PTA large school’s repair requests now come in through a single channel
At a school with about 50 buildings and 40,000 people a day, requests came in six different ways, and the system once showed more late work orders than orders issued. The author, who works in that maintenance department, moved everything to a single channel where the customer follows every step. Explained in 12 screens.
Maintenance looks after a small city that cannot stop
The institution, a traditional one more than a century old, runs from early childhood education to doctoral programs. The dissertation calls it Alfa. More people pass through it each day than live in some Brazilian towns.
Sections 2.2 and 2.3.1 and Figure 3. On the campus, one block per building; positions and heights are our illustration (the dissertation gives no site plan). Elevators, air conditioning and water quality are handled by long-term contractors.
The research followed seven steps, from understanding to reporting
This professional master’s dissertation starts from a real problem in the organization, proposes a solution and puts it in place. To do so it uses the Problem Solving and Opportunity Exploration Method. Click a step:
Section 2.1 and Figure 1. The diagnosis was mixed: figures from the maintenance system plus interviews with the people who handle requests.
Customers and staff told opposite stories about the same service
For management and for the people asking for repairs, maintenance was failing: everything was late and nobody gave updates. For the team, requests were handled within a reasonable time. Whom do you believe?
Sections 2.3, 2.3.2 and 2.3.4. In the author’s words, the indicators proved the customer right, while the work actually done pointed the other way: “both realities are true”.
The system once showed more late work orders than orders issued
The SMI, the program that recorded work orders, had a summary screen with the totals for the period. Can there be more late WOs than WOs issued?
Seven people described seven different ways of doing the same job
Since the figures could not be trusted, the author interviewed, one by one and in person, 2 supervisors, 3 technicians and 2 service-desk staff. Pick a topic and see what each person said:
Section 2.3.3, Figure 8 and Appendix A. The interviews were not recorded: the table holds summaries noted by the author. Colors and counts are our reading of the table. The dissertation does not link each code to a job.
The ten problems grew from two trunks: a misused system and customers left without news
The author compares the problems to a tree: you have to find the trunk, because treating the trunk fixes the branches. Click a number:
Section 3 and Figure 9. The two areas are the author’s; placing problem 10 (the many channels) on the customer-service trunk is our grouping. Left for future projects: team, material and contract costs, individual performance, preventive routines and inventory.
Between adjusting the old system and using the in-house portal, the portal met more criteria
The SMI was built for the steel industry, and adapting it required many paid customizations. The other option was the Service Portal, built by the institution’s IT team and already used by other departments. Hover over or tap a criterion:
Section 3.1, Figures 13 and 14. Counts are ours, from the author’s table. A SWOT matrix confirmed the choice; one of the threats was that few people might answer the satisfaction survey, which is optional. Before deciding, the portal was tested with the department that requests the most work.
In the new process, the customer sits at the center and gets a status update at every step
Follow one request from start to finish, the old way and the new way. Notice when the customer learns what is happening.
Sections 2.3.1, 2.3.4, 3 and 3.3. On the portal, opening a request takes 12 steps, 2 minutes on average: building, floor, room and description are required, and buildings come pre-registered under their official names (some had changed name or number over time).
The switch happened with everything running, starting with the biggest customer
Drag through the 18-month schedule. Up to December 2024 is what the dissertation reports; after that, it is the plan.
Sections 3.2, 3.3 and 5 and Figure 15. The plan foresees 18 months, accepting up to 24. Section 3.1 mentions a two-month test; the schedule shows the pilot from July to September 2024.
Customers’ first ratings came close to the top score
When each request is closed, the portal invites the customer to give a rating of up to 5 stars. The first ones averaged 4.90, and the lowest workshop score was 4.75.
Section 7 and Figure 20. Workshop scores read from the chart (~). The 4.90 average and the 4.75 minimum are in the text. The dissertation does not say how many ratings there were or over what period.
Before switching systems, check whether the figures tell what really happens
For the author, the path mattered as much as the solution: without the method, there would be no way to tell real delays from delays that existed only in the records. The author sees the same recipe serving other maintenance and facilities teams, in-house or outsourced.
For maintenance and facilities managers
- A single request channel avoids duplicates and lost information.
- Clear rules for opening and closing WOs make indicators reliable.
- The people who know the work should set priority and deadline.
For teams serving internal customers
- Even with no payment involved, there is a customer and service-provider relationship.
- Status updates at every step were the main change for the customer.
For people leading change
- Listening to the team from the diagnosis on reduced resistance, according to the author.
- A pilot with the biggest customer quickly showed what to fix. (11 adjustments before opening to everyone)
What this research does not say
- How much delays fell. The dissertation gives no WO figures after the change to compare with 2023. · our note
- How many people rated. The number of ratings is not given, and answering is optional; the author calls the scores preliminary. · per the author and our note
- An outside evaluation. The author works in managing the maintenance department studied and ran the diagnosis, rollout and evaluation. · our note
- What is not yet measured. Response time, individual performance, cost, inventory and reasons for delays were still being built into the portal. · per the author
Credits
SILVA, Eliezer Mendes. Inovação na gestão de processos aplicada a serviços de manutenção predial. Master’s dissertation (Professional Master’s in Business Development Administration) · Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, São Paulo, 2025. Advisor: Prof. Dr. Gilberto Perez.
Supported by a tuition waiver from Instituto Presbiteriano Mackenzie. The institution studied appears as Alfa, the name used in the dissertation’s text, and interviewees only by the codes ENT.1 to ENT.7. Month-by-month values and workshop scores were read from the charts. This version simplifies the work for a general audience.