If your maintenance planning meetings feel disorganized—or aren’t happening consistently at all—you’re likely stuck in a reactive cycle that’s costing you time, clarity, and uptime.

But with the right structure, a 30-minute weekly meeting can transform how your team executes maintenance and reduce the firefighting that slows everything down.

Here’s what a world-class planning meeting actually looks like:

Start with the Right People

Keep it lean but cross-functional:

• A planner who owns the schedule and knows the backlog
• A supervisor who understands labor availability and crew capabilities
• A production or operations rep who can confirm access and timing
• (Optional) A reliability or inventory lead for long-lead or high-risk work

Follow a Simple, Consistent Agenda

1. Review last week’s plan vs. actual – What got done? What didn’t? Why?
2. Check for critical backlog – Are any safety, compliance, or high-impact jobs getting delayed?
3. Walk through the coming week – Are the jobs planned, parts available, labor confirmed, and production windows secured?
4. Flag high-risk work – Anything that could disrupt production or carry added risk gets called out.
5. Adjust and lock the plan – Avoid midweek chaos by finalizing and confirming the schedule.

Stay Focused on Execution

This isn’t a design meeting or a strategy session. Keep it tactical. Use a visual schedule or CMMS dashboard. End every meeting with clear action items and accountability.

Why It Works

When done right, this meeting:

• Keeps priorities aligned between maintenance and operations
• Reduces delays and unplanned work
• Builds discipline around planning and execution
• Frees up hours of wasted labor and equipment downtime each week

If your meetings aren’t delivering results—or they’re not happening at all—it’s likely not a people problem. It’s a structure problem.

Want help setting up a planning process that actually works?

Let’s talk through how to get started.