Contents
On 1st November 2024 the Complex Assets accelerator was launched for Maximo Application Suite (MAS) v9.0. It requires Maximo for Aviation to be installed first and there are compatibility restrictions which prevent this being installed with most other Industry Solutions and Add-ons. The Maximo Secrets system I use for my articles has Service Provider, HSE, Spatial, Transportation and Health, except for Transportation all of these are incompatible with Maximo for Aviation.
The MAS Manage Compatibility Matrix can be found on the following page. https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/mas-cd/continuous-delivery?topic=requirements-maximo-manage Except for Transportation and ACM all other products and the SAP and Oracle Connectors are marked as Not Allowed. I raised an IBM Idea to at least have Spatial and Health and perhaps HSE to be compatible with Aviation (and hence Complex Assets), you can vote for it here, but feel free to add comments if there are other products you think it should be compatible with. https://ideas.ibm.com/ideas/MASAIR-I-34
We have created a new MAS system with only Maximo for Aviation and Complex Assets installed and now we can start our voyage of discovery. So, what do we know?
The announcement included these items:
- Comprehensive asset configuration management to monitor and validate compliance with regulatory requirements, including design changes.
- Creation and management of Operator Maintenance Programs.
- Technical Log for centralizing the recording of an asset’s operational life.
- Advanced planning and scheduling including the availability of labor and resource availability.
- Enhanced procurement and inventory processes, including warranty claims.
- Contract management and billing for work done by outside vendors.
- Management of technician licenses and qualifications for all crafts.
We also know that Complex Assets is a rebadging of Maximo for Aviation with Aviation specific terminology removed so that:
- Aircraft becomes Vehicles
- Equipment becomes Assets
- Master Task Card becomes Master PM
- Task Card becomes PM
- Job Card becomes Job Plan
- Part Number becomes Item
The only documentation that you will currently find is that for Maximo for Aviation, and the documentation that will be found with included products (see below). If you are new to Maximo for Aviation, as I was, then you might start by taking the Maximo for Aviation Foundations course. https://www.ibm.com/training/course/maximo-for-aviation-foundations-DL25600G
In the course there was a slide which showed that Maximo for Aviation includes most of ACM (90%), Service Provider (100%), Scheduler (110%), Transportation (10%) and HSE (10%). There must be additional functions as well because looking at Database Configuration there are:
- 293 PLUSA objects (ACM)
- 263 PLUSG objects (HSE)
- 104 PLUSM objects (Aviation)
- 131 PLUSP objects (Service Provider)
- 139 PLUST objects (Transportation)
I doubt whether all of Maximo for Aviation is included in Complex Assets.
Application Analysis
That is it, this is my starting point. What you will find below is what I discovered by going to all the applications in Maximo Manage looking for differences with what you will find in an out of the box Maximo Manage system with no add-ons or industry solutions. I have no doubt that this will not be a comprehensive list. These are my notes that I will use as the basis for future articles.
| Module | Application | Add-on | Discovery |
| Administration | OrganizationsA structural element of a Maximo database which is used for data sharing. More | All | Work Package Options, Transportation Options, Inventory Options – Part Options, Vehicle and Asset Options, Service Provider Settings, Service Provider Options, CM Options, BDI Color Setup, BDI Icon Setup, Receiving and Inspection Options, Shipment Options, Vehicle and Asset Status Options. |
| Administration – Resources | Labor | AV | Qualifications tab has additional table windows and blue button Refresh Labor Experience. |
| Administration – Resources | Qualifications | AV | Main tab has additional fields and Prerequisite, Qualification Applicability table windows. Associated Labor tab has Requirements table window. Requirements tab. |
| Administration – Resources | People | HSE, SP | Main tab has Cust/Vendor fields (SP) and Authorized for Audit and Survey Approval (HSE). Customer Access tab (SP) |
| Administration | Bulletin Board | SP | Customer based bulletin messages |
| Administration | Classifications | SP | Customer based classifications and attributes |
| Assets | Vehicles | ACM, AV, SP, TP, HSE | Clone of Assets but with many fields from ACM and AV, Customer (SP). Tabs on main tab include Certificates (TP) and Aliases (TP). Additional tabs Warranties (TP), Audits and Surveys (HSE), Vehicle Usage (SP). |
