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Maintenance schedules & alerts (Administrator setup)

This page is for administrators who configure maintenance scheduling and alert systems.

Overview

Proper maintenance configuration ensures: - Equipment receives timely preventive maintenance - Staff are alerted before maintenance is due - Warranty expiration is tracked - Compliance requirements are met

Configuring maintenance intervals

Per-equipment-type defaults

Set default intervals when creating equipment types:

  1. Navigate to Equipment → Equipment Types
  2. Set Default Maintenance Interval (days) for each type
  3. This becomes the baseline for all equipment of that type

Per-equipment overrides

Individual equipment can have custom schedules:

  1. Open the equipment record
  2. The maintenance schedule follows the type default
  3. Staff can set specific Next Maintenance Date values after each maintenance

Maintenance reminder workflow

The system supports automated reminders (when configured):

How it works

  1. Background task runs periodically (Celery beat)
  2. Checks equipment for upcoming maintenance:
  3. Based on last maintenance date + default interval
  4. Based on explicitly set next maintenance dates
  5. Generates alerts for equipment due within threshold (e.g., 7 days)

Configuration options

In your deployment settings:

Setting Description Example
Reminder threshold Days before due date to alert 7 days
Alert recipients Who receives maintenance reminders Equipment managers
Notification channels How alerts are delivered Email, dashboard

Warranty tracking

Setting up warranty alerts

  1. Ensure warranty dates are set on equipment records:
  2. Warranty Start Date

  3. Warranty End Date

  4. Configure warranty expiration alerts:

  5. Alert threshold (e.g., 30 days before expiration)
  6. Recipients (procurement, equipment managers)

Using warranty information

  • Filter equipment by warranty status (active, expired, expiring soon)
  • Prioritize warranty-covered repairs to minimize costs
  • Plan replacements for equipment with expiring warranties

Inspection schedules

Regulatory compliance

For equipment requiring periodic inspections:

  1. Set inspection intervals per equipment type
  2. Track compliance through inspection records
  3. Alert when inspections are overdue

Connecting inspections to maintenance

  • Inspections that find issues should flag Requires Maintenance
  • This creates a clear workflow from inspection to repair

Background tasks

The Equipment module uses Celery tasks for automation:

Task Purpose Schedule
check_maintenance_due Find equipment needing maintenance Daily
check_warranty_expiring Alert on expiring warranties Weekly
check_inspection_due Find equipment needing inspection Daily

Enabling background tasks

Ensure your deployment has: 1. Celery worker running 2. Celery beat scheduler configured 3. Task schedules defined in settings

Best practices

Interval planning

  • Base intervals on manufacturer recommendations
  • Adjust based on equipment age and usage intensity
  • Consider seasonal factors (e.g., winter vehicles need more frequent checks)

Alert management

  • Don't over-alert (causes alert fatigue)
  • Route alerts to responsible staff
  • Include actionable information in alerts

Compliance documentation

  • Keep inspection records for audit purposes
  • Document any deviations from schedules
  • Track regulatory requirement changes

Behind the scenes (grounded in code)

  • Background tasks: apps/equipment/tasks.py
  • Default intervals: EquipmentType.default_maintenance_interval_days
  • Warranty fields: Equipment.warranty_start_date, Equipment.warranty_end_date
  • Next maintenance tracking: EquipmentMaintenance.next_maintenance_date
  • Celery configuration: config/celery_app.py and beat schedule in settings