Development of a web based maintenance management system at Uganda Air Force College Workshop

Abstract

Uganda Air Force College (UAFC) established a maintenance workshop in 2009 to address skilled manpower demands, improve serviceability, efficiency and effectiveness in executing tasks. However, the workshop faces challenges in scheduling maintenance tasks, misdiagnosis of failures, unnecessary replacement of avionics equipment and delays are witnessed due to a manual system. This has contributed to operational inefficiency below the recommended serviceability level of 75%, high costs of maintenance, reduction in equipment reliability as a result aircraft crash and loss of life may occur. The case study was at UAFC workshop whose main objective was to develop a web-based maintenance management system guided by four specific objectives; to determine the causes of inefficiency and losses, determine requirements of the system for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the maintenance functions, design and develop a web-based maintenance management system, and evaluate the developed system. To achieve the objectives, design science approach was used to develop the system, consecutive sampling technique to select participants and collected data using interviews, questionnaires, reviewed documents, and existing literature on internet. The findings of the study included; 60% of maintenance tasks at UAFC are scheduled, equipment failure rate is between 30- 40%, 60% of respondents acknowledged that UAFC college does not have CMMS, 90% of communication is by word of mouth and UAFC implements PM and PDM strategies. The web-based system is accessed via https://automation.evently.app/ installed on a cloud server employing features that digitize maintenance scheduling, inventory management, work orders, job card generation and monitoring, issuing reports and alerts on 24/7 availability level. The designed model is recommended to be adopted at UAFC workshop as a strategy to digitize maintenance functions; hence, improve efficiency and effectiveness in executing maintenance tasks.