| Assets | Assets | ACM, AV, SP, TP, HSE | Many fields and additional tabs from ACM, AV and TP like Vehicles. Additional tabs Warranties (TP), Asset Usage (SP) Quality (HSE) includes Audits and Surveys (HSE) and Defects (HSE). History tab includes Receipts tab. |
| Assets | Locations | SP | Customer and Charge Accounts (SP) and toggles on main tab (AV). Is Repair Facility is called Is a MRO LocationA physical place where assets exist and where work can be performed. More. Audits and Surveys tab (HSE), Location Usage tab (SP). |
| Assets | Meters | ACM, AV | Two fields Aviation MeterA Meter is an identifier for recording meter readings, measurements and observations on assets or locations. More Type (ACM) and Readings in Hours and Minutes (AV). |
| Assets | New Asset Assemblies | ACM | A template for an asset assembly. |
| Assets | Advanced Attribute Setup | ACM | For maintaining a history of attribute values and to control access rights. |
| Assets | Aircraft and Equipment Attributes | ACM | Associates an asset with an attribute defined in Advanced Attribute Setup. |
| Assets | New Asset Assemblies – Receiving | ACM | The receiving of complex assets including all the sub-assembly details. |
| Assets | MRO Locations | ACM | Clone of Locations for Repair Facilities (MRO Locations) |
| Configuration Management | Technical Publications | ACM | Recording of Technical Publications / Technical Records received from various parties, how they are applied to the configuration of the vehicle and the maintenance events which stem from them. |
| Configuration Management | Engineering Assessment Orders | AV | Records the formal assessment of a Technical Publication and if relevant, how to plan and approve the Engineering Orders required to comply with the Technical Publication. |
| Configuration Management | Models | ACM | Defines the configuration model of a type of equipment. It is a hierarchy of build items and their positions representing a physical model, and it includes their configuration rules. |
| Configuration Management | Series | ACM | A series is a way of grouping related models. |
| Configuration Management | BDI Queue Status | ACM | Monitors the processing of assets by the Build Data Interpreter (BDI), a cron task instance. |
| Configuration Management | DVL Setup | ACM | SetsA set is used to share data across the Maximo Database. There are two types an Item Set and a Company Set. More up Dynamic Value Lists for configuration-managed items. |
| Configuration Management | Events Management | ACM | A type of ticket used to record unplanned events or planned activities. |
| Configuration Management | Fleet Management | ACM | A logical group of configuration-managed assets. |
| Configuration Management | Fleet Usage Load | ACM | A way of updating meters on fleet assets by adding the meter reading against the fleet. |
| Configuration Management | Build Position Master | ACM | Defines a position code and its associated system and series combination that is used in a model when defining the Build Hierarchy and Positions. |
| Configuration Management | Zones | ACM | Defines a physical area of a complex asset where maintenance takes place. Maintenance can span multiple zones. |
| Configuration Management | Asset Roles and Capabilities | ACM | Roles are related to assets and an asset role can have multiple capabilities. |
| Configuration Management | Maintenance Deferral Codes | AV | Deferral codes are used as a reason to defer a maintenance activity and are used on work orders. |
| Configuration Management | Component Codes | TP | Component codes exist in hierarchies and are a way of tracking performance and costs across multiple assets. |
| Configuration Management | Position Codes | TP | Position codes identify the position of a component or assembly on a vehicle and are associated with Component Codes to identify the position of a component on an asset. |
| Contracts | Purchase Contracts | AV | Several toggles to define the Contract Line Type, and a few other fields on the contract line. Scope tab with three table windows linking to fleet, assets and parts (items). |
| Exchange Orders | Exchange Orders | AV | Exchange Orders are used when you supply parts to a customer. It is a ticket requesting a part and it is linked to shipment requests, shipments and transfers. |
| Flight Operations | Flight Log Book | ACM | Records information about a vehicle, including flight data, discrepancies, maintenance, and personnel. It may be adopted for other vehicles that do not fly. |
| Flight Operations | Flight Log Book Setup | ACM | A template for a Flight Log Book. |
| Flight Operations | Flight Schedules | AV | Used to define a schedule of vehicle movements and you allocate/deallocate a vehicle to that schedule. It will allow you to see overlaps with maintenance events. |
| Inventory | Item Master | AV, TP, SP, HSE | Several additional toggles (AV), ATA Code (TP), Customer (SP). Additional tabs for Applicability (AV), Interchangeable Items (AV), Price Books (SP) and Quality, these are defects (HSE). |
