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IBM Maximo inspection forms: five tips for optimal deployment

In our previous blog about the IBM Maximo inspection forms, we already told you about the benefits of this powerful instrument for your maintenance management. But how do you maximize the use of inspection forms? In this second and final blog, we provide five tips. You will immediately improve your maintenance inspections!

11 July 2023 • 14 min read

Tip 1. First, consider what a maintenance inspection looks like

An inspection form is essentially a series of questions that you want an inspector or technician to answer in a logical and easy way. Before you create the form, it is therefore not only good to consider which inspection data you want to record. It is also important to connect with the practice and put yourself in the role of the inspector or technician. Therefore, before you create the form, first ask yourself a number of questions, such as:

What exactly needs to be checked?
How often does the maintenance inspection occur?
What questions belong to the maintenance inspection?
What is a logical question order?
Which questions can you group together?
What additional questions are needed for a specific answer, for example, if the condition of an asset is insufficient?
Is a photo or video required with an answer?
What follow-up actions are required for a specific answer?

Then you get to work creating the form. After you have formulated a question, you define the answer and indicate whether it is mandatory to fill it in. Such an answer can be a choice from a series of answers, a numerical value, a date and/or time, a meter reading, a textual response, or the option to add an attachment, photo, or video. Where necessary, provide an explanation or instructions. Use colors and icons when visualizing the answers.

Tip 2. Enter all the questions before you start grouping them Since when have you been working at Gemba?

By grouping questions, you give structure to your inspection form and make it clear for your inspectors or technicians. First request a preview of the inspection form before you create a final version of it. This way you can be sure that your form is well put together and clear.

Tip 3. Add conditions to the answers

After you have entered all the questions you want to ask in the form, you can add conditions to the answers. This simplifies the form if there is nothing special going on. In the example below, follow-up questions only appear in the image with the inspection result . Then the mechanic is obliged to indicate what is wrong. This is necessary to continue filling in the form and thus with the maintenance inspection.

You can also attach conditions to a group of questions. For example, if the mechanic answers the question with , the group becomes visible. This group includes questions about specific parts, such as the left or right front panel.

Tip 4. Link your inspection forms to assets, task plans, and routes

How are your maintenance inspections carried out most efficiently? By linking an inspection form to a task plan, you get one inspection form per work order. This is useful, for example, if your inspection form concerns one asset that has a high value or is process-critical, such as a pump. But you can also link a form to a specific task from a task plan or to a route. You can vary in underlying work orders, work order tasks, or multiple assets per work order. This gives, for example, the possibility to use one inspection form for different assets. Consider an inspection round for fire extinguishers that represent a low value. By linking forms in a smart way, your inspectors or technicians will work in a focused manner.

Tip 5. Automatically create follow-up actions

Are the inspection results insufficient? For each question, you can have follow-up actions automatically created in the form of work orders if the answer shows that the condition of an asset leaves something to be desired. IBM Maximo offers an out-of-the-box autoscript for this. With a mouse click, you can add this option to a form.

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