Product FAQ
MaintWiz Shutdown Module FAQ: Questions and Answers
The MaintWiz shutdown module is an add-on to the MaintWiz platform that plans, schedules, controls and closes out plant shutdowns. The questions below cover how it schedules, checks readiness, handles spares and permits, works in the field and connects to SAP, Excel, Primavera P6, Microsoft Project and IoT.
Questions about shutdown practice itself are answered in the linked guides.
By Jai Balachandran · Published · Last reviewed
Topics:ScheduleReadinessSpares and SAPPermitsField workIntegrations
Guides
Where is the full guide on each topic?
Each question below has a short answer here and a full guide on the page that owns the topic, listed in this table.
For what to digitize first, see digital shutdown management.
| Topic | Read |
|---|---|
| What shutdown maintenance is | What is shutdown maintenance? |
| Shutdown, turnaround and outage | Shutdown vs turnaround vs outage |
| The steps from scope to restart | 40-step shutdown checklist |
| Critical path and float | Shutdown scheduling |
| Permits and isolations | Permit to work during shutdown |
| Spares and long-lead items | Shutdown spare parts planning |
| Choosing a tool | Shutdown software vs CMMS vs Primavera P6 |
| The module in detail | MaintWiz shutdown management software |
Today and planned
What does the shutdown module do today, and what is planned?
The shutdown module plans, schedules, controls and closes out shutdowns today, with Gantt, readiness gates, field work orders, earned value and executive views, while forecasting of delay causes, Monte Carlo confidence, critical chain analysis and AI actions are planned for later releases.
| Area | Available now | Planned for later releases |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule | Gantt chart with critical path and float, a flag at a float limit you set, baselines that show what moved | Forecast causes, Monte Carlo finish confidence, critical chain analysis, what-if scenarios |
| Field work | Work orders with tick, reading and photo tasks, QR code scan, offline use on transaction screens | Saving readings, hours, parts, notes and attachments across a page reload |
| Control | Seven readiness gates with signed waivers, earned value, risk register, portfolio and executive views | Risks ranked by days at stake, daily actual cost storage |
| AI | Not available: AI actions are placeholders | AI actions with an approval step |
Planned items carry no release dates here.
Connections
Which systems does the shutdown module connect to?
The shutdown module connects to SAP through the PM or the MM module, to Excel, to Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project, to ePTW for permits and isolations, and to IoT sources, with SAP kept as the system of record.
More on SAP: SAP PM shutdown management, SAP MM shutdown materials and keeping maintenance history in an S/4HANA migration. The specifications are also in a PDF data sheet.
| System | What the module does with it | Note |
|---|---|---|
| SAP (PM or MM module) | Shows each short part with its SAP status: none, purchase request raised or purchase order issued | SAP stays the system of record; one mode is used, not both |
| Excel | Imports resources and work load from templates; the tables behind charts export to Excel | Search, paging and CSV export on the tables |
| Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project | Schedules import from and export to both | Tool-specific mapping is set up during implementation |
| ePTW | Permits and isolations appear on each work order and in the readiness gate | A package with an open permit cannot be closed |
| IoT sources | Can feed readings into the plan | Check the data sheet for current sources |
Details are in the data sheet. 5 describes how SAP Plant Maintenance generates reservations and requisitions from order components.
Definitions
Where do the terms on this page come from?
The scheduling, cost, isolation and SAP terms used on this page are defined by public sources: the HHS earned value glossary, the GAO schedule guide, OSHA, HSE and the SAP library. 2,1,3,4,5
| Term | Public definition or rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Critical path | The path through a network of dependent tasks with the longest elapsed time; any delay to a task on it delays the finish by the same amount | HHS earned value glossary, GAO schedule guide |
| Float | The time an activity can slip without delaying a later date; float is not contingency | GAO schedule guide |
| Earned value, CPI and SPI | Earned value is completed work valued at its budget; CPI is earned value divided by actual cost and SPI is earned value divided by planned value | HHS earned value glossary |
| Lockout and isolation | Lockout places a lock on an energy isolating device so the equipment cannot be operated; OSHA 1910.147 sets the six steps and HSE HSG253 sets three isolation categories | OSHA 1910.147, HSE HSG253 |
| Reservation and purchase requisition | In SAP Plant Maintenance the system generates both from order components; neither can be created individually | SAP Library |
Definitions are paraphrased; read the source for the exact wording. The module descriptions on this page come from the MaintWiz product requirements, not from these sources.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is the MaintWiz shutdown module?