| Inventory | Service Items | SP, AV | Two fields Customer (SP) and Power by the Hour (AV). Price Books tab (SP). |
| Inventory | Tools | SP, AV | Customer field on main tab (SP). Two fields on Vendors table, Cost Range and Calculation Method. Price Books tab (SP). |
| Inventory | Stocked Tools | AV | Two tabs, At Counter looks at incomplete receipts, and History looks at complete receipts and inspection. |
| Inventory | Inventory | AV | A few additional toggles (AV) and the two tabs At Counter and History which looks at receipt and inspection history. |
| Inventory | Inventory Usage | AV | A few additional toggles (AV). |
| Inventory | Shipment Receiving | AV | A few minor label changes (AV). |
| Inventory | Storerooms | AV | Several location fields and toggles |
| Inventory | Price Books | SP | Defines a Price Book for Labor, Items, Services or Tools and on which Customer Agreement they are used. |
| Inventory | Shipments | AV | Used to create shipment requests for the shipment of parts and used in purchase orders and exchange orders. |
| Inventory | UN Numbers | AV | UN numbers are used with the transportation of hazardous materials. |
| Operations | Operating Procedures | HSE | An electronic reference of the key points of standards and procedures. |
| Planning | Regulatory Compliance | HSE | An electronic reference of the key points of a regulation. |
| Planning | Job Plans (CM) | ACM, AV, TP, SP | Several fields from ACM, AV on both main tab and in tasks. ATA Code (Component) and Component Position (TP) appear in several places and on Labor, Materials, Services and Tools. Three other tabs Fees and Charges (SP), Access (ACM) and Zones (ACM). Top tabs include Effectivity (ACM), Customer (SP), Related PMs (ACM), and Related Documents. |
| Planning and Scheduling | Graphical Assignment – MRO Location | AV | Renamed from Graphical Assignment – Repair Facility |
| Preventive Maintenance | Work Packages | ACM | A bundling of work orders of different types for a top-level asset so that work can be performed efficiently when it enters a repair facility. |
| Preventive Maintenance | OMP | AV | An Operator Maintenance Program (OMP) is the agreed maintenance program for a vehicle type. It consists of a series of OMP tasks. |
| Preventive Maintenance | Maintenance Task Library | AV | A list of maintenance task records that have been imported from an external source. They are imported into an OMP. |
| Preventive Maintenance | Master PM (CM) | AV | A template for creating PMs. It is different from standard Master PMs and is based on a Task Number that can be changed. The Master PM is also under revision control. Tabs for Frequency, Planning, Job Plans, OMP, Checks, and Related Documents. |
| Preventive Maintenance | Preventive Maintenance (CM) | ACM, AV | Also based on a Task Number and under revision control with similarities with Master PM with the same tabs. |
| Purchasing | Purchase Requisitions | AV, ACM, TP | Two fields on main tab, Authorized Status (AV) and CM Capability (ACM). PR lines have toggles for different line types (AV), ATA Code (Component) and Component Position (TP) and Warranty (TP). Five Authority fields in table data (AV). |
| Purchasing | Purchase Orders | AV, ACM, TP, HSE | Similar changes to Purchase Requisitions with the addition of Warranty Claims on PO header (TP). PO Lines has additionally Delivery Details (shipping) (AV) and Warranty for Repair (TP). There is a Shipments tab (AV), a Quality tab for defects (HSE) and a Performance tab (AV). |
| Purchasing | Receiving and Inspection | AV, HSE | An application that replaces the Receiving and Shipment Receiving applications for parts (items). Tabs for Quality (HSE) and Performance (AV). It is based on its own record rather than PO. |
| Purchasing | Invoices | TP | Enhanced to handle Warranty (TP). |
| Purchasing | Request for Quotations | AV | RFQ lines have toggles for different line types (AV), ATA Code (Component) and Component Position (TP). |
| Purchasing | Companies | SP, ACM, AV, HSE | Calendar and Shift (ACM), Customer (SP) on main tab. Certifications (ACM), Approval (AV), Quality (HSE) and Performance (AV) tabs. |
| Purchasing | Company Master | ACM | Maintenance Location, Calendar and Shift fields (ACM). |
| Purchasing | Capabilities | ACM | Clone of Qualifications. For capabilities and certificates associated with MRO Locations (ACM). |
| Safety and Quality Management | Audit and Survey | HSE | Out of the box HSE application with Operating Policy and Certification removed as no access to those two applications. |
| Safety and Quality Management | Defects | HSE, SP | Out of the box HSE application with slight layout changes and Impact field missing on main tab due to no access to Benefits and Losses application. Operating Policy missing on Non-Conformance tab for the same reason. Customer field (SP) added to main tab – Context subtab. |
