Glossary

What is PM compliance?

Quick answer

PM compliance is the percentage of preventive maintenance tasks completed within their due window. It measures whether the plant is keeping up with the proactive work that prevents failures. Best practice is around 90 percent or higher, often measured within a defined grace window such as plus or minus 10 percent of the interval.

FormulaPM compliance % = (PMs completed on time / PMs due) x 100

Benchmark

Benchmark
Good90 percent or above within the grace window.
Warning signBelow 80 percent means proactive work is slipping and failure risk is rising.

Why it matters

Preventive maintenance only protects the plant if it actually happens on time. Low PM compliance is a leading indicator: the failures it predicts arrive weeks or months later as unplanned downtime. It is one of the few metrics that warns you before the cost lands.

How to improve it

Right-size the PM program so it is achievable, protect PM time in the schedule, and track compliance within a sensible grace window rather than a binary due date.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between PM compliance and schedule compliance?
PM compliance covers only preventive tasks against their due dates. Schedule compliance covers all scheduled work against the weekly plan. Both should be high in a controlled plant.

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