Version: 2.0 | Status: Ready for Stakeholder Review | Last Updated: 2026-01-15
Change Log
| Version | Date | Changes |
|---|
| 2.0 | 2026-01-15 | Converted to business-focused format with measurable outcomes and success metrics |
| 1.0 | Initial | Technical implementation specification |
1. Overview
1.1 Purpose
The Vehicle Maintenance & Reminders system enables rental fleet operators to proactively manage vehicle maintenance schedules through automated tracking and email notifications, supporting both time-based and distance-based maintenance intervals.
1.2 Problem Statement
Rental fleet operators struggle to track maintenance schedules across their entire fleet, leading to:
- Missed maintenance deadlines resulting in vehicle breakdowns
- Increased operational costs from emergency repairs
- Revenue loss from unexpected vehicle downtime
- Safety risks from poorly maintained vehicles
- Manual tracking overhead and human error
- Inability to plan maintenance in advance
1.3 Business Value
| Value Area | Measurable Outcome | Target | Timeframe |
|---|
| Reduce Unplanned Downtime | Decrease emergency repair incidents through proactive maintenance alerts | 50% reduction in emergency repairs | 6 months post-launch |
| Extend Vehicle Lifespan | Increase average vehicle service life through consistent maintenance tracking | 15% longer service life | 12 months |
| Optimize Maintenance Costs | Reduce repair costs by scheduling preventive maintenance during low-demand periods | 25% reduction in per-vehicle maintenance costs | 6 months |
| Improve Safety Compliance | Achieve zero missed critical safety maintenance items | 100% on-time safety maintenance | 3 months |
| Scale Fleet Operations | Eliminate manual spreadsheet tracking overhead | 10+ hours/week saved per operator | 3 months |
| Historical Tracking | Complete maintenance records for resale value and warranty claims | 100% documentation coverage | Immediate |
1.4 Target Users
| User Role | Business Context | Primary Value |
|---|
| Fleet Managers (Admins) | Oversee maintenance operations across all vehicles | Visibility into fleet health, cost analysis, compliance oversight |
| Operators | Manage day-to-day vehicle maintenance scheduling | Automated tracking, reduced manual work, timely service scheduling |
| Maintenance Teams | Execute maintenance tasks | Clear notifications, vehicle information access, service history |
1.5 Scope
In Scope:
- Template-based reminder creation for reusable maintenance types
- Time-based reminders (days from setup date)
- Distance-based reminders (kilometers or engine hours from baseline)
- Hybrid reminders (both time AND distance triggers)
- Multi-tier notification system (first warning, second warning, custom threshold)
- Multiple email recipients per reminder
- Automatic status calculation (active, upcoming, expired)
- Maintenance history tracking with cost, supplier, and documentation
- Vehicle-type-specific templates
- Scheduled background job for status computation and notifications
Out of Scope:
- Integration with external maintenance management systems
- Automatic scheduling with service providers
- Predictive maintenance using vehicle telemetry
- Mobile push notifications (email only)
- SMS notifications
- Maintenance task checklists or procedures
- Parts inventory management
2. Success Metrics
| Metric | Definition | Baseline | Target | Measurement Method |
|---|
| Emergency Repair Rate | Emergency repairs per vehicle per year | Current fleet data | -50% | Maintenance cost categorization |
| Maintenance On-Time Rate | % of maintenance completed before due date | Manual estimate: 60% | 95% | System status tracking |
| Safety Compliance Rate | % of safety-critical maintenance completed on time | Audit records | 100% | Reminder expiration reports |
| Manual Tracking Hours | Hours spent on spreadsheet maintenance tracking | Time study: 12 hrs/week | <2 hrs/week | Operator survey |
| Notification Response Time | Average time from notification to maintenance scheduling | N/A (new capability) | <48 hours | Email click-to-completion tracking |
| Documentation Coverage | % of maintenance with complete cost/supplier records | Current: 40% | 95% | History record completeness audit |
| Average Vehicle Service Life | Months of active service per vehicle | Current fleet average | +15% | Vehicle lifecycle analysis |
| Per-Vehicle Maintenance Cost | Annual maintenance cost per vehicle | Current cost data | -25% | Accounting integration |
Measurement Framework:
- Baseline Period: 30-day pre-implementation measurement
- Sources: Maintenance records, accounting data, operator surveys, system analytics
- Review Cadence: Monthly for first 6 months, quarterly thereafter
3. User Stories
Admin Stories