It is an add-on module of the MaintWiz platform that plans, schedules, controls and closes out plant shutdowns, turnarounds and outages, from the portfolio down to the task a technician ticks. See the module overview.
Who is it for?
Central planners and project managers plan and control. Foremen and technicians run the work orders. Executives use one view across projects. Administrators set calendars, rates and access by role. A foreman sees only My Day and the work orders of Execute by default.
How is it different from the maintenance features I already use?
The shutdown module reuses the platform: work orders, spares, approvals, ePTW permits, preventive maintenance scheduling, instruments and calibration, and SAP integration. It adds the time-boxed plan, the critical path, the readiness gates and the portfolio view.
What is the difference between a shutdown, a turnaround and an outage?
A shutdown is any deliberate stop; a turnaround is usually the large, planned, periodic form; an outage is any period out of service and can be planned or unplanned. See the full comparison.
How does the schedule work?
The Gantt chart shows every activity with its dates, its float and the critical path. The system flags an activity when its float falls to a limit you set, and a baseline shows what moved. 1 See shutdown scheduling.
What are readiness gates?
Seven checks for each work package before it starts: materials, resources, predecessors, tools and scaffold, permits and isolations, scope and engineering, and a go result. A person with authority can waive a gate or sign off a package, with a typed reason that is saved with the name and the date.
How are spares and SAP handled?
Each part shows quantities needed, in stock and short, the week it is needed and its SAP status: none, purchase request raised or purchase order issued. SAP stays the system of record. See the spare parts guide.
How do permits and isolations work?
They come from ePTW and appear on each work order and in the readiness gate. A work package with an open permit or isolation cannot be closed. See permit to work during a shutdown.
How do technicians work in the field?
On a phone or tablet a technician opens a work order, scans the equipment QR code, ticks tasks, enters readings against their limits and attaches photos. A reading outside its limits is marked out of spec, and a finding goes to the planner as a request for added work. Transaction screens work offline.
How is cost tracked?
The module shows planned value, earned value and actual cost against time, the cost index and the schedule index, and the budget, actual cost and forecast of each project.
What does an executive see?
A health matrix with the worst project first, decisions ranked by their effect in days and in money with Approve and Decline, and one timeline of all projects with proposed projects shown as dashed bars.
Which systems does it connect to?
SAP through the PM or the MM module, Excel, Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, IoT sources and ePTW.
Can I bring in my existing plan?
Yes. Resources and work load from Excel templates, and schedules import from and export to Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project. The tables behind the charts export to Excel.
How many projects can it handle?
It is designed for up to 20 projects running at the same time in one portfolio, shown on a board or on a timeline.
What does it not do today?
It does not track the delivery of spares, it adds no approval or root cause step of its own to a work order, and it works offline only on transaction screens.
What is planned?
Monte Carlo finish confidence, critical chain analysis, what-if scenarios, forecast drill-downs, daily actual cost and AI actions with an approval step are planned for later releases.
How do I start?
Book a demo and bring your shutdown scope: the projects, the window and the systems you use. We walk through how MaintWiz supports it.
Sources
Sources
The module description comes from the MaintWiz product requirements and the current build. The one external source defines the scheduling terms.
- US Government Accountability Office, GAO Schedule Assessment Guide: Best Practices for Project Schedules (GAO-16-89G, December 2015)
- US Department of Health and Human Services, Earned Value Management, Appendix D: Glossary of Terms
- OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.147, The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout)
- UK Health and Safety Executive, The safe isolation of plant and equipment (HSG253, 2006)
- SAP Library, Materials Planning (Customer Service and Plant Maintenance; older release, no release stated)
Bring your shutdown scope to a demo
Book a demo and bring your shutdown scope. We will walk through how MaintWiz can support it.