Task deadlines and forecasting

A task deadline is the date when the task must be completed, also called the due date: it is a key criteria for maintenance planners to decide which tasks to group in a work package. The deadline of the next occurrence of a recurring task is calculated based on the last time the task was performed on the inventory item, and the scheduling interval of the task. Forecasting is the process Maintenix uses to predict or estimate the calendar date that the task may come due. In Maintenix, the next occurrence of a recurring task is the active task (it has the status value ACTV), and subsequent occurrences that Maintenix creates are the forecasted tasks (they have the status of FORECAST).

For tasks whose deadlines are calculated simply in elapsed calendar time; that is, forecasting deadlines for each occurrence of a recurring task that is due every six months is a straightforward process. However, for tasks whose deadlines are based on the usage accrued by the asset, such as flying hours or cycles, Maintenix includes and uses more elaborate forecasting capabilities that consider the flight plan, longer term forecasting models, and rounding and forecasting thresholds.

When information about an inventory item changes and is updated in Maintenix, such as the usage accrued during the last flight, the task deadlines are recalculated automatically to take the updated information into consideration. Therefore, the most up to date information is available for planning the maintenance work. There is also a Maintenix job that your administrator can configure to run at regular intervals to update task deadlines based on the latest information in the system. For more information about Maintenix jobs, see the Maintenix Administration Guide.