Checklist
Municipal Maintenance Readiness Checklist
Score your program in 2 minutes.
Get a clear plan for what to fix first.
You know your municipal maintenance program matters. What’s hard is seeing the whole picture — assets, work orders, preventive maintenance, reporting, and people — all at once.
How the Checklist Works
What This Is:
A simple checklist to see where your maintenance work stands today—and what to improve next.
Who Should Use It:
Public Works Directors, Facilities Managers, Asset Managers, and their teams.
How to Use It:
1. Read each statement
2. Write down the number that fits best for each:
= Not started
= In progress
= Done and working well
3. Add up your points for each section
4. Add your section scores together and find your level at the bottom
1. Asset Visibility and Data Quality
- We have a list of our most important assets (roads, culverts, storm pipes, buildings, fleet, pumps)
- We know the condition and replacement cost of our top 10–20 assets
- Each asset has a unique ID, a location on our map or GIS, and a named owner who keeps its records current
- Each asset has a unique ID, a location on our map or GIS, and a named owner who keeps its records current
2. Work Order and Workflow Digitization
- We use digital work orders instead of paper, email or verbal requests
- Our work order forms always include: asset, location, work to do, date/time, and priority
- Field staff can complete work orders on a phone or tablet, even offline (photos, notes, time)
- We have clear rules for urgent or overdue work and who must act
3. Preventive Maintenance and Service Levels
- We have planned maintenance schedules for our most important assets, including seasonal work
- We set a target for planned work completed on time (for example, 95%) and track it
- We have response and completion targets for common work types (for example, potholes or facility requests)
- We review planned vs. emergency work each quarter and adjust
4. Integration and Reporting
- Our maintenance system connects to finance or budgeting so we can see cost per asset
- We have a simple dashboard with key numbers (planned work done, backlog, cost per asset, response time)
- We share reports with leadership and elected officials on a regular schedule (monthly or quarterly)
- We use these reports to plan future funding and capital projects
5. People, Process, and Change Management
- Frontline staff help design our forms, workflows, and checklists
- We demonstrate new tools in the field, not just in the office
- We pilot changes with one team or department before rolling out everywhere
- We measure whether the pilot worked (fewer last-minute repairs, more planned work done, faster closure)
1. Asset Visibility and Data Quality
Section Score:
2. Work Order and Workflow Digitization
Section Score:
3. Preventive Maintenance and Service Levels
Section Score:
4. Integration and Reporting
Section Score:
5. People, Process, and Change Management
Section Score:
Scoring Guide
Your Total Score:
Score
Level
Your Top Priorities
0-13
Getting Started
Completing your asset list. Moving from paper to basic digital work orders.
14-26
Building Momentum
Adding more scheduled preventive maintenance. Getting more staff using mobile tools.
27-40
Advanced
Better reporting and connections to finance. Using data to plan long-term upgrades and budgets.
Score
0-13
Level
Getting Started
Your Top Priorities
Completing your asset list. Moving from paper to basic digital work orders.
Score
14-26
Level
Building Momentum
Your Top Priorities
Adding more scheduled preventive maintenance. Getting more staff using mobile tools.
Score
27-40
Level
Advanced
Your Top
Priorities
Better reporting and connections to finance. Using data to plan long-term upgrades and budgets.
Prefer a PDF version?
Scoring Guide
Your Total Score:
Score
Level
Focus
0-13
Getting Started
Completing your asset list. Moving from paper to basic digital work orders.
14-26
Building Momentum
Adding more scheduled preventive maintenance.Getting more staff using mobile tools.
27-40
Advanced
Better reporting and connections to finance. Using data to plan long-term upgrades and budgets.
Score
0-13
Level
Getting Started
Focus on
Completing your asset list. Moving from paper to basic digital work orders.
Score
14-26
Level
Building Momentum
Focus on
Adding more scheduled preventive maintenance.Getting more staff using mobile tools.
Score
27-40
Level
Advanced
Focus on
Better reporting and connections to finance. Using data to plan long-term upgrades and budgets.
Turn Gaps Into a 90-Day Plan
Score all 20 items. Walk away with your top priorities for the next 90 days.
You have your score. Here’s your plan for what comes next.
The Connected Maintenance Playbook lays out practical next steps for every stage, from building your first asset list to turning maintenance data into stronger budget decisions.