| Security | Security Groups | ACM, SP | Additional tabs for Advanced Data Restrictions (ACM), MRO Locations (ACM) and Customers (SP) |
| Security | Customer Objects | SP | Used to create customer-based security across multiple objects. No additional objects added for ACM or AV applications. |
| Service Desk | Activities and Tasks | SP | The Service Provider version of this application. |
| Service Desk | Service Requests | SP | The Service Provider version of this application. |
| Service Desk | Solutions | SP | The Service Provider version of this application. |
| Service Level | Service level Agreements | SP | The Service Provider version of this application. |
| Service Level | Response Plans | SP | A response plan is applied to a ticket, work order or sales order to automate how to respond to the record and it can be used at different process stages of that record. It can be thought of as an Escalation that runs real-time. |
| Service Level | SLA Breach | SP | When an Service Level Agreement is exceeded a breach can be created and this application is used to respond to that breach. It may result in a financial penalty created via a Sales Order. |
| Service Provider | Customer Agreements | SP | Used to define pricing and billing schedules for services provided to customers but it also handles MRO agreements and Pool agreements. Additional Fleet table added to Scope of Work tab. |
| Service Provider | Customers | SP | Used to define an external customer or an internal customer where one part of the organization provides services to another part. |
| Service Provider | Bill Review | SP | An application used by the customer to review a bill. |
| Service Provider | Customer Billing | SP | The Bill Batch is used in the process of agreeing what can be billed to a customer. It is based on a Customer Agreement and the bill lines originate from tickets, work orders and sales orders, but have their own individual status which is used during the review and approval process. It is not a Sales Invoice, but is the data needed to back-up the creation of a Sales Invoice in another system. |
| Service Provider | Sales Order | SP | Sales orders are used to bill for services not performed on a ticket or work order, for example, management fees, trip charges, SLA penalties and credits, warranty claim credits, project milestones, and IT asset performance fees. |
| System Configuration | Domains | SP | The Service Provider version of this application. |
| System Configuration | Escalations | SP | The Service Provider version of this application. |
| Warranties | Asset Warranty Contracts | TP | Some minor label changes to the application provided by Transportation. |
| Warranties | Item Warranty Contracts | TP | Some minor label changes to the application provided by Transportation. |
| Warranties | Warranty Claims | TP | Some minor label changes to the application provided by Transportation. |
| Work Orders | Work Order Tracking | ACM, AV, TP, SP | The merged application with additional fields mainly on the main tab. The Finance tab is like Customer Billing tab (SP). There are a lot of actions! |
| Work Orders | Findings | AV | A type of ticket used to record any observation and the corrective actions which should follow. You create follow up work orders from Finding records. |
| Work Orders | Labor Reporting | TP | It has the Warranty field (TP) and two Qualification fields (TP). The five additional fields in Labor Reporting (TR), Component, Component Position, Reason for Repair, Work Accomplished and Part Failure are not present. |
| Work Orders | Quick Reporting | ACM, AV, TP | The merged application, Service Provider does not use Quick Reporting. |
| Work Orders | Assignment Manager | TP | As standard but with the Qualification fields (TP). |
| Work Orders | Action Tracking | HSE | It looks the same as the HSE application. |
High Level Application Map
The diagram is my first attempt to create a high-level application map for Complex Assets. The colour coding is based on the add-ons or industry solutions that have been joined together to create Complex Assets, Aviation (AV), Asset Configuration Manager (ACM), Service Provider (SP), Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) and Transport (TP). It is where you might look for functional documentation to understand what that add-on or industry solution might provide.
Each box in the diagram is the application name. There are many more applications as you can tell from the table above, I couldn’t fit in applications associated with the modules Inventory, Purchasing or Contracts. When we look at applications like Assets, Job Plans, Preventive Maintenance and Work Order Tracking you will probably find features that exist in all of the add-ons or industry solutions, so the colour just represents the one which provides the most functionality over Maximo Manage base, I may be wrong.
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