills of an SAP PM consultant?

Ability to design and configure SAP PM modules

Ability to mulAtask

Sound knowledge of plant producAon processes and procedures

Understanding the equipment operaAons
CriAcal thinking and analyAcal mindset

7. How to build a PM plan in SAP?

We can build a PM plan with a maintenance strategy or without it. The first comes with a strategic plan and the
la[er with a single-cycle plan.
8. What is the use of checklists in the SAP PM Module?
We use checklists in SAP Plant Maintenance when mulAple users perform tasks requiring step-by-step processing.
A checklist contains numerous checklist-related se`ngs and many other related things.

Championing SAP Plant maintenance at your organization

Do you feel that in your organization SAP Plant maintenance is not being used at its full potential? Do you think you can
integrate maintenance activities with other departments? SAP plant maintenance module can’t work on its own. It needs
to be integrated with other modules in order to get maximum benefits.

Here is a two phase approach:

a) Optimizing use of SAP PM in department

b) Increasing integration with other modules

Optimize the use of SAP PM in your business

1. Keep SAP plant maintenance data clean:

This is most difficult task to maintain on a day to day basis. Once data (master data and transaction data) is in control,
other pieces will fall into place.

No one likes to work with a system when they can’t trust the information provided by the system. Hence, keeping
maintenance data clean is really important and beneficial. Here are a few tips on how to achieve that:
a. Keep work-order and notification list always current (IW38/IW28)
b. Make it easy to find equipment/functional location. Standardized naming conventions, field usages and, variants setup
in IH08/IH06 etc goes a long way to increasing usability.
c. Keep master data accurate.

d. Review preventive maintenance program. Don’t let system overload you with unnecessary repetitive preventive work
order. For example, review maintenance frequency. Easy way to increase frequency is to increase ‘cycle modification
factor’ on maintenance plan’s scheduling parameter tab (IP02).

2. Expand scope / Increase depth of SAP Plant maintenance functionality:

If there is business justification for using detailed plant maintenance functionality, for example boiler, compressor, earth
movers, production line etc’s maintenance is dependent on it’s usage, then it is recommended to implement
performance based maintenance program with counters (IK01/IK02). Ensure that correct annual estimates are entered
and correct/appropriate scheduling parameters are selected in maintenance plans (IP01/IP02). A second step would be
to build ‘bill of materials (BOMs)’ for critical equipment (CS01/CS02). If you are using SAP PM for a while, you can run
simple report of ‘Material where used list’ (IW13) and get quick information for BOMs. Once equipment data is updated
with BOM information, technicians can quickly look for parts required for repair. Another area to explore is warranty
management, which is a separate topic in itself.

3. Increase breadth of SAP plant maintenance business processes:

Find business processeses that be folded into SAP PM umbrella. Here are a few suggestions from my past experience:

SAP PM module can be used for maintaining equipment assets as well as buildings/facilities. If your building
maintenance crew and contracts are not already under SAP PM umbrella, bring it in. Building/Facility manager can track
crew much more easily. Lets say, your company is giving yearly contract for HVAC maintenance. Whenever a call is
made to contractors for repair/maintenance, create a service workorder. Refer that to contract PO and perform service
entry sheets and track services performed by contractors. This will give managers better idea when they are planning
for next year’s contracts.

If building and facility maintenance crew is involved in moves, repair of building track their utilization
via workorder. Make prepared check list or task list (IA05/IA06) for repetitive work. For example: a) my office is too
hot/too cold b) office move check list etc. This will streamline processes and increase productivity of crew.

4. Integrate with inventory management:

Inventory management is not primary function of maintenance and often maintenance department doesn’t have
expertise to optimize inventory performance. Technicians like to keep additional spare parts of everything. This will
increase inventory cost of maintenance department. Often inventory is inaccurate and not stored properly, which
results in ordering parts again.

Integrate inventory management with plant maintenance by setting up material masters for inventoried items
(MM01/MM02). Populate correct ‘min / max data’. Run material requirement planning (MRP) and let purchasing
perform inventory replenishment. Perform regular inventory counting, with emphasis on accuracy of information.
Make sure stores man/technician is performing goods movement (MIGO) for part consumed and part returned. For
parts required for repetitive maintenance, you can add components to maintenance task list (IA05/IA06). This will
ensure parts are available when needed. You can also use back flushing indicator to reduce transactions for goods
movement. If your organization can’t delegate spares management to Inventory department, ask for expertise.

