Today, we are delighted to launch automated maintenance checklists. With the new auto checklists feature, Zoidii automatically populates pre-configured checklists whenever a user creates a new work order.
What are Maintenance Checklists?
Checklists are step-by-step instructions for completing a process. They are sometimes called task groups, procedures, SOPs, or worksheets.
These range from detailed step-by-step maintenance checklists for complex procedures to simple pass-or-fail checklists for quick verifications. Many organizations use checklist templates to create equipment inspection checklists and safety compliance checklists.
Automated Checklist System Benefits
Documenting your activities through checklists helps institutionalize and systematize your maintenance planning processes within your organization.
This systematization involves steps like maintenance task determination and setting PM frequency to optimize workflows. In facility management, comprehensive building maintenance checklists are essential tools. Without checklists, different people will perform the same maintenance tasks in different ways.
The new auto-checklists feature allows system administrators to configure triggers, enabling checklists to be automatically pushed to newly created work orders.
How Automated Maintenance Checklists Work in Zoidii
Zoidii’s automated maintenance checklist workflow seamlessly injects pre-configured tasks into every new work order, using flexible OR-trigger logic to ensure technicians consistently follow standardized procedures.
- A user creates a work order (logged-in user or guest user).
- Zoidii, functioning as a checklist automation system, checks for relevant and active auto checklists and pushes the checklist tasks to the work order.
- The technician opens the work order and sees the checklist in the tasks tab.
How to Use Automated Maintenance Checklists
Zoidii already pushes preventive maintenance checklists automatically from PMs to PM work orders. Automated maintenance checklists trigger reactive checklists when a user or guest user manually creates a work order in the system.
Examples of Automated Checklists in Action
For effective management, automated checklist software like Zoidii can streamline this process. Here are a few examples of how automatic checklists could be used:
- Auto checklists can automatically add safety pre-checks before each work order.
- Help identify hazards that may not be obvious at the start of each job. Adding visual aids in checklists, such as diagrams, can further enhance hazard identification.
- Remind technicians to ensure they have the correct PPE for the job at hand, with options for attaching photos to checklists to show correct PPE usage.
- Populate the meter readings recorded on the equipment type. The system can also include failed inspection triggers if readings are out of tolerance.
- Remind technicians to de-energize equipment when performing electrical work, with checklists available through offline checklist access in remote areas.
- Add lockout tagout procedures to each repair
- Automatically add troubleshooting instructions to corrective work orders
Sample Scenarios for Automated Maintenance Checklists
The following are some examples of implementing these maintenance strategies:
Safety pre-checks in the bakery
The bakery is subject to compliance audits. The regulator wants our technicians to complete a safety check before every repair.
Rather than rely on the manager or technician to add a safety pre-check to each work order in the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) software, the system administrator configures Zoidii to do that automatically when users create work orders.
- Create the safety pre-check
2. Configure the trigger to add the checklist to every breakdown or corrective work order
3. The work order is automatically populated with the checklist tasks moments after the user creates the work order in the maintenance management system.
Meter Readings for Equipment Maintenance
Our reliability engineers require that machine hours and system pressures be recorded every time our press equipment experiences an issue.The problem is that our technicians often forget to record the meter readings. To ensure the technicians don't forget:
- The system administrator creates a meter reading checklist that includes preparatory steps and a list of required meters.
2. They create a trigger to automatically push the checklist to all new work orders on assets in the cutting and electroplating equipment categories.
Auto-populate Material Safety Data Sheets on work orders
Organizations can streamline the MSDS management process using CMMS software, reducing errors and improving accuracy, ultimately contributing to a safer work environment.
What Organizations Benefit from Automated Maintenance Checklists?
Maintenance teams often struggle to manage their checklists. The following organizations can significantly improve their operations with automated maintenance checklists:
- Maintenance folks who need help with automated checklist management.
- Organizations subject to customer or regulatory audits must demonstrate that specific default tasks are completed for certain work order types.
- Maintenance teams with poor safety records
- Maintenance organizations that need help standardizing their way of working.
Supporting TPM and Autonomous Maintenance
Organizations implementing Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) will find automated checklists valuable. This approach often involves operator engagement with routine tasks, and automated checklists ensure consistency.
These systems support principles of autonomous maintenance by providing operators with clear, standardized instructions, including adherence to CIL standards (Cleaning, Inspecting, Lubrication).
6 Advantages of Using Automated Maintenance Checklists
Standardization can improve quality and productivity by making the team predictable and repeatable. Automated maintenance checklists can help reduce downtime, increase standardization, and make the team more efficient and productive:
1. Boosting Efficiency with Automated Work Orders
Automating the checklist system enables many work orders to be sent to the technician quickly, eliminating the need for a planner to review and modify them. This checklist automation directly contributes to higher throughput.
2. Minimizing Errors and Improving Reliability
Loading checklists onto work orders automatically ensures that technicians have visibility into all critical preparation steps for each work order. This helps in improving equipment reliability by minimizing human error during maintenance tasks.
3. Consistency and Best Practices in Maintenance
Having a template loaded automatically to each work order will help ensure consistency in language, format, and style.
This uniform structure reduces confusion, speeds up technician onboarding, and guarantees every maintenance report meets branding guidelines, driving smoother collaboration between planners, supervisors, and field staff across multiple shifts.
4. Reinforcement of Best Methods
Automated checklists consistently remind technicians of the correct way of working. Each checklist reinforces proven procedures, prevents shortcuts, and refreshes safety steps, helping teams achieve repeatable quality outcomes while lowering rework rates and improving asset reliability over the long term.
5. Enhanced Safety Through Automated Procedures
Having automated checklists in place demonstrates that you, as the maintenance manager, prioritize the well-being of your employees. Clearly outlining the safest way to do the job will reduce safety issues.
Automated maintenance checklists can be used to ensure that technicians are aware of each repair's preparation steps and safety precautions, including conducting thorough inspections. This focus contributes to extending equipment lifespan by preventing damage from improper procedures.
6. Legal and Insurance Advantages of Checklist Automation
Nobody wants employees to get injured at work. However, when they do, you and the organization want to be protected from a legal and insurance perspective.
Again, automated maintenance checklists can demonstrate that you provided the technician with the safety checks needed before starting the repair.
These records can be invaluable when creating a maintenance report for audits or compliance checks, supporting overall asset longevity and enabling data-driven maintenance decisions for future improvements.
Streamline your Maintenance Process with Automated Checklists
Automated checklists from Zoidii can help your maintenance organization become more repeatable, predictable, and consistent. They simplify every step of the maintenance workflow, supporting safer practices, consistent standards, and smoother audits, no matter the size or complexity of your operations.
Zoidii’s automated checklist features also eliminate manual oversight, streamline compliance, and reduce risk, so your technicians and managers can focus on what matters: reliable, high-quality maintenance.
Whether your team is working to meet regulatory demands, boost efficiency, or raise safety standards, Zoidii’s integrated approach gives you the tools to standardize and optimize every task.
Ready to take the next step?
Learn how to set up effective checklists by visiting our create a checklist procedure, or explore the full potential of our CMMS software for comprehensive maintenance management.
