Users can set up recurring Planned Maintenance tasks by using the Repeats and Next due date features in the Planned Maintenance module. It is important to understand the difference between the Varied and Fixed date options.
Varied
This option allows user to have more flexibility in scheduling Planned Maintenance tasks. Only the first date is fixed, and the following dates will be based on the execution of the preceding task:
Example: Karen is the Food and Beverage Manager for one of the main event venues in Los Angeles. She plans to schedule the refrigeration units' clean-up and sanitation at all of the cafeterias and concession stands within the venue around the first week of January. They usually have very few to no events during that particular week, thus the execution date of the task does not have to be on one fixed date; it just has to be around the first week of January every year.
To schedule this task on FMX, Karen needs to make sure "Yearly" is selected under Repeats, "Year" under Every, and "Vary based on the last execution date" under the Next due date field.
In 2018, the task was scheduled on January 3. However, Karen's team executed the task on January 4. Therefore, the upcoming task is now scheduled to be executed on January 4, 2019:
Fixed
This option enables users to ensure that the Planned Maintenance task is scheduled on the exact same date every time.
Example: Eric is the facility manager at one of the main event venues in New York City. He wants to make sure the chandelier in the Main Arena is being cleaned once a year prior to the holiday season. Based on his observation, November 1st should be the perfect date to do this task. Since the building is always open, it does not matter if November 1st falls on the weekend. To schedule this planned maintenance task, Eric needs to make sure "11/1/2018" is selected under First due field, "Yearly" under Repeats, "Year" under Every, and "Fixed based on the last execution date" for the Next due date field.
The chandelier clean up is now scheduled to take place every November 1st. This year, November 1st falls on a Thursday, but in 2020, the clean up will take place on Sunday: