The advancement of maintenance information technology: A literature review

Maintenance management information technology (MMIT) systems have existed for some 40 years. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the advancement of these systems and compares the development of MMIT with other corporate information technology (IT) systems.

This paper is a literature study of 97 scientific papers within the topic of MMIT in the period 1988 to 2003. Additional readings have been made in books covering MMIT.

The paper finds that the focus of MMIT has changed in several aspects during the 40 years that have been investigated; from technology to use; from maintenance function to maintenance as an integrated part of the business; from supporting reactive maintenance to proactive maintenance; and from operative to strategic maintenance considerations. Advancements in MMIT have in general followed the development of corporate IT.

Further studies to cover application‐specific development, for instance the use of decision support systems within maintenance management and to cover literature after 2003, are of interest.

Knowledge about the development of MMIT adds to the understanding of today's computer applications for maintenance management, which is crucial for every maintenance manager using or purchasing MMIT. The findings could be used as a means to identify the future trends of MMIT, as well as possibilities and problems with the new technology, tools, techniques and methods.

Papers dealing with the development of maintenance management IT are scarce and this paper represents the first full review of MMIT so far.