Configuring SLA and Preventive Maintenance

Two systems keep ArkanPM's maintenance engine proactive: SLA timers (measuring how fast you respond and resolve) and preventive maintenance schedules (generating work before things break). This article walks through both.

Dual SLA timers

Each work order runs two independent timers:

1. Response timer — from creation to the first acknowledgment.
2. Resolution timer — from creation to work completion.

Each timer records start, pause, breach, and completion timestamps. When a work order goes On Hold, both timers pause automatically and resume when work restarts. Total paused duration is tracked separately so you can see true elapsed time.

Business hours mode

By default, timers count all hours around the clock. For contractual SLAs that exclude nights and weekends, enable Business hours mode on a timer and configure the business hours per day.

Breach detection

Breaches are flagged in real time with the exact breach timestamp. This feeds into:

• Escalation engine — automatic reassignment or notification when breached.
• Dashboard SLA performance chart — monthly compliance rollup.
• Vendor performance — SLA compliance is one of four scored dimensions for vendors.

Priority-based SLA defaults

Each priority carries default SLA targets:

Resolution targets are set per category or individual work order based on your operating profile. Override defaults at the category level for specialized work (for example, "Elevator stuck" overrides the Urgent default).

Preventive maintenance schedules

A PM schedule automatically generates work orders when due. To create one:

1. Open Maintenance → Preventive schedules → New.
2. Select the asset, building system, or building the schedule applies to.
3. Pick a frequency — one of nine options:
   • Daily
   • Weekly
   • Biweekly
   • Monthly
   • Quarterly
   • Semi-annual
   • Annual
   • Custom interval (in days)
   • Meter-based or condition-based (combined with calendar)
4. Set lead days — how far in advance the work order is created.

Multi-trigger support

Schedules support three trigger types, and you can combine them:

• Time-based — the calendar.
• Meter-based — an asset meter (runtime hours, cycles, mileage, energy consumption) crosses a threshold.
• Condition-based — an assessment score falls below a threshold.

For example, an AHU PM could run every quarter or when runtime hours cross a configured threshold, whichever comes first.

Template-based generation

A PM schedule uses a work order template that pre-fills:

• Title and description
• Category and priority
• Estimated hours
• Default assignment
• A checklist with required items

When the PM Generator background processor runs (on each due date), it instantiates a new work order from the template.

Pause and resume controls

During shutdowns, renovations, or seasonal closures, pause a PM schedule. Pausing preserves the schedule context — when you resume, the next due date is recalculated forward. You can also see exactly how many work orders each schedule has generated historically.

Best practices

1. Start with critical assets. Put PMs on critical building systems (fire safety, elevators, chillers) first.
2. Use lead days generously. Enough lead time gives technicians a window to schedule.
3. Combine triggers for rotating equipment. Calendar plus meter-based catches both scenarios.
4. Review generation counts quarterly. Schedules that never generate may have a bad trigger configuration.

What next

Read Managing the lease lifecycle to see how tenant operations feed the maintenance engine through move-in and move-out inspections.