Planning answers how. Scheduling answers when. They sound like one job, and in a lot of Maximo shops one person does both. That’s usually where work management starts to slip.
The two roles at a glance
| Planner | Scheduler | |
|---|---|---|
| Core question | How does this job get done? | When does this job get done? |
| Time horizon | Weeks ahead | This week and next |
| Works from | Approved work requests and the backlog | Work that's been planned and is ready to go |
| Builds | The work package: steps, crafts, parts, tools, permits, estimates | The weekly schedule: who does what, and on which day |
| Watches | Parts availability, job plan quality, estimate accuracy | Crew capacity, equipment downtime windows, shifting priorities |
| Hands off | A job the crew can start without hunting for anything | A schedule the crew can actually follow |
Where the handoff happens
The line between the two roles is one word: ready. A job is ready when the steps are defined, parts are on hand or on order with a date, and the labor estimate is realistic. The planner’s job ends there. The scheduler’s job starts there.
If unready work gets onto the schedule, the crew finds the gaps in the field. That’s the most expensive place to find them.
Where each role lives in Maximo
- Planner: Job Plans, the Plans tab in Work Order Tracking (tasks, labor, materials, tools), and item availability checks.
- Scheduler: Graphical Scheduling and Graphical Assignment, crew and labor availability, and work order assignments.
When both roles run through the same person, those tools get used unevenly. Usually the scheduling side gets the attention and the planning side gets skipped.
Signs one person is carrying both jobs
- Work orders go to the field with no job plan or an empty Plans tab
- Crews regularly stop mid-job to wait on parts
- Estimates rarely match actuals, so planning accuracy never improves
- The weekly schedule gets rebuilt midweek, every week
- The backlog keeps growing, but nobody can say exactly what’s in it
If three or more of these sound familiar, the problem probably isn’t effort. It’s ownership.
What to do about it
You don’t always need two new hires. You need clear lines.
- Name an owner for how and an owner for when, even if a small team shares the load.
- Define “ready” in writing so everyone uses the same test before work gets scheduled.
- Protect planning time on the calendar. If planning only happens after the schedule is done, it won’t happen.
- Close the loop. Compare planned vs. actual hours and parts on completed work, and feed what you learn back into your job plans.
Related terms
Planning and Scheduling · Job Plan · Planning Accuracy · Planned vs. Unplanned Work · Maintenance Backlog Health
See how your scheduling practice measures up with Maven’s scorecards.