5. Integrate with Purchasing

Tricky part of purchasing non-stocked spare part is it’s not repetitive like manufacturing. It gets more complex if you
have old assets or very unique assets like PCL controllers from 1970s. So real question is how to make purchasing more
effective when you let buyer buy spare with best terms with given specification. To streamline the process, create non-
stock purchase requisition from maintenance work-order. Describe part via proper material group, description, vendor
number etc (IW32). Techncians can now track purchase requisition’s progress from workorder including visibility of
purchase order. This process provides great visibility of maintenance order in tracking parts through order to consumer
cycle.

Same process applies for purchasing services for maintenance work. Using service entry sheets (ML81N) will make sure,
technicians are satisfied by vendor’s work before invoice is paid.
Implement purchase requisition approval strategy to track accountability for approvals.

6. Integrate with production planning

For production facilities, often maintenance works gets lower priority until equipment breakdown occurs. Production
planner can integrate their planning with preventive maintenance planning with use of workcenters in equipment
master record. In workorder/task list specify system condition = 0. Planner can use CM50/CM21 to plan capacity.

Another option is to provide simplified screen to create breakdown notification (IW21) from production line. Workflow
can be setup to send SMS/email to technicians’ pagers/mobile for prompt response. This ensures all breakdowns are
recorded for reliability and downtown analysis.

7. Integrate with Finance/controlling

Organization should perform cost controlled activities for maintenance personnel time and material via maintenance
work orders. Technicians should enter actual hours for workoders (IW41) and record all part/service consumption on
order. Finance department should perform regular cost settlement for orders. If maintenance is keeping data accurate
this can be fairly smooth transition that provides great visibility for KPI at management level.

Conclusion:

Organization’s performance is related to tracking and managing flow of information, material and finance. As plant
maintenance department is tightly linked to purchasing, inventory and finance, effort spent on integrating to other
related modules will improve organization’s overall performance.

Maintenance Process
In most organizations, the maintenance department’s main functions are the following:

Maximizing the availability of the physical assets

Keeping physical assets in a workable and safe state
Reduce the operating costs caused by equipment downtime and damage In

SAP, there are 5 types of maintenance processes:

Corrective maintenance: triggered by the detection of a defect

Preventive maintenance: work planned in advance
Breakdown maintenance: work that has to be executed in emergency
Calibration maintenance: ensures that precision instruments keep accurate
measurements
Refurbishment maintenance: repair work done on materials subject to split
valuation

This document will focus on the corrective maintenance process.

The maintenance order process follows five big steps.

The maintenance order process also has 3 types of roles involved: maintenance
planner, maintenance supervisor, and maintenance technician.

We will now take a closer look at the five steps of the process:

1 . M A I N T E N A N C E N O T I F I C AT I O N
This document can be created by any of the 3 maintenance roles. The maintenance
notification is triggered by the identification of a defect on a specific technical object.
There are 3 types of standard maintenance notification: maintenance request,
malfunction report and activity report.

The commonly used notification type is the maintenance request:

The creator of the maintenance notification can enter the technical object, the description
of the issue and the main work center responsible for the work. After
creation, the maintenance notification will be verified by the maintenance planner and
the work will be dispatched among the maintenance technicians

It is also possible to directly create the maintenance order from the maintenance
notification header thanks to the creation symbol next to the field “order”:

2 .MAINTENANCEORDER
The maintenance order can be created in 2 ways:

From the maintenance notification:

The maintenance notification will have the system status ORAS – which means “Order
Assigned”.

Directly through the transaction IW31

The maintenance order gets created with a certain order type, priority, technical object
and a planning plant.

The typical structure of the order is as follows:

I provide you below with a high-level overview of what is the role of each tab in the
maintenance order management process.

The maintenance order header data answers at a high level to the following questions:

Who: by displaying the “person responsible” sub-tab

When: by displaying the “dates” sub-tab
What: by displaying the “reference object” sub-tab
How: by displaying the “first operation” sub-tab (details are provided in the
“operations” tab)

The operations tab provide details about which operations are done, by whom , in which
sequence and for which duration.

