Work Management Items (WMIs)

About Work Management Items (WMI)

Work Management Items (WMIs) represent the work that should be completed when the Implementation Package is implemented. Throughout the documentation, we refer to them as work management items (WMIs) because they can belong to any family. Before you can create work items in a particular family, the corresponding Work Management Item Definition records and Work Management Item Child Definition records must exist. Each Work Management Item Definition record contains a family ID, which identifies a family to which work items can belong.

APM delivers a baseline set of Work Management Item Definition and Work Management Item Child Definitions to allow you to create work items in certain baseline families. For example, APM delivers a Work Management Item Definition whose family ID is Maintenance Item, which allows you to add Maintenance Items to an Implementation Package. You can also create your own Work Management Item Definitions so that you can create work items in other families.

After you add a work item to an Implementation Package, the work item is linked either directly or indirectly to the root Implementation Package record. Work items can also be linked to one another and arranged hierarchically in the tree on the Packaging <Package ID> page according to these relationships. Beyond defining the family of the work items that you want to create, you will, therefore, need to define where in this hierarchy they can exist. To do so, you will need to:

  • Configure the appropriate relationship definitions via the Configuration Manager.

    -and-

  • Create the appropriate Work Management Item Definition and Work Management Item Child Definition records via the APM Framework.

On the Packaging <Package ID> page, the options that appear in the tree and on the Packaging Tasks menu are dynamic, meaning that they change based upon the current selection in the tree. The options that are available are based upon the way in which you have configured the hierarchy.

Throughout this documentation, we describe the hierarchy that appears on the Packaging <Package ID> page using the terms predecessor record and successor record. In this context:

  • A predecessor is any work item to which another work item can be linked.
  • A successor is any work item that is linked to a predecessor work item.

About Deleting a WMI

When you delete a WMI from an implementation package:

  • The following objects in SAP are deleted:
    • Operations
    • Maintenance package
    • Object lists under maintenance items
  • The following objects in SAP are not deleted:
    • Maintenance plan
    • Maintenance item
    • Task lists

    These objects are not deleted because SAP does not support deleting these objects via the ABAP code. SAP, however, allows objects to be flagged as deleted.

About the Maintain Object List

When using the Maintain Object List feature, the APM system searches the Actions that are associated with the selected Maintenance Item record and any Operation record to which it is linked. If those Actions belong to an underlying Asset Strategy that is linked to an Equipment record, one Object List Item record will be created for each of those underlying Equipment records.

This feature ensures that your Object List Item records are always in sync with the actions that are currently part of the Implementation Package. In general, you should use this feature before packaging any Implementation Package.

For example, suppose an Implementation Package contains the following Asset Strategies with the following Actions.

Asset StrategyEquipmentAction
Asset Strategy 1Equipment 100Overhaul every 5 years
Inspect every 1 month
Asset Strategy 2Equipment 200Overhaul every 2 years
Inspect every 1 month
Asset Strategy 3Equipment 300Overhaul every 3 years
Inspect every 1 month
If you were to associate all of these Actions with a Maintenance Item record, when you selected that Maintenance Item record and then selected the Maintain button, the following Object List Item records would be created automatically:
  • Equipment 100
  • Equipment 200
  • Equipment 300

In other words, one Object list Item record is created for each unique underlying Equipment record.

Note: When you select the Maintain button, the APM system not only creates Object List Item records but also deletes Object List Item records when appropriate (e.g., an Action has been disassociated from a Maintenance Item record since the Object List Item record was last created).

Create a Work Management Item (WMI)

Procedure

  1. Access an existing ASI package.
  2. In the pane, in the WMI tree for the package, select the parent item under which you want to add the new WMI.

    The datasheet for the selected WMI appears.

    Note: The options for which WMI types can be added depend on which node you have selected in the tree. Any WMI type can be added at the root node (for example, the ASI Package tab).
  3. Select , and then select the WMI type that you want to add under the parent you selected.
    The datasheet for the new WMI appears.
  4. As needed, enter values in the available fields, and then select .

    The WMI is created and added to the package, and it appears in the WMI tree. The icon appears next to the WMI to signify that it was added since the package was last implemented.

Copy and Paste a Work Management Item (WMI)

Before You Begin

Enable copying the WMI that you want to copy.

Procedure

  1. Access an existing ASI package.
  2. In the pane, in the WMI tree for the package, select the WMI that you want to copy.
    The workspace for the selected WMI appears.
  3. In the WMI tree, select .
    The WMI is copied.
    Note: While enabling copying the WMI, if you entered any fields in the Fields to be ignored while copy paste box, they will not be copied.
  4. Select the root node or the node in the tree to which you want to paste the WMI, and then select .
    A message appears, confirming that the WMI has been pasted, and the WMI appears in the WMI tree. The icon appears next to the WMI to signify that it was added since the package was last implemented.
    Note: There are limitations on which WMI types can be added at certain locations in the tree. Any WMI type can be added at the root node (for example, the ASI Package tab).

Manage a Maintenance Package from a Task List

About This Task

You can manage maintenance packages in bulk from their related Task List records and the Maintenance Packages window.

Procedure

  1. Access an existing ASI package.
  2. In the pane, in the WMI tree for the package, select the task list whose related maintenance packages you want to manage.
    The workspace for the selected task list appears.
  3. In the workspace, select Manage Maintenance Packages.
    The Maintenance Packages window appears, displaying the maintenance packages in a bulk data grid.
  4. Select the check box for each interval that you want to associate with the corresponding operation.
    Maintenance Package records are created in the WMI tree under the corresponding operation for each interval that you selected.
    Note: If you clear a check box, the corresponding Maintenance Package record will disappear from the WMI tree.

Delete a Work Management Item (WMI)

Procedure

  1. Access an existing ASI package.
  2. In the pane, in the WMI tree for the package, select the WMI that you want to delete.
    The workspace for the selected WMI appears.
  3. In the WMI tree for the package, in the pane, select .
    Note: For WMIs that have been deleted, the button appears instead of the button. Selecting the button will undo deletion of the WMI.

    A message appears, asking you to confirm that you want to delete the WMI.

  4. Select Yes.
    The WMI is deleted.
    Note: In the tree, the icon appears next to the WMI to signify that it has been deleted. When the package is implemented again, the WMI will be deleted, and the corresponding item in the SAP system will be deleted.

Results

  • The following objects in SAP will be deleted:
    • Operations
    • Maintenance package
    • Object lists under maintenance items
  • The following objects in SAP will not be deleted:
    • Maintenance plan
    • Maintenance item
    • Task lists

Synchronize Equipment or Functional Location Field in a Task List

Procedure

  1. Access an existing ASI package.
  2. In the pane, in the WMI tree for the package, select the maintenance item node representing the record that is linked to the task list whose equipment or functional location field you want to synchronize.
    The workspace for that maintenance item appears, displaying the datasheet in the Details section of the record.
  3. In the workspace, select Synchronize.
    The reference objects are synchronized.

Results

  • If the maintenance item contains a value in the Functional Location or Equipment field, the value is copied to the Functional Location or Equipment field in the task list.
  • The field in the Task List record, to which the value was copied, is disabled, ensuring that the two values will never be different.
Note: If you later decide to create a general task list from this task list, you can remove the value from the Equipment or Functional Location field in the maintenance item, which will cause it to be removed automatically from the task list.

Maintain Object Lists

The Maintain Object List feature ensures that Object List Item records are always in sync with the actions that are currently part of the Implementation Package.

Procedure

  1. Access an existing ASI package.
  2. In the pane, in the WMI tree for the package, select the maintenance item node representing the record whose object list item you want to maintain.
    The workspace for that maintenance item appears, displaying the datasheet in the Details section of the record.
  3. In the workspace, select Maintain.
    The selected object list is maintained.