An Affordable Approach for Quality‐Assured Shipboard Maintenance Information

Abstract

Acquisition and logistics professionals recognize the challenges in synchronizing maintenance and supply support information over the life cycle of shipboard systems and equipment. Decisions and judgments made during full‐scale development, then described in maintenance documents and allowance lists, may become outdated for any number of reasons once the ship deploys. Thus, the fleet faces the possibility of out‐of‐sync maintenance support information at virtually any time. Initiatives during the 1980s which reconcile shipboard maintenance and support data include Integrated Logistics Overhauls (ILOs) and Ships Configuration and Logistics Support Information System (SCLSIS). These initiatives aim to ensure all shipboard equipments have current maintenance documents and up‐to‐date allowance lists, but they are expensive, time consuming, and scheduled every 4 to 5 years. Shipboard officers care about today's problem, particularly the next deployment. ILO and SCLSIS products are not always timed to the next deployment, nor is it practical or cost‐effective to do so. Adopting the perspective of shipboard maintenance and supply officers, the authors identify three fundamental maintenance support information needs which quality assure readiness to perform a ship's mission: Technically complete, accurate, and up‐to‐date maintenance documents for all mission critical equipments. One‐to‐one correlation between authorized maintenance parts required and authorized allowance/ordering data for mission critical equipments. Assurances that all allowed mission critical parts needed for shipboard maintenance are on board or will be delivered prior to deployment. The authors maintain that the most affordable solution to shipboard maintenance support information quality assurance is to select mission critical equipments with significant CasRep or shipboard “trouble” histories and resolve any maintenance support information discrepancies prior to deployment “real‐time.” This approach supplements, but does not replace, the ILO and SCLSIS processes. This approach was designed using total quality management principles to assure mission effectiveness.

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