The components tab is used whenever some materials are required for a specific
operation

The costs tab is used to display the planned and actual costs
The partner tab is used to display the partners involved in the maintenance order.

The “objects” tab is useful whenever several objects are involved in the maintenance
work. It also specifies, when applicable, which maintenance notification is linked to the
order.

The “additional data” tab displays static finance-related organizational data. It has no
impact on the process as such.

The “location” tab displays the “location” of the data from both a logistics and financial
viewpoint: it displays the maintenance plant as well as the account assignment data for
the order costs.
The planning data tab is not relevant for the corrective maintenance process. It is used in
the preventive maintenance process. It displays the maintenance plan and the task list
from which the preventive maintenance order is generated.

The “control” data contains the administrative data as well as the CO-parameters related
to the order.

In case components are required for the order, the “reservation/purchase requisitions”
sub-tab displays whether or not the documents are created immediately, after the release
of the order or never.
3 . O R D E R C O N F I R M AT I O N
The confirmation on the maintenance order is done through the transaction IW41. The

confirmation is done at the operation level.

The confirmation document contains: the actual time spent on the tasks and, when
applicable, the materials goods movements and measurement documents for technical
objects. The “actual work” field has to be filled in to complete the confirmation. There is
a flag for “final confirmation”. When it is flagged on, it means that there is no work
remaining on the operation. When all the operations of an order are “final” confirmed,
the order has the system status CNF.
After the confirmation is done, it is possible to display the variances between the
planned and actual durations.

Several confirmations can also be done simultaneously through the transaction code
IW42

4 .TECHNICALCOMPLETION
When all the maintenance order operations are finally confirmed, the order can be
technically completed. The technical completion of a maintenance is a handover of the
work from the maintenance department to finance.

The technical completion is a standard system status only valid at the order header level.
This status can also be cancelled in any maintenance order.

5 .ORDERSETTLEMENT
Settling a maintenance order means that all the actual costs incurred during order
confirmation are sent to a “settlement receiver”. This settlement receiver is generally the
cost center of the reference object (displayed in the header data). It can also be a
specifically designated general ledger account. The settlement is done through the
transaction KO88. The user needs to enter the order number, as well as fiscal year,
posting and settlement periods. After that, the user decides whether or not he runs the
settlement in test mode (with the test flag). The button “Execute” will run the settlement.

6 KEY TRANSACTION CODES

Most of the transactions used during the maintenance order management process
are located within the following foldersin the menu path:
MTTR / MTBR / Breakdown Analysis Informa7on System
Overview
MTTR / MTBR / Breakdown Analysis Informa7on System
Business do regular transac0ons on SAP regarding Plant Maintenance & they want to have different kinds of analysis on what they
did in the past for their equipments / func0onal loca0ons in terms of Cost, Breakdown, MTTR, MTBR with reference to single
equipment / single func0onal loca0on / loca0on of technical objects / plant etc.,

Here, MTTR / MTBR / Breakdown Analysis Parts have been discussed.

In SAP, there are different Analysis Reports related to Plant Maintenance.

1. Object Class Analysis

2. Manufacturer Analysis
3. Loca0on wise Analysis
4. Planner group wise Analysis
5. Damage Analysis
6. Breakdown Analysis
7. Cost Analysis
8. Vehicle Consump0on Analysis
It is possible to group these analysis reports in to 3 parts.

st
1. 1 Part – From Object Class Analysis 0ll Breakdown Analysis
nd
2. 2 Part – Cost Analysis
rd
3. 3 Part – Vehicle Consump0on Analysis

st
1 Part – Object Class Analysis 4ll Breakdown Analysis
These Analysis reports will talk about list of no0fica0ons created, list of breakdowns reported, list of orders created during specific

period of 0me with reference to Plant, Loca0on, Planner group, Func0onal Loca0on Equipment, etc., There are some seUngs

(Configura0on as well as Transac0on level) required to get these details in PMIS Reports.