| Priority | Story | Acceptance Criteria |
|---|
| P0 | As an Admin, I want to create reusable reminder templates so operators can quickly apply common maintenance schedules | Templates appear in grid view; can filter by vehicle type; include time and/or distance intervals |
| P0 | As an Admin, I want to view all active reminders across the fleet so I can plan maintenance capacity | Dashboard shows all reminders with status badges; sortable by due date; filterable by status |
| P1 | As an Admin, I want to track maintenance costs and history so I can analyze fleet economics | Cost reports available by vehicle, time period, and maintenance type |
| P2 | As an Admin, I want to specify vehicle types for templates so only relevant reminders appear for each vehicle | Template vehicle type filter works correctly |
| P2 | As an Admin, I want custom icons for reminder types for visual identification | Custom icons display in grid and vehicle views |
Operator Stories
| Priority | Story | Acceptance Criteria |
|---|
| P0 | As an Operator, I want to apply reminder templates to vehicles so maintenance tracking starts immediately | One-click template application; system captures current odometer automatically |
| P0 | As an Operator, I want to receive email notifications when maintenance is approaching | Emails received at configured thresholds; contain vehicle link and reminder details |
| P0 | As an Operator, I want to record maintenance completion with supplier details and cost | History record saved; appears in vehicle maintenance history |
| P1 | As an Operator, I want to set both time and distance intervals for critical maintenance | Hybrid reminders trigger on either condition |
| P1 | As an Operator, I want to see at a glance which vehicles have upcoming or expired maintenance | Visual status indicators (amber for upcoming, red for expired) |
| P2 | As an Operator, I want to add multiple email recipients to reminders | All specified recipients receive notifications |
Maintenance Team Stories
| Priority | Story | Acceptance Criteria |
|---|
| P0 | As a Maintenance Team member, I want to receive email notifications with vehicle details and direct links | Email contains vehicle name, reminder type, clickable link |
| P1 | As a Maintenance Team member, I want escalating notifications so urgent items don’t get overlooked | First notification at 30 days/2000km; second at 10 days/500km |
| P1 | As a Maintenance Team member, I want to view maintenance history | Chronological history with date, cost, supplier, files |
4. Functional Requirements
4.1 Reminder Template Management
| ID | Requirement | Business Outcome |
|---|
| FR-4.1.1 | System must allow creation of reminder templates with name, vehicle type filter, time interval, and distance interval | Fleet managers can standardize maintenance schedules across similar vehicles |
| FR-4.1.2 | System must support soft deletion of templates to preserve historical references | Audit trail maintained for compliance |
| FR-4.1.3 | System must allow template editing without affecting existing vehicle reminders | Changes to standards don’t disrupt current schedules |
4.2 Vehicle-Specific Reminders
| ID | Requirement | Business Outcome |
|---|
| FR-4.2.1 | System must allow creation of vehicle-specific reminders with time-based, distance-based, or hybrid intervals | All maintenance types supported regardless of usage patterns |
| FR-4.2.2 | System must automatically capture current odometer/engine hours when creating a reminder | Accurate baselines without manual data entry |
| FR-4.2.3 | System must support activation/deactivation of reminders without deletion | Flexibility to pause and resume tracking |
4.3 Status Calculation
| ID | Requirement | Business Outcome |
|---|
| FR-4.3.1 | System must automatically compute reminder status as Active, Upcoming (within 7 days/100km), or Expired | Operators can prioritize work effectively |
| FR-4.3.2 | System must update status via scheduled background job | Accurate real-time status without manual intervention |
| FR-4.3.3 | For hybrid reminders, system must mark as Expired if either time OR distance threshold is exceeded | Critical maintenance never missed due to unexpected high usage |
4.4 Notification System
| ID | Requirement | Business Outcome |
|---|
| FR-4.4.1 | System must send multi-tier email notifications: first at 30 days/2000km, second at 10 days/500km before due | Escalating alerts ensure attention before maintenance is overdue |
| FR-4.4.2 | System must support custom notification thresholds per reminder | Flexibility for different maintenance urgency levels |
| FR-4.4.3 | System must support multiple email recipients per reminder | Entire maintenance team stays informed |
| FR-4.4.4 | System must send each notification type only once per reminder lifecycle | Prevent notification fatigue |
| FR-4.4.5 | Notification emails must include vehicle name with direct link, reminder type, and company branding | Recipients can act immediately |
4.5 Maintenance History
| ID | Requirement | Business Outcome |
|---|
| FR-4.5.1 | System must allow recording of completed maintenance with date, cost, supplier, description, and supporting files | Complete audit trail for compliance, warranty, resale |
| FR-4.5.2 | System must display history in chronological order | Easy reference for service history |
| FR-4.5.3 | Recording completion must NOT automatically reset the parent reminder | Manual control over reminder lifecycle |
4.6 User Interface
| ID | Requirement | Business Outcome |
|---|
| FR-4.6.1 | Settings page must provide reminder templates management with grid view | Fleet managers can manage standards efficiently |
| FR-4.6.2 | Vehicle detail page must display reminders with status badges and time/distance remaining | Operators see vehicle health at a glance |
| FR-4.6.3 | System must provide visual status indicators: amber for upcoming, red for expired | Immediate visual prioritization |
5. Acceptance Criteria
AC-5.1 Template Application
- Given a vehicle and an applicable reminder template
- When operator applies the template
- Then reminder is created with current odometer as baseline and status calculation begins immediately
AC-5.2 Time-Based Status Calculation
- Given a reminder with 30-day interval set up today
- When 25 days have passed
- Then status shows “upcoming” with 5 days remaining
- When 30 days have passed
- Then status shows “expired”
AC-5.3 Distance-Based Status Calculation
- Given a reminder set up at 1000km with 500km interval
- When vehicle odometer reaches 1400km
- Then status shows “upcoming” with 100km remaining
- When odometer reaches 1500km
- Then status shows “expired”
AC-5.4 Hybrid Reminder
- Given a reminder with both 30-day and 500km intervals
- When either threshold is exceeded (whichever comes first)
- Then status changes to “expired”
AC-5.5 Multi-Tier Notifications
- Given an active reminder approaching due date
- When 30 days/2000km threshold reached
- Then first notification email sent to all recipients
- When 10 days/500km threshold reached
- Then second notification email sent
- And each notification sent exactly once
AC-5.6 Maintenance History Recording
- Given an operator completing maintenance
- When they record completion with date, cost, and supplier
- Then history record is saved and visible in vehicle maintenance history
- And parent reminder continues tracking normally
AC-5.7 Boat Engine Hours
- Given a boat vehicle type
- When distance-based reminder is created
- Then system uses engine hours instead of odometer for all calculations
6. Business Rules
| Rule ID | Rule | Rationale |
|---|
| BR-6.1 | Inactive reminders do not compute status or send notifications | Prevents false alerts for paused tracking |
| BR-6.2 | Expired reminders are excluded from future processing | Focuses attention on actionable items |
| BR-6.3 | First notification: 30 days/2000km; Second notification: 10 days/500km (fixed) | Industry-standard warning intervals |
| BR-6.4 | Boats use engine hours instead of odometer | Accurate marine usage measurement |
| BR-6.5 | Creating history record does NOT reset reminder | Manual control over reminder lifecycle |
| BR-6.6 | Editing template does NOT update existing instances | Prevents unintended schedule changes |
| BR-6.7 | All reminders are tenant-scoped | Multi-tenant data isolation |
| BR-6.8 | Upcoming thresholds: 7 days or 100km (fixed) | Consistent user experience |
7. Dependencies
7.1 Upstream Dependencies
| System | Dependency Type | Impact if Unavailable |
|---|
| Vehicle Management (PRD-03) | Vehicle data (odometer, engine hours, type) | Cannot calculate distance-based status |
| Multi-Tenant Architecture (PRD-01) | Tenant settings, timezone | Status calculations may be inaccurate |
| Authentication (PRD-02) | User identity for creators/recipients | Cannot send notifications |
| Communications (PRD-10) | Email delivery infrastructure | Notifications will not be sent |
7.2 External Dependencies
| Service | Purpose | Fallback |
|---|
| Email Service | Transactional email delivery | Queue and retry |
| Scheduled Job Service | Background status computation | Manual refresh |
| Database | Reminder and history storage | None (critical) |
8. Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Active Reminder | Reminder not yet due and not approaching due date |
| Distance Interval | Kilometers (or engine hours) between maintenance occurrences |
| Engine Hours | Usage metric for boats (analogous to odometer) |
| