How to Manage Preventative Maintenance on Teams and SharePoint

Preventative maintenance is crucial for the smooth functioning of any business. Whether you are managing critical IT systems, production equipment, or building maintenance, a proactive approach can prevent major issues, save costs, and ensure efficiency. Yet, despite its importance, many organizations struggle with managing preventative maintenance, especially when it involves complex software systems and multiple teams.

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that a preventative maintenance program saves 12 to 18 percent in costs compared with reactive maintenance.
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If your organization currently works on Microsoft 365, this blog is for you. SP Marketplace has developed a no-code business application, built natively on SharePoint and Microsoft Teams, so you don't have to manage the complexities of app development to put effective preventative maintenance in place.

A smartphone displaying the Microsoft sharepoint login screen

What is preventative maintenance?

Preventative maintenance is scheduled, planned upkeep that keeps equipment and systems working before they fail. Instead of waiting for a breakdown, teams service assets on a set schedule, log the work, and track the condition of each asset over time. The aim is simple. Catch wear early, plan the repair, and avoid the emergency.

Why do organizations end up stuck in reactive maintenance?

Preventative maintenance is scheduled, planned upkeep that keeps equipment and systems working before they fail. Instead of waiting for a breakdown, teams service assets on a set schedule, log the work, and track the condition of each asset over time. The aim is simple. Catch wear early, plan the repair, and avoid the emergency.

What are the benefits of managing preventative maintenance on Teams and SharePoint?

​When it comes to managing preventative maintenance on Microsoft Teams and SharePoint business applications, organizations can experience several key benefits that go beyond simply preventing downtime or technical issues. Here are four of the most important advantages:

Improved Security & Compliance

Opting for a Microsoft-based infrastructure allows your organization to take full control of its data, ensuring it is securely stored and managed within your own environment. This not only provides ownership but also ensures that your data complies with the latest security standards, offering a solid foundation for maintaining compliance with local regulations whether that be GDPR, CCPA or HIPAA, and other industry-specific requirements.

Also, since the system is regularly updated and audited, you are also guaranteed that your security protocols stay current, protecting you from any emerging threats.
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With applications, like SP Facilities, built on top of SharePoint and Microsoft Teams, your organization can manage preventative maintenance with ease. Knowing that your data is securely owned and managed within Microsoft's trusted platform will give you peace of mind, safeguarding against costly non-compliance penalties and minimizing the risk of cyber threats.

SP Facilities installs into your own Microsoft 365 tenant and runs on native components including SharePoint, Teams, Power Automate, and Power BI, which makes it compatible with Microsoft 365 GCC and GCC High environments for government agencies, federal contractors, and regulated organizations.

Enhanced Performance and User Experience

Using tools on Microsoft's familiar platform eliminates the need for extensive training, as employees can quickly adapt to its user-friendly interface and focus on what matters, enhancing and streamlining preventative maintenance tasks. Personalized, role-based dashboards further simplify the user experience, ensuring everything is intuitive and accessible.
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SP Marketplace offers a tailored solution, SP Facilities, that transforms how organizations handle facilities and preventative maintenance. Built on SharePoint and Teams, it enables you to automate maintenance schedules, monitor equipment effectively, and address potential issues before they arise. With SP Facilities, you can ensure equipment stays operational, minimize downtime, and maintain a proactive approach to facility management.

Minimized Downtime and Business Disruptions

Minimizing downtime and avoiding business disruptions require efficient preventative maintenance practices, and tools built on familiar platforms like SharePoint and Teams can significantly simplify this process (SP Facilities). Because your team already knows the platform, you can reduce the learning curve and get straight to managing critical maintenance tasks.
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Centralized and automated tools ensure that routine checks and repairs are performed proactively, helping to address potential issues before they escalate into costly outages. This approach not only keeps equipment running smoothly but also minimizes the risk of unexpected interruptions that can derail productivity and impact business continuity.

Cost Savings and Resource Efficiency

Although regular maintenance requires an upfront investment in terms of time and personnel, it's far more cost-effective than reactive maintenance, where issues are fixed only after they occur. The cost of fixing a major outage or recovering lost data after a system failure can be significantly higher than the cost of proactive maintenance.
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Running preventative maintenance through Microsoft 365, SharePoint, and Teams, organizations can significantly enhance cost savings and resource efficiency. By automating tasks, streamlining workflows, and providing better visibility into asset management, the application helps organizations reduce operational costs, optimize resource allocation, and extend the lifespan of assets.

How does SP Facilities manage preventative maintenance?

SP Facilities is a no-code facilities management application that runs inside the Microsoft 365 Platform as a Service, built on SharePoint and Teams. The current release, version 16, handles preventative maintenance through a few core tools.

Recurring work orders automate scheduled service, so planned maintenance raises the right work at the right interval without anyone having to remember it. Asset management tracks each piece of equipment, its maintenance history, and its related work orders, now with parent and child asset relationships and asset-level cost management. The Power BI reporting dashboard gives facilities managers a live view of work activity, so nothing slips. Staff submit and track requests through the MyFacilities portal in Teams, using an interface they already know.

You can see this in action in the SP Facilities V16 Demonstration Part 4: Assets and Preventative Maintenance video in our facilities video catalog.
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Casey Hawkinson, Director of Technology at The Metal Ware Corporation, chose the SP Marketplace Facilities module over other SaaS systems because the module and data stay on the company's own Microsoft 365 tenant, and the no-code design means changes do not need an expensive consultant. SP Marketplace solutions run in more than 1,000 organizations worldwide.

Frequently asked questions

Does SP Facilities work within Microsoft 365?

Yes. SP Facilities is built on Microsoft 365 and runs inside SharePoint and Teams, so you manage maintenance in your existing Microsoft environment.

Can SP Facilities track assets and equipment?

Yes. It tracks assets and equipment along with maintenance history, related work orders, and key asset details, which helps teams stay on top of upkeep.

When should we move from SharePoint lists to SP Facilities?

SharePoint lists work at first and get harder to manage as request volumes grow. Organizations usually move to SP Facilities when they need work order management, preventative maintenance, asset tracking, and reporting in one system.

Can staff use it through Microsoft Teams?

Yes. Employees submit requests and facilities teams manage work orders directly in Teams, inside their normal workflow.

Keep maintenance proactive

Managing preventative maintenance on Microsoft Teams and SharePoint business applications, like SP Facilities, keeps systems running smoothly while ensuring security, optimizing performance, minimizing downtime, and reducing costs. Whether it's improving user experience, ensuring compliance, or saving resources, preventative maintenance is a vital part of a successful business strategy.

If you want to simplify preventative maintenance in your organization and currently use Microsoft 365, you might want to consider using tools already built for purpose. Our facilities management tool, SP Facilities, is built natively on SharePoint and Microsoft Teams, advancing beyond standalone systems to manage preventative maintenance.

To explore how SP Marketplace can help your business streamline its processes and improve preventative maintenance efforts, visit the SP Facilities page.