Operation vs. Maintenance — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 9, 2024
Operation involves the daily use and management of a system to achieve its intended function, whereas maintenance includes activities to keep the system in good working condition by preventing and addressing issues.
Difference Between Operation and Maintenance
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Operation pertains to the everyday functioning and management of a system, ensuring it meets its intended purpose efficiently. It focuses on achieving performance goals and optimizing productivity. Maintenance, on the other hand, aims to prevent breakdowns and ensure reliability by conducting routine inspections, repairs, and replacements.
In operation, users manage equipment according to specified procedures, ensuring continuous output. Whereas maintenance involves inspecting, servicing, and repairing the equipment to prevent unexpected failures and prolong its lifespan.
Operation often requires skilled personnel who understand the intricacies of system workflows to maximize productivity. Maintenance, in contrast, involves technicians or engineers specializing in identifying wear and tear and implementing preventive strategies to minimize downtime.
Operational roles emphasize immediate performance and may include managing resources, schedules, and quality control. Maintenance roles focus on long-term system health through preventative measures like lubrication, cleaning, and calibration.
In critical industries, operation ensures efficient workflow by maximizing productivity with existing resources. Maintenance provides necessary checks, servicing, and overhauls to ensure equipment operates safely and adheres to regulatory standards.
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Comparison Chart
Focus
Daily management and use
Preventing breakdowns and repairs
Goal
Performance and productivity
Reliability and longevity
Activities
Monitoring, managing workflows
Inspection, servicing, repairing
Personnel Skills
Workflow understanding
Technical troubleshooting
Time Frame
Short-term output optimization
Long-term reliability
Compare with Definitions
Operation
Daily management of machinery.
The operator oversees the operation of all production machines.
Maintenance
Upkeep and repair of equipment.
Routine maintenance was performed on the conveyor belt.
Operation
Executing a specific function or activity.
The plant manager supervises the operation of the assembly line.
Maintenance
Ensuring functionality and reliability.
The IT department handles the maintenance of all computers.
Operation
Military action or mission.
The mission was a covert operation involving multiple teams.
Maintenance
Financial support or sustenance.
The court ordered maintenance for the children of the divorced couple.
Operation
An organized process to achieve an outcome.
The operation successfully completed the product shipment.
Maintenance
Retention of a condition or state.
The government ensures the maintenance of public facilities.
Operation
Running of business activities.
Store operation continues smoothly under new management.
Maintenance
Keeping a system in proper working condition.
The HVAC system requires regular maintenance to run efficiently.
Operation
The act or process of operating or functioning.
Maintenance
The process of preserving a condition or situation or the state of being preserved
Crucial conditions for the maintenance of democratic government
Operation
The state of being operative or functional
A factory in operation.
Maintenance
The provision of financial support for a person's living expenses, or the support so provided
A chance of going to university with fees and maintenance paid
Operation
A process or series of acts involved in a particular form of work
The operation of building a house.
Maintenance
The offence of aiding a party in a legal action without lawful cause.
Operation
An instance or method of efficient, productive activity
That restaurant is quite an operation.
Maintenance
The act of maintaining or the state of being maintained
Nutrients essential to the maintenance of good health.
Operation
An unethical or illegal business
A fencing operation for stolen goods.
Maintenance
The work of keeping something in proper condition; upkeep
Car maintenance.
Operation
(Medicine) A surgical procedure for remedying an injury, ailment, defect, or dysfunction.
Maintenance
Provision of support or livelihood
Took over the maintenance of her family.
Operation
(Mathematics) A process or action, such as addition, substitution, transposition, or differentiation, performed in a specified sequence and in accordance with specific rules.
Maintenance
Means of support or livelihood
Was ordered to pay maintenance for both children.
Operation
A logical operation.
Maintenance
(Law) The wrongful aiding of another in the pursuit or defense of a lawsuit, especially in jurisdictions where nonparties are legally prohibited to provide financial assistance.
Operation
(Computers) An action resulting from a single instruction.
Maintenance
Actions performed to keep some machine or system functioning or in service.
Operation
A military or naval action, campaign, or mission.
Maintenance
(legal) A tort and (in some jurisdictions) an offence committed when a third party who does not have a bona fide interest in a lawsuit provides help or acquires an interest to a litigant's lawsuit.
Operation
Operations The headquarters or center from which a military action, flights into and out of an airfield, or other activities are controlled.
Maintenance
Alimony, a periodical payment or a lump sum made or ordered to be made to a spouse after a divorce.
Operation
Operations The division of an organization that carries out the major planning and operating functions.
Maintenance
(legal) Child support.
Operation
The method by which a device performs its function.
It is dangerous to look at the beam of a laser while it is in operation.
Maintenance
Money required or spent to provide for the needs of a person or a family.
Operation
The method or practice by which actions are done.
Maintenance
(biology) The natural process which keeps an organism alive.
Operation
The act or process of operating; agency; the exertion of power, physical, mechanical, or moral.
Maintenance
The act of maintaining; sustenance; support; defense; vindication.
Whatsoever is granted to the church for God's honor and the maintenance of his service, is granted to God.
Operation
A planned undertaking.
The police ran an operation to get vagrants off the streets.
The Katrina relief operation was considered botched.
Maintenance
That which maintains or supports; means of sustenance; supply of necessaries and conveniences.
Those of better fortune not making learning their maintenance.
Operation
A business or organization.
We run our operation from a storefront.
They run a multinational produce-supply operation.
Maintenance
An officious or unlawful intermeddling in a cause depending between others, by assisting either party with money or means to carry it on. See Champerty.
