10.1
Elements of a Preventive Maintenance Program
10.1.1 Structure
The main goal of any preventive maintenance program is to pre-empt problems before they happen. There are three questions that need to be addressed when developing a preventive maintenance program. This means asking about when, why, and how:
  • When is the best time to prevent problems from happening? A schedule should be created for specific tasks to be completed at certain times of the day, week, and month.
  • Why is this maintenance being done now? Every time a maintenance task has been done to a computer system, it should be noted in a preventive maintenance log. Items that should be listed with each entry are the date, time, technician name, and the computer system on which the maintenance was done.
  • How is this system to be maintained? Keeping the work area clean and dust free will prevent many problems. Using good common sense and judgment will also aid in keeping a system running smoothly. Documentation such as logs to track periodic changes can be of great help in future diagnostics and troubleshooting.

Details on how to maintain specific components that make up a computer system will be covered in the following sections.