How can maintenance and reliability leaders establish goals?

• A. Rely on intuition alone.
• B. Utilize industry benchmarks and measurement systems.
• C. Copy goals from unrelated industries.
• D. Wait for executive mandate.

Answer: (B)

Setting goals through industry benchmarks and a solid measurement system anchors maintenance and reliability targets in real-world, comparable data. Benchmarks show what top-performing peers achieve in similar asset fleets and operating contexts, providing targets that are both ambitious and attainable. A measurement system ensures you can continually track performance, establish a credible baseline, and monitor progress over time, turning vague aims into concrete, time-bound objectives.

Start by gathering reliable data on relevant metrics such as maintenance cost as a percentage of asset value, asset availability, MTBF, MTTR, OEE, and safety incidents. Compare your current performance to industry benchmarks and best-in-class results to identify gaps. Use that gap to craft SMART goals—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound—and embed these targets in a dashboard or scorecard so teams can see progress, take action, and adjust plans as needed. This approach builds credibility, alignment across the organization, and a repeatable path to continuous improvement.

Relying on intuition lacks the data foundation needed for credible goals. Copying goals from unrelated industries ignores important context and asset differences. Waiting for an executive mandate can stall progress and erode ownership—setting targets based on benchmarks and measurement keeps improvement active and grounded.