How to Perform Corrective Maintenance in Odoo 18: Complete Guide
By Braincuber Team
Published on February 26, 2026
Odoo 18's Maintenance module handles both preventive and corrective maintenance tasks to help businesses keep their equipment running, reduce breakdowns, and boost output. Corrective maintenance is unscheduled maintenance carried out after equipment has malfunctioned or failed. Unlike preventive maintenance which is planned ahead of time, corrective maintenance kicks in when a problem is identified, and a maintenance request must be created to fix or restore the equipment to working order.
What You'll Learn:
- Preventive vs Corrective maintenance differences
- Installing and setting up the Maintenance module
- Creating and configuring new equipment
- Raising corrective maintenance requests
- Tracking maintenance stages (New Request, In Progress, Repaired)
- Understanding Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) calculation
- Estimating next failure dates automatically
Preventive vs Corrective Maintenance
Odoo 18 provides two primary maintenance options. Understanding the difference is critical before setting up your workflows:
| Aspect | Preventive Maintenance | Corrective Maintenance |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | Planned ahead of time | After breakdown or failure |
| Goal | Prevent equipment breakdowns | Fix or restore failed equipment |
| Trigger | Time-based or consumption-based schedules | User or technician identifies a problem |
| Best For | Critical equipment that must never fail | Non-critical equipment, cost-effective approach |
Advantages of Corrective Maintenance
Corrective maintenance offers several practical advantages, especially for non-critical assets:
Reduced Initial Costs
No regular checks or upfront preparation needed. Action is only necessary when an issue arises, making it easy to manage.
Fast Restoration
Restores operations by resolving problems as soon as they arise, minimizing extended downtime windows.
Optimizes Equipment Use
Equipment is utilized until it breaks, potentially releasing its full potential. No over-maintenance or unnecessary interventions.
Immediate Problem Identification
Failures highlight exactly which problems require attention. Reduced resources required until failure, no need for regular scheduling.
Installing the Maintenance Module
Before scheduling or monitoring maintenance tasks, you must install the Maintenance module in Odoo 18:
Navigate to the Apps Menu
Open the main Odoo dashboard and click on the Apps menu from the top navigation.
Search for Maintenance
Type "Maintenance" in the search bar and locate the Maintenance module.
Click Install
Click the Install button. After installation, you can begin creating schedules and maintenance requests.
Creating New Equipment
Before raising corrective maintenance requests, you need to register the equipment in the system. Equipment records contain all the information needed for tracking, maintenance scheduling, and failure analysis.
Step-by-Step: Adding Equipment
Open Equipment Menu
Go to the Equipment menu and choose either Workcenters or Equipment from the list. The kanban view shows all existing equipment.
Enter Equipment Details
Click New, enter the equipment name (e.g., "Drill Machine"), select the Category (e.g., "Furniture Tools"), and set Used by as Department, Employee, or Others.
Assign Maintenance Team
Assign the Maintenance Team, Technician, Used in Location, and Workcenter for proper routing of maintenance requests.
Equipment Configuration Tabs
| Tab | Fields | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Product Information | Vendor Name, Vendor Reference, Model, Serial Number | Product identification and traceability |
| Dates | Effective Date, Warranty Expiration Date | When equipment becomes effective and warranty period |
| Cost | Product Cost | Asset value tracking |
| Maintenance | Expected MTBF, Mean Time Between Failures, Estimated Next Failure, Latest Failure, Mean Time to Repair | Failure prediction and maintenance scheduling |
Raising a Corrective Maintenance Request
When a piece of equipment malfunctions or exhibits a defect, a corrective maintenance request must be created to track and resolve the issue.
Creating the Request
Open Maintenance Request Menu
Click on the Maintenance Request menu. You will see the existing maintenance stages displayed as columns.
Fill in Request Details
Click New, add a request description (e.g., "Check the Equipment"), then fill in: Created By, Equipment, Requested Date, Team, Responsible Person, Scheduled Date, Duration, Priority, and Company.
Set Maintenance Type to Corrective
Under Maintenance Type, choose Corrective. The request starts in New Request stage. Move it to In Progress when work begins, then to Repaired when done.
Maintenance Request Stages
New Request
The initial stage when the request is first created. The maintenance team has been notified but work has not yet started.
In Progress
Change to this stage when the maintenance process starts. The technician is actively diagnosing and repairing the equipment.
Repaired
Final stage after maintenance is complete. Equipment is back in working order. MTBF data is automatically updated.
Understanding MTBF Calculation
After completing a corrective maintenance request, the system automatically updates the equipment's Maintenance tab with calculated failure data. Understanding these calculations helps predict future failures and plan resources.
MTBF = Days between Effective Date and Latest Failure / Number of Failures
Estimated Next Failure = Latest Failure + Expected MTBF
Equipment: Drill Machine
Effective Date: 07/01/2025
Expected MTBF: 30 days
Latest Failure: 07/28/2025 (27 days, 1 failure)
MTBF = 27 / 1 = 27 days
Next Failure = 07/28/2025 + 30 = 08/24/2025
Auto-Update Note
After completing a corrective maintenance request, go back to the same equipment and check the Maintenance tab. The Mean Time Between Failure, Estimated Next Failure, and Latest Failure fields are automatically recalculated and updated based on the completed request.
Maintenance Request Fields Reference
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Request Description | Short description of the maintenance issue |
| Created By | User who raised the request |
| Equipment | The equipment requiring maintenance |
| Requested Date | Date the request was raised |
| Team | Maintenance team assigned to handle the request |
| Responsible | Technician or employee responsible for the work |
| Scheduled Date | Planned date for the maintenance work |
| Duration | Expected time to complete the maintenance |
| Priority | Urgency level of the request |
| Maintenance Type | Preventive or Corrective |
| Company | Company associated with the request |
Need Help Setting Up Odoo 18 Maintenance?
Our experts can help you configure equipment records, set up corrective and preventive maintenance workflows, calculate MTBF, and optimize your entire maintenance operations.