How can the quality of maintenance contracts be improved/redesigned using digitalization?

The Strategic Decision Area (SDA) assigned is “Maintenance,” based on the views of various students who reflected on how Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH) and systems thinking can enhance the understanding and management of operational complexities. Students have shared their insights on how these approaches can help manage the complexities of operations. Based on the analysis of Pre -Course Survey findings and group talks, it is evident that maintenance is viewed as a crucial element in guaranteeing the seamless operation of organizational activities, prioritizing the improvement of processes, increasing effectiveness, and simplifying workflows via digital transformation. Student Perspectives on Maintenance: Understanding maintenance from the students’ perspectives reveals that it is not just about fixing or preserving systems but involves aligning operational objectives with strategic goals. For example, Monica discusses the importance of digital technologies in modernizing mining operations, which directly influences maintenance by making processes more efficient and cost-effective. Similarly, Maxwell’s view ties maintenance to data-driven decision-making, where scheduling and resource allocation are optimized through digital solutions. Role of Maintenance in Digital Transformation: Maintenance, as and SDA also plays a crucial part in aiding digital transformation initiatives in various industries. It guarantees that all operational systems stay operational, trustworthy, and flexible to change, which is especially important within the group’s overall focus on “digitizing operations.” One example is when a student pointing out how automating the value chain can improve operational efficiency by integrating maintenance with digital tools, which reduces errors and allows resources to focus on strategic tasks. Bidirectional Influence of Maintenance and Digital Operations: Maintenance has a bidirectional impact on the group’s SDA theme, “Maintenance and Digital Operations.” Maintenance practices guarantee that operational continuity and performance are maintained, but the adoption of digital operations is changing how maintenance is carried out. Digital technologies including IoT, automation, and data analytics offer predictive maintenance abilities, enabling companies to tackle possible problems beforehand rather than after they occur. Thus, maintenance upholds operational integrity to support digital transformation, while digitalization improves maintenance by increasing predictability, efficiency, and strategic planning. Scholarly Articles: Recent scholarly articles emphasize the integration of digital tools and advanced methodologies to enhance maintenance practices. Introna and Santolamazza (2024) highlight strategic maintenance planning using digitalization for better asset performance. Dui et al. (2024) focus on optimizing maintenance strategies with AI and IoT. A 2021 review covers various paradigms for selecting maintenance strategies and evaluates how strategic decision-making for maintenance types can impact organizations. A 2021 article outlines developing smart maintenance strategies with digital tools. Thes studies highlights the importance of digital transformation in modernizing maintenance with the goal of improving operational efficiency.