Digital shutdown management
Digital Shutdown Management: What to Digitize First
Digitize shutdown management in six steps: one scope register, a logic-linked schedule, digital work orders, permits tied to work orders, spares status and an executive view. Each step builds on the one before. This page also separates what the MaintWiz shutdown module does today from what is planned.
How MaintWiz helps: Digitizing the right things first gives the fastest payoff. The MaintWiz shutdown module moves the plan from spreadsheets into one system with a critical path, readiness gates, permits and spares status. See the module · Get the 40-step checklist
By Jai Balachandran · Published · Last reviewed
What MaintWiz adds:Critical path and floatReadiness gatesPermits and isolationsSpares status with SAP
Order
What should a plant digitize first in shutdown management?
Digitize shutdown management in six steps: one scope register, a logic-linked schedule, digital work orders, permits tied to work orders, spares status and an executive view, because each step builds on the one before it.
A free Excel version is available: Digital shutdown self-check (.xlsx).
| Step | Move from | Move to | What you gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Scope | Side lists in spreadsheets and email | One controlled scope register with one owner | One list everyone trusts; changes after the freeze are visible |
| 2. Schedule | Static plan files | A logic-linked schedule with the critical path and float | Daily view of which delay moves the restart date |
| 3. Work orders | Paper job cards | Work orders with tick, reading and photo tasks on phones and tablets | Evidence captured as the work happens; findings reach the planner |
| 4. Permits and isolations | Separate permit books | Permits and isolations tied to each work order | A package with an open permit cannot be closed |
| 5. Spares | Parts lists and phone calls | Needed, in stock and short, with the SAP request or order behind each part | Short parts are seen weeks ahead |
| 6. Executive view | Weekly slide decks | One view of health, decisions and timelines across projects | Decisions are made on current data |
Start where the pain is, but keep the order: a schedule built on an uncontrolled scope, or work orders that do not match the schedule, add effort without adding control. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) schedule guide treats a controlled baseline and a logic-linked schedule as the basis for schedule control. 1 The checklist in the 40-step shutdown checklist shows where each step sits in the plan.
Functionality
What does the MaintWiz shutdown module do?
The MaintWiz shutdown module is an add-on to the MaintWiz platform that plans, schedules, controls and closes out shutdowns, with AI agents that predict delays and analysis such as Monte Carlo finish confidence, critical chain analysis and what-if scenarios.
Read My Day as the planner's daily view and the Executive view as the decision view, then use the five columns to see what sits behind them. Compare each list with how your team plans, runs, controls and decides today, and note which areas are still on spreadsheets. That sets the order in which to digitize.
| Area | Functions |
|---|---|
| Plan | Gantt chart with critical path and float; baselines; portfolio board and timeline; trade and tool availability; Monte Carlo, critical chain and what-if analysis |
| Run | Work orders with tick, reading and photo tasks; QR code scan; offline on transaction screens; findings to the planner; handover note |
| Control | Readiness gates configured to your requirements, with signed waivers; earned value with cost and schedule indices; risk register; spares status with SAP request or order; permits and isolations from ePTW |
| Decide | Health matrix, worst project first; decisions ranked by effect with Approve and Decline; AI agents propose and a person approves; executive timeline |
| Connect | SAP through PM or MM; Excel; Microsoft Project XML; Primavera P6 interoperability; IoT sources |
Related: Shutdown management software · Module data sheet
MaintWiz integrates with SAP: see SAP PM shutdown management and SAP MM shutdown materials. The turnaround software checklist lists the features to require when you digitize. Moving off spreadsheets is covered in replacing Excel for turnaround planning.
| Area | What the module does |
|---|---|
| Schedule | Gantt chart with critical path and float; a flag at a float limit you set; baselines that show what moved; what moves the forecast finish, with causes; forecast methods with formulas and inputs; Monte Carlo confidence of finish; critical chain analysis; what-if scenarios |
| Field work | Work orders with tick, reading and photo tasks; QR code scan; offline use on transaction screens; saving readings, hours, parts, notes and attachments across a page reload |
| Readiness and control | Readiness gates configured to your requirements, with signed waivers; earned value; risk register; risks ranked by days at stake; daily actual cost storage |
| Integrations | SAP through the PM or the MM module; Excel; Microsoft Project XML and Primavera P6 interoperability; IoT sources; ePTW |
| AI | AI agents that predict delays, with an approval step |
The module reuses the platform: work orders, spares, approvals, ePTW permits, preventive maintenance scheduling, instruments and calibration, and SAP integration. See the module overview and the data sheet. For how it compares with spreadsheets and Primavera P6 see shutdown software vs spreadsheets vs Primavera P6.