Configura*on Se-ngs:

1. Update Group in No0fica0on Category Configura0on

Manu Path – IMG – Plant Maintenance & Customer Service – Maintenance & Service Processing – Maintenance & Service
No9fica9ons – No9fica9on types – Define No9fica9on types
Transac*on Inputs:

Technical Objects Master Data

1. Maintain Start date in Equipment / Func0onal loca0on master

No=fica=on
1. Maintain the Malfunc0on Start date & 0me, Malfunc0on End Date & 0me in No0fica0on
2. Maintain the Breakdown 0ck mark in no0fica0on

By having above seUngs in place, you can get the MTTR / MTBR reports appropriately.

Simplifica7on List for Plant Maintenance (Enterprise

Asset Management)
Introduc7on:
While delivering SAP S/4HANA on-premise services at customer site or when I meet any consultant from the
implementa=on partner company, the first ques=on I get is the list of pre-requisites to be handled before SAP S/4HANA
transi=on with respect to Enterprise Asset Management (formerly Plant Maintenance. Henceforth it will be termed as EAM
in this blog) applica=on. This happened many =mes & s=ll I am geVng this ques=on. So, I thought of wri=ng a blog which
helps customers, partners, consultants, users & other stake holders with this frequently asked ques=ons.

Simplifica7on List/Items (SI checks):

Simplifica=on list provides detailed func=onal-level descrip=ons of the required changes to individual transac=ons and
solu=on capabili=es in SAP S/4HANA. It supports customers who are conver=ng from SAP ECC/on-premise edi=on to SAP
S/4HANA. The Simplifica=on List provides informa=on on the ac=vi=es customers need to complete before, during, and
aZer the conversion to SAP S/4HANA.

This list is prepared during “prepare phase” of the transi=on. The list is available in the system using the
TA: /SDF/RC_START_CHECK. These pre-checks will check the usage of the exis=ng SAP Business Suite system during the
planning phase prior to the actual conversion to SAP S/4HANA, iden=fy the relevant Simplifica=on Items.
Different ac=ons/steps have to be taken for different applica=ons for the smooth SAP S/4HANA transi=on. SAP provides SAP
S/4HANA Transi=on Worklist item ( which I will refer here in this blog as S4TWL ) NOTES for each item.

Transi'on phases to SAP S/4HANA:

SAP S/4HANA Transi=on Phases

Prepare Phase

The Simplifica=on List, therefore, serves three purposes:

Planning the actual system conversion from a tradi=onal ERP solu=on to SAP S/4HANA.
Reducing efforts during the actual conversion by taking necessary steps/ac=ons for each simplifica=on items in advance.
Avoids re-work by implemen=ng SAP S/4HANA-compliant strategic capabili=es (when rolling out new capabili=es).

Note:

All the items men=oned below may not be valid for all the customers. Run the TA: /SDF/RC_START_CHECK to know the
items which are valid for you.

Following simplifica=on is valid as of SAP S/4HANA 2022. New items may be added in future.
Impact & validity of each simplifica=on items will vary across different customers.

Simplifica7on List for the EAM Applica7on:

Overall list & comments:

SL # Title SAP Note # Result

1 2580670
S4TWL – Object List Number Field Increase in the DDIC length.
Length Extension SUM tool will take care of this automa=cally.

2 S4TWL – LIS in EAM 2267463

Future PM analy=cs will be based on HANA &
CDS views.
User can s=ll access the classic LIS.

3 2270076 Use MS Excel instead of MS Access DB.

S4TWL – Download Data in MS
Access out of List

4 S4TWL – Scheduling of 2270078

Maintenance Plan TA: IP30 & its report RISTRA20 s=ll exists in SAP
S/4HANA system. User can evaluate new TA:
IP30H & its new report RISTRA20H for
reference.

5 2270107 TA IBIP is not support further. Use

S4TWL – Batch Input for corresponding BAPI’s.
Enterprise Asset Management
(EAM)

6 S4TWL – Changes In List 2270108

Reports For Order and TA: IW37 & IW49 exists in SAP S/4HANA system.
No=fica=on User can evaluate & use the new TA:
IW37N & IW49N.

7 2270110
S4TWL – WebDynpro Use the new Maintenance Planner and
Applica=on for Maintenance Maintenance Worker Roles instead of
Planner (<= EhP4) maintenance technician role.

