Creating Service Schedules

This article covers how to create each component of a service schedule in Formbird FLEET. For a conceptual overview of how the system works and the different configuration types, see Service Schedules.

All steps below are performed from the PM Service Schedules page. To reach it, open the Configuration dropdown from the Administrator homepage and select PM Service Schedules.

Setup Overview

To configure a service schedule for an asset, complete these steps in order:

1. Create Service Check Questions and Question Categories as needed
2. Create Service Materials as needed
3. Set up Questionnaires as needed
4. Create Service Definitions
5. Create a Service Configuration and assign it to the asset
6. Generate Service Details Documents from the configuration

Step 1 — Create Service Check Questions

Service Check Questions are the individual tasks that appear as a checklist on the PM Service Work Order. Write them as explicit instructions — for example, Inspect air filter, Replace engine oil, or Check tyre pressure.

Question Categories

Question Categories group related checks together on the Work Order checklist. Create your categories before creating check questions.

The Service Check Question Categories panel sits just below the Service Check Questions panel on the PM Service Schedules page. To create a new category, select New Question Category, enter a name, and save.

Creating a Service Check Question

1. On the PM Service Schedules page, scroll to the Service Check Questions panel.
2. Select New Service Check Question.
3. Enter a Name — write it as an explicit instruction.
4. Select a Question Category.
5. Save.

To edit an existing check question, select its name in the Service Check Questions table.

Note: Editing a check question affects every Service Definition that uses it. A set of basic check questions can be added to your environment on request — contact Formbird Support.

Step 2 — Create Service Materials

Service Materials are the expected consumables for a service. They appear on the PM Service Work Order and enable expected vs actual cost comparisons.

Service Materials are managed from the PM Service Schedules page — see Materials for full instructions on creating and editing them.

Step 3 — Set Up Questionnaires

Questionnaires capture additional structured information during a service — for example, tyre inspections, oil sampling, or defect recording. They appear on the PM Service Work Order alongside the check question checklist.

Questionnaires are configured separately from the PM Service Schedules page. Learn more about Special Monitoring and Questionnaires.

Step 4 — Create Service Definitions

A Service Definition combines check questions, materials, and questionnaires into what a service involves, and sets the intervals that determine when it triggers.

Fields

Any changes to checks, materials, or questionnaires on a Service Definition flow through automatically to all linked Service Details Documents and other definitions that inherit from it.

Cloning a Service Definition

The clone button creates a copy of an existing definition with only minor changes needed. This is the recommended approach when building a family of related services (e.g. A, B, C services that share most of their content).

1. Open the Service Definition to clone and select Clone.
2. Make the required changes to the new definition.
3. Save.

Step 5 — Create a Service Configuration

A Service Configuration arranges one or more Service Definitions into a complete schedule for a single asset. For an explanation of Periodic vs Sequential configuration types and when to use each, see Service Schedules Overview.

Periodic

To create a Service Configuration — Periodic:

1. Enter a Configuration Name. Include the Asset ID, make/model, and what the configuration relates to (e.g. OEM, internal safety check).
2. Leave Configuration Status as Active. Set to Cancelled only to cancel an entire existing schedule.
3. Check Secondary Configuration if this is not the first configuration for the asset. The first configuration (typically the OEM schedule) is the Primary — leave the checkbox unticked. Only one Primary is allowed per asset.
4. Select the Asset. This populates related fields from the asset record.
5. Check Adjust Grouped Services if service dates should recalculate when a service is completed early or late. See Service Adjustment.
6. In Group / Interval Based Services, select the applicable Grouped Service Definitions.
7. In Ad-Hoc Services, select any Ad-Hoc Service Definitions.
8. In Order By, select which interval the End At Weeks field will appear against.
9. Check the Include In Service Data boxes for each interval type (time, primary meter, secondary meter, fuel) that this schedule will track.
10. Enter a Base Maintenance Date — the date the schedule should start from. A time-based interval is mandatory.
11. In End At Weeks, enter the expected value at the end of the asset's life (this field appears against the interval selected in Order By).
12. Enter Generation Leads for time (days) and any applicable meters or fuel. Generation leads cause the Service Request to be generated ahead of the actual threshold — giving the workshop advance notice to plan the work.
13. Select Set Schedule to generate a preview of the services. Check that time, primary meter, secondary meter, and fuel values increase proportionally — if the order looks wrong, adjust the intervals.
14. Use Grid Selection Action to refine the schedule:
    • Trim — select a start and end service to remove everything outside that range.
    • Edit — select a specific service and adjust its individual intervals via the dialogue box.
15. Save the configuration. This enables the Generate Services button.
16. Select Generate Services to create the Service Details Documents. The documents appear in the Asset Service Documents panel and on the asset's Maintenance Plan.

Clone and Export

• Clone Configuration — creates a new blank configuration with the same settings and definitions. Use this when multiple assets follow the same schedule.
• Export Configuration — exports the configuration, definitions, checks, and materials for use in another environment.

Sequential

Service Definitions must have For use with Sequential Configuration checked before they appear in a Sequential configuration.

To create a Service Configuration — Sequential:

1. Enter a Configuration Document Name using a consistent convention (Asset ID, make/model, schedule type).
2. Leave Configuration Status as Active. Check Secondary Configuration if applicable (same rules as Periodic above).
3. Select the Asset.
4. In the Select Service Definitions table, select the definitions for this schedule (highlighted in blue when selected). Use the filter options to show All or Selected, and Sequential or All definitions.
5. Check Adjust Services if the next service date should recalculate on completion. See Service Adjustment.
6. Enter a Base Maintenance Date.
7. Enter Generation Leads for time and any applicable meters or fuel.
8. Use Trim and Edit in Grid Selection Action to refine the preview schedule (same as Periodic above).
9. Save the configuration, then select Generate Services.

Master Configurations

When many assets follow the same sequential schedule, create a Master configuration to clone from:

1. Open a new Sequential Service Configuration.
2. In Save Options, select Save As Master.
3. Name it clearly (e.g. Master — Toyota HiLux OEM).
4. Complete and save.

To create a configuration based on the master:

1. Open the master document.
2. Select Clone Configuration.
3. Select the specific asset and adjust as needed.

Getting the Schedule Right

Three tools — Base Maintenance Date, Trim, and Edit — work together to ensure the generated schedule reflects where an asset actually sits in its service life, rather than a theoretical schedule starting from zero. This is especially important when adding an asset that has already been serviced.

Base Maintenance Date

The Base Maintenance Date is the starting point for all schedule calculations. Set it to the date the asset first came into service — or more precisely, the date from which you want the intervals to count. The accuracy of this date directly affects how well the generated schedule aligns with the asset's real service history. If the date is set too recently or too far back, the schedule will be out of step with what has actually been done.

Trimming the Schedule

If an asset has already been serviced one or more times before the configuration is set up in Formbird FLEET, use Trim to remove past services from the schedule. This ensures the generated Service Details Documents only cover services that still need to happen, rather than including services the asset has already had.

When trimming, select the first upcoming service as the start point.

Editing Individual Service Intervals

Edit lets you adjust the intervals of individual services within the schedule. This is useful for aligning a new configuration with the actual service history of the asset — for example, if the asset was being maintained under a previous schedule before Formbird FLEET was introduced, you can shift individual intervals to match where the asset truly sits in its service cycle.

Used together, these three tools let you build a schedule that is accurate from day one.

Note: Build service configurations to cover a longer period than the asset's expected service life. If an asset is kept on longer than planned, a configuration that has run out of Service Details Documents will stop generating Service Requests — and the asset will not be maintained. Extending the schedule well beyond the expected end-of-life provides a safety net.

Step 6 — Generate Service Details Documents

Service Details Documents are generated by the Generate Services step and represent each individual scheduled service in the asset's lifetime. They are what the nightly process checks to determine whether a Service Request should be created.

Each document can be edited independently for one-off adjustments:

Updating the maintenance plan: Re-running Generate Services on a configuration replaces all existing Service Details Documents — it does not merge or update them. Use the Base Maintenance Date and Trim function to ensure the regenerated schedule starts after any services that have already been completed.

Published: May 2026 · Formbird FLEET 4.2.8