Software
Where does MaintWiz fit in digital shutdown management?
MaintWiz covers the six steps in one module on the MaintWiz platform, and it keeps the planned features, such as Monte Carlo confidence, clearly separate from what runs today.
Also see the shutdown module FAQ.
What the shutdown module covers
- Gantt chart with critical path and float, and a float flag at your limit
- Work orders with tick, reading and photo tasks, QR code scan and offline use on transaction screens
- Readiness gates with signed waivers; approvals recorded against the signed-in user
- Spares status with the SAP request or order behind each short part
- Permits and isolations from ePTW on each work order
- Import and export with Excel and Microsoft Project XML, with interoperability with Primavera P6; IoT sources
- Executive view: health matrix, ranked decisions, one timeline for all projects
Proof
What MaintWiz customers report
Results from MaintWiz customers across maintenance operations.
Expectations
What should you expect from digital shutdown software?
Expect predicted delays, one view of what needs attention, savings you can trace, offline work on the plant floor and integration with your systems; MaintWiz provides each of these.
To measure savings against your own baseline, see shutdown program ROI. SAP integration: SAP PM shutdown management. AI agents are covered in AI shutdown planning.
| Expectation | What MaintWiz provides |
|---|---|
| Predicted delays | AI agents predict delays and propose changes from live project numbers; a person approves each one |
| One view of what needs attention | A Today page with forecast finish, critical activities, peak crew, short spares and forecast cost, and an executive view of project health and decisions |
| Savings you can trace | Earned value with cost and schedule indices, and budget, actual and forecast cost per project |
| Work on the plant floor | Work orders with tick, reading and photo tasks, QR code scan, and offline use on transaction screens |
| Integration with your systems | SAP through the PM or the MM module, Excel, Microsoft Project XML, Primavera P6 interoperability, IoT sources and ePTW |
On the plant
How does digital shutdown management support physical work?
Isolations, permits and entry are carried out on the plant by competent people; digital shutdown management records each step, ties it to the work order and holds the gate until it is complete.
In MaintWiz, permits and isolations come from ePTW and show on each work order, a package cannot be closed while a permit or isolation is open, and approvals are recorded against the signed-in user with name and time. The shutdown manager sees the status of every job in one view. 2
See permit to work during a shutdown and shutdown execution.
Visuals
Save the digital shutdown charts
A chart to share with your digital team. Click it for the full-size image.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is digital shutdown management?
Running a shutdown with connected tools instead of spreadsheets and paper: one scope register, a logic-linked schedule, digital work orders, permits and spares status, and an executive view.
What should we digitize first?
Start with the scope register and the schedule, then work orders, permits, spares and the executive view. See the six-step order above and the 40-step checklist.
Does MaintWiz predict shutdown delays?
Yes. MaintWiz AI agents predict delays, and the module shows the critical path and float.
Can technicians work offline?
Yes, on transaction screens.
Does it connect to SAP and scheduling tools?
It connects to SAP through the PM or the MM module, and imports from and exports to Excel and Microsoft Project XML, and is interoperable with Primavera P6.
How does it support permits and isolation?
Isolations are carried out and verified on the plant. MaintWiz shows permits and isolations from ePTW on each work order, and a package cannot be closed while one is open. 2
How do I measure savings?
Set the baseline, the period and the scope, then compare it with your own past stops. See the ROI guide.
Where is the product described in detail?
On the shutdown module page, the data sheet and the FAQ.
Sources
Sources
- US Government Accountability Office, GAO Schedule Assessment Guide: Best Practices for Project Schedules (GAO-16-89G, December 2015)
- OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.147, The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout)
- US Department of Health and Human Services, Earned Value Management, Appendix D: Glossary of Terms
- UK Health and Safety Executive, The safe isolation of plant and equipment (HSG253, 2006)
Move your shutdown plan out of spreadsheets
Book a demo and bring the spreadsheet you use today. We will show how the module covers the same ground.