8 2270123
S4TWL – Enterprise Search in The way the search is performed is changed. No
EAM ac=on is required.

9 2482659
S4TWL – SAP Graphics in EAM Tabular or other formats display exists & no
Transac=ons graphical display.

10 2270080 Use “asset manager” instead of MAM.

S4TWL – Mobile Asset
Management (MAM)

Details of each item:

1. S4TWL – Object List Number Field Length Extension
Note# 2580670
SAP has decided to extend the object list numbers (data element OBJKNR, domain OBJKN) from the data format INT4 to the
data format INT8. This change affects all the tables (e.g: OBJK) that contain a field with a reference to the data element
OBJKNR.

OBJK table in SAP S/4HANA

System
OBJK table in ECC
System

Required ac=ons:

Its informa=on only.

SUM will take care of it automa=cally.

2. S4TWL – LIS in EAM

Note# 2267463

Its an informa=on only item where future analy=cal reports, transac=ons are based on HANA & CDS which simplifies the
process by reducing the tables & improves the performance.

Required ac=ons:

Enhancements and modifica=ons of the LIS will not work for the future analy=c solu=on.
Custom report will stop working aZer update which are accessing the tables S061 to S065, S070, S114 to S116.

3. S4TWL – Download Data in MS Access out of List

Note# 2270076

SAP GUI supports downloading data to MS Access. This func=onality is not the target architecture. Though, this
func=onality is available in SAP S/4HANA on-premises but not considered as future technology.
No=fica=on to MS Access DB

DB Details for storing No=fica=on data

Required ac=ons:

Stop downloading data to MS access.

Use download to Excel or Open Office. Within Excel / Open Office you can use the embedded tools for popula=ng to DB.

4. S4TWL – Scheduling of Maintenance Plan

Note# 2270078

Maintenance scheduling transac=on IP30 (Reports RISTRA20) uses the outdated technology & it is s=ll available in SAP
S/4HANA system but not considered for future. This transac=on is replaced by new transac=on & report — IP30H &
RISTRA20H.
TA: IP30H in SAP
S/4HANA System

Required ac=ons:

Check for the scheduled background jobs (SM37) with the old report RISTRA20. Delete those jobs & replace them with the
new report (RISTRA20H).

5. S4TWL – Batch Input for Enterprise Asset Management (EAM)

Note# 2270107

Transac=on IBIP uses Batch Input (outdated) technology to create transac=onal data for EAM objects. This is s=ll available in
SAP S/4HANA system but not considered for future.

TA: IBIP in both ECC and SAP S/4HANA systems

Required ac=ons:

Plant maintenance offers lot of BAPI’s (men=oned in the note 2270107) to create transac=on data. Create custom programs
using these API’s to create EAM object data in the system instead of TA: IBIP.

6. S4TWL – Changes In List Reports For Order and No,fica,on

Note# 2270108

Transac=ons IW37 & IW49 are w.r.t order opera=ons are improved further (performance) in new TA: IW37n & IW49n.
Though the exis=ng TA’s IW37 & IW49 are available in the SAP S/4HANA system but are not considered for future.

TA: IW37N and IW49N

Required Ac=ons:

run the reports ‘QM_PHASE_FILL’ and ‘RIAFVC_IPHAS_FILL’ before the upgrade to SAP S/4HANA. start using
the new TA: IW37n & IW49n instead of IW37 & IW49.

7. S4TWL – WebDynpro Applica,on for Maintenance Planner (<= EhP4)

Note# 2270110
Maintenance Technician role is obsolete for SAP S/4HANA release. Though it is s=ll available in SAP S/4HANA but not in
future.

Use the new Maintenance Planner and Maintenance Worker Roles available in SAP S/4HANA.

Required Ac=ons:

Ac=vate the Business Func=ons (LOG_EAM_SIMPLICITY_2 to 6) in TA: SFW5 to get the full func=onality of Maintenance
Planner and Maintenance Worker Role.

SFW5 in ECC System

SFW5 in SAP S/4HANA System

8. S4TWL – Enterprise Search in EAM

Note# 2270123

With SAP S/4HANA, on-premise edi=on, the Enterprise Search models are now replica=on free search models using HDB.
This means reliance on TREX & other replica=on data processes are eliminated. Now, the searches are based on SAP
S/4HANA DB tables directly.

