Flexible maintenance planning

• US 8,504,396 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2002
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Quintus, Thomas, Thomas, Moritz, Krppel-Berndt, Sven
• Primary Examiner(s): Sterrett, Jonathan G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, Folashade
• Application Number:
  US10/328,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20040138938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,878 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.11, 705/7.25, 703/2, 700/99
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data

Abstract

A method and apparatus directed to receiving maintenance demands and historical maintenance data associated with maintenance items are presented. A plurality of models that each define locations, maintenance items, resources, cycles, and average performance is generated, wherein each model represents a hypothetical scenario adjustable by a user so that a model representing one scenario may be compared alongside another model to view the differences in result for various hypothetical scenarios. One or more plans are generated for each model and take into account the received maintenance demands and historical maintenance data. A work package is generated in view of the received maintenance demands and historical maintenance data and the plan.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a requirements manager executed by a processor comprising,

a maintenance requirements repository having a plurality of respective maintenance demands for a plurality of maintenance items within an enterprise, each maintenance demand having a type,

a maintenance history repository having a plurality of respective historical maintenance data for the plurality of maintenance items, and

a work package generator configured to generate a work package associated with the plurality of maintenance items based on the maintenance demands and the historical maintenance data, each work package associate with an existing specific entity within the enterprise; and

a planning manager in communication with the requirements manager, the planning manager comprising,

a model generator configured to accept hypothetical entities and generate plurality of models, each model in the plurality of models is based at least in part on a plurality of parameters that define locations, maintenance items, resources, cycles, and average performance, each parameter in the plurality of parameters is adjustable to reflect a hypothetical scenario, each model in the plurality of models represents a different hypothetical scenario simulating operational data, the models conforming to a same data structure as the operational data, and

a storage device that includes a first planning object having a first value associated with an out of compliance parameter, a second value associated with a maximum utilization parameter, the second value being less than the first value, a third value associated with a minimum utilization parameter, the third value being less than the second value, and a fourth value associated with a target utilization value, the fourth value being less than the second value and greater than the third value and indicating when a maintenance demand is due,

a planning engine configured to receive the maintenance demands and the historical maintenance data, to generate a plan based on the maintenance demands, the historical maintenance data, and a model in the plurality of models, and to transmit at least a portion of the plan to the work package generator, the planning engine to assign priorities to the different maintenance demands based, at least in part, on the demand, and wherein the planning engine is configured to determine whether a slot exists for the maintenance demand where the slot comprises a start date between the second and third values, inclusive.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the planning manager further comprises a user interface configured to enable a user to modify the plurality of parameters associated with the model.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the planning manager further comprises a user interface configured to enable a user to modify a parameter associated with the planning engine.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the parameter is associated with a start date of the plan and an end of the plan.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the planning engine further comprises a revisions generator that revises a work package based on a modification of the plan.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the requirements manager further comprises an operations manager configured to determine an operating schedule of each maintenance item, the operating schedule including a geographical location.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of maintenance items comprise aircraft.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the locations comprise an aircraft bay.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the resources comprise an avionics personnel, a painter, and a mechanic.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the planning manager first attempts to plan all maintenance demands using finite scheduling and uses infinite scheduling if no solution is possible using finite scheduling.