Operation
(medicine) A surgical procedure.
She had an operation to remove her appendix.
Maintenance
Those actions required for the care of machinery, a building, etc., to keep it clean and in proper functioning condition, and to prevent or forestall damage due to normal use.
Operation
A procedure for generating a value from one or more other values (the operands);
a function which maps zero or more (but typically two) operands to a single output value.
a function which maps zero or more (but typically two) operands to a single output value.
The number of operands associated with an operation is called its arity; an operation of arity 2 is called a binary operation.
Maintenance
Payments, such as child support or alimony, to a dependent child not living with one or to a divorced wife.
Operation
(military) A military campaign (e.g. Operation Desert Storm)
Maintenance
Activity involved in maintaining something in good working order;
He wrote the manual on car care
Operation
(obsolete) Effect produced; influence.
Maintenance
Means of maintenance of a family or group
Operation
The act or process of operating; agency; the exertion of power, physical, mechanical, or moral.
The pain and sickness caused by manna are the effects of its operation on the stomach.
Speculative painting, without the assistance of manual operation, can never attain to perfection.
Maintenance
Court-ordered support paid by one spouse to another after they are separated
Operation
The method of working; mode of action.
Maintenance
The act of sustaining life by food or providing a means of subsistence;
They were in want of sustenance
Fishing was their main sustainment
Operation
That which is operated or accomplished; an effect brought about in accordance with a definite plan; as, military or naval operations.
Operation
Effect produced; influence.
The bards . . . had great operation on the vulgar.
Operation
Something to be done; some transformation to be made upon quantities or mathematical objects, the transformation being indicated either by rules or symbols.
Operation
Any methodical action of the hand, or of the hand with instruments, on the human body, to produce a curative or remedial effect, as in amputation, etc.
Operation
A business especially one run on a large scale;
A large-scale farming operation
A multinational operation
They paid taxes on every stage of the operation
They had to consolidate their operations
Operation
A planned activity involving many people performing various actions;
They organized a rescue operation
The biggest police operation in French history
Running a restaurant is quite an operation
Consolidate the companies various operations
Operation
A process or series of acts especially of a practical or mechanical nature involved in a particular form of work;
The operations in building a house
Certain machine tool operations
Operation
The state of being in effect or being operative;
That rule is no longer in operation
Operation
A medical procedure involving an incision with instruments; performed to repair damage or arrest disease in a living body;
They will schedule the operation as soon as an operating room is available
He died while undergoing surgery
Operation
Activity by a military or naval force (as a maneuver or campaign);
It was a joint operation of the navy and air force
Operation
(computer science) data processing in which the result is completely specified by a rule (especially the processing that results from a single instruction);
It can perform millions of operations per second
Operation
Process or manner of functioning or operating;
The power of its engine determine its operation
The plane's operation in high winds
They compared the cooking performance of each oven
The jet's performance conformed to high standards
Operation
(mathematics) calculation by mathematical methods;
The problems at the end of the chapter demonstrated the mathematical processes involved in the derivation
They were learning the basic operations of arithmetic
Operation
(psychology) the performance of some composite cognitive activity; an operation that affects mental contents;
The process of thinking
The cognitive operation of remembering
Operation
The activity of operating something (a machine or business etc.);
Her smooth operation of the vehicle gave us a surprisingly comfortable ride
Common Curiosities
What types of activities are involved in operation and maintenance?
Operation involves managing workflows and schedules, whereas maintenance includes inspecting, servicing, and repairing equipment.
How do operation and maintenance contribute to business goals?
Operation maximizes daily productivity, while maintenance ensures the reliability of equipment to support ongoing performance.
How does the personnel's skill set differ in operation and maintenance?
Operation personnel specialize in managing workflows, while maintenance personnel are skilled in technical troubleshooting.
Does maintenance always follow operation activities?
No, maintenance can be both preventive and corrective, occurring before, during, or after operation depending on the needs.
Can operation and maintenance be performed by the same personnel?
In some cases, yes, but specialized personnel typically handle these separately due to different skills and knowledge required.
What is corrective maintenance?
Corrective maintenance addresses issues after they occur, repairing or replacing components to restore proper operation.
How does automation affect the relationship between operation and maintenance?
Automation often simplifies operation but requires more advanced maintenance skills to handle complex system diagnostics.
Do different industries have unique operation and maintenance needs?
Yes, specific industries require tailored operation and maintenance strategies due to varying equipment and safety requirements.
What is the primary focus of operation compared to maintenance?
Operation focuses on efficient use and management, while maintenance focuses on the prevention and repair of issues.
Why is preventive maintenance important?
Preventive maintenance helps identify potential issues early, preventing sudden breakdowns and ensuring the equipment runs efficiently.
Is there a difference in safety concerns between operation and maintenance?
Yes, operation focuses on safe workflow management, while maintenance must consider the safety of handling tools and machinery.
Is there a difference in the time frame between operation and maintenance activities?
Operation is generally short-term, ensuring continuous productivity, whereas maintenance is long-term, aiming at equipment longevity.
How does maintenance impact the cost of operations?
Effective maintenance can reduce operational costs by minimizing downtime and preventing costly equipment breakdowns.
How can digital technology improve both operation and maintenance?
Digital technology can streamline operations through workflow automation and enhance maintenance via predictive analytics and monitoring.
Can predictive maintenance impact operational efficiency?
Yes, predictive maintenance can improve operational efficiency by using data to anticipate issues and schedule timely repairs.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