Required Ac=ons:
Check the note 2270123 to follow the men=oned steps to ac=vate the search models or if you are intending to use value
help within WebDynpro App.

Enterprise Search in S/4 HANA

9. S4TWL – SAP Graphics in EAM Transac,ons

Note# 2482659

SAP Business Graphics used in Plant Maintenance applica=ons are no longer supported in SAP S/4HANA. Example of
affected TA: IP19.
TA: IP19 in ECC

TA: IP19 in SAP S/4HANA

Other affected transac=ons are available as the PDF avachment in the NOTE.

Required Ac=ons:
Use the tabular display.

10. S4TWL – Mobile Asset Management (MAM)

Note# 2270080

The ‘Mobile Asset Management’ solu=on is not supported in S/4HANA. User can use the fiori apps on mobile or use “asset
manager” (addi=onal license required).

Addi7onal Informa7on:
Simplifica=on items check:

can be run manually in advance on the actual SAP ERP system.

It is necessary to resolve all “red” inconsistency checks, otherwise the system conversion will fail.
will be run by the SoZware Update Manager (SUM) at least twice during the conversion procedure
Role wise requirements:

In a company, each user will play different role & each would like to see different set of data. As per their wish, some of their
requirements can be mapped this way.

Generally, all the PM related organiza=onal structure will contain Maintenance Manager, Maintenance In-Charge,
Maintenance Planner / Engineers, Maintenance Foremen & Maintenance Technicians.

Each will request / desire to view different set of data.

Set Start Transaction:

I had this requirement from one of my client to get the details immediately once he log-in to SAP.

Maintenance Manager – He wish to look at only Approvals pending from his side on day to day basis

Maintenance In-Charge – He wish to have either list of Pending Approvals from his side or List of PM Orders running currently

Maintenance Engineers – He wish to have list of Outstanding Orders which needs to be executed today / Status of In Process
Orders

Maintenance Foremen – He wish to see list of In Process / Released Orders assigned to him

Maintenance Technician – List of Opera=ons assigned to him on day to day basis

This may not be the exact requirement in all cases, but most of the case.

Of course, through development, anything & everything can be achieved. But in standard, there are some constraints.

For the above requirement of having the screen at log in =me, Set Start Transac=on func=onality will work out on some
extent. But constraint here is only one transac=on can be defined here.

For Maintenance Manager, either Work Order approval or PR approval will be the priority. As all / most of the Maintenance
PR will be triggered from Maintenance Orders, the appropriate transac=on could be either Permit Release or Work Order
release. This is again based on the company hierarchy.

1. Permit Approval (IPM2)

2. Work Order Release (IW38)

Here, user based selec=on screen variant can be defined to make their job easy. Just one click, they get the report with the
List of Permits pending from their side.

Layouts can be defined as U_<User Name>, so that default layout for that user id will be created.

For Maintenance In-Charge, again the same set of transac=ons as Maintenance Manager has in case of mul= level permits &
work order release.

1. Permit Approval (IPM2)

2. Work Order Release (IW38)
3. In Process Orders display (IW39)
Layouts can be defined for each transac=on as U_<User Name>. But any one of the transac=ons can be set in Set Start
Transac=on.

For Maintenance Engineers, following transac=ons can be set.

1. Mass Release of Work Orders (IW38) For

Maintenance Foremen:

1. Mass Confirma=on (IW48) For

Maintenance Technician:

1. Display of Orders with Opera=ons (IW49N) For

Maintenance Store Keeper:

1. Maintenance Availability Informa=on (IWBK)

2. Material where used List report (IW13)

These are the day to day ac=vi=es done by people as per their role in the Organiza=on.

Reporting through Mail – Background Job:

All the reports as per the interest of the users can be sent to their outlook.

Already crea=on of Background jobs & sending reports through that have been discussed & documented.

1. Do the seVngs in SCOT

2. Define Selec=on Screen Variant for any kind of Report
3. Get the Program name either through Status bar in the bovom or through menu System –
Status 4. Define distribu=on list in SO23
5. Define the Background job in SM36 using the Program, Variant
6. Schedule on Daily basis before office hours