Resources / Template guide: Backlog tracker

Backlog Tracker

Safety: Educational overview only. Always follow your site's procedures, permits and applicable regulations.

Template: Backlog Tracker (Mechanical + Instrumentation & Electrical (I&E)) Date: October 25, 2026 Publisher: The Planner's Bench Files: backlog-tracker.csv (the tracker) and this README.

Source keys: [S#] and [map X] are public sources, listed with their URLs under Sources at the end.

Purpose

Use this tracker to see your maintenance backlog by craft and status: what's waiting on planning, on parts, on a permit or outage, and what's ready to schedule. It's a working view built from your notification and order lists in SAP Plant Maintenance (SAP PM). The system stays the record.

How to use

Before you start: open the CSV (comma-separated values) file in Excel or Google Sheets, and delete the "Header note" rows at the top before you sort or import.

  1. Extract the backlog. Pull open notifications (e.g., IW29) and open orders (e.g., IW39 or IW37N) for your planner group. How you export the list depends on your system and site.
  2. One row per order (or per notification, if no order exists yet). Fill in the Status column using the status values below, or your site's own.
  3. Mark what's blocking. For anything not ready, fill in Waiting on and the expected date it clears.
  4. Flag outage work. Mark work that needs a unit outage or turnaround (Outage needed = Unit outage / Turnaround), so it's tracked separately from work that can be done online.
  5. Add PM due dates. For preventive maintenance (PM) orders, enter the due date from the maintenance plan call (e.g., IP24) so late PMs show up.
  6. Review weekly before the scheduling meeting. Move ready work to the Weekly Scheduling Board.
  7. Your site's procedures, priority scheme and definitions override this template.

Fields

Column Field Meaning Related SAP transaction or field Source
A Row type "Example data" for sample rows; blank for your rows none, sheet control n/a
B Notification no. Notification that requested the work IW21, Create PM Notification - General; IW29, Display Notifications (list) [map I] [map E] [S11]
C Order no. Maintenance work order (blank if not created yet) IW31, Create Order; IW39, Display PM Orders (list) [map I] [map E] [S11]
D Equipment / FL Equipment or functional location (FL) IE03, Display Equipment; IL03, Display Functional Location [map B]
E Description Short text of the job Notification / order short text [S11]
F Discipline Mechanical, Instrumentation, Electrical, Multi-craft none, planning field n/a
G Work center Main craft work center IR03, Display Work Center [map B]
H Order type PM (preventive), corrective, etc., per site types Order header [S11]
I Priority Priority per site scheme Notification / order priority [S11]
J Created date Date the notification or order was created Notification / order header [S11]
K Required by Required end date or PM due date Order basic dates; plan call dates via IP24, Scheduling Overview List Display [map G] [S10]
L Estimated hrs Planned labor hours (people × duration), total for the order Order operations [S11] [S19]
M Status Backlog status (see status values above) System status / user status vary by site [S13]
N Waiting on What's blocking: planning, materials, permit, outage, engineering, other none, tracking field n/a
O Materials status Not needed / In stock / Purchase requisition (PR) raised / On order / Received MMBE, Stock Overview; ME51N, Create Purchase Requisition [map D] [map J] [S12]
P PR / PO no. Purchase requisition or purchase order (PO) number ME51N [map J] [S12]
Q Expected clear date When the blocker is expected to clear none, tracking field n/a
R Outage needed Online / Unit outage / Turnaround none, planning field n/a
S Age (days) Today minus Created date (calculate in your sheet) none, calculated n/a
T Notes Anything the scheduler or supervisor needs to know none n/a

Summary views (build with filters or a pivot table):

  • Hours by status and work center. Total Estimated hrs per work center, split by Status.
  • Late PMs. PM orders where Required by is before today and Status isn't complete. PM compliance definitions vary. [S21] summarizes one industry definition (secondary source; original is paywalled).
  • Outage list. All rows with Outage needed = Unit outage or Turnaround, as an input to turnaround scope (see the Turnaround track outline).

Craft notes: Mechanical backlog often has more items waiting on materials and outages (seals, bearings, exchanger work). I&E backlog often has items waiting on bypass approval, electrical isolation windows or vendor support (analyzers, relays). Track Instrumentation and Electrical as separate work centers if your site does.

Worked example

backlog-tracker.csv contains rows labeled "Example data" covering each status, Mechanical and Instrumentation & Electrical (I&E) work, and one turnaround item. "SIF" means safety instrumented function and "MCC" means motor control center. All numbers, dates and tags are fictional and illustrative.

Confidentiality

Built from public sources (listed below) and general industry knowledge only. It contains no employer or client documents, procedures, data, equipment tags, site names or branding. All example data is made up.

Disclaimer

Adapt to your site's SAP configuration and procedures. Not affiliated with or endorsed by SAP SE.

© 2026 Walker United Group LLC. The Planner's Bench is a brand of Walker United Group LLC.

SAP and SAP PM are trademarks of SAP SE. Educational content only. Follow your site's procedures and applicable codes and standards.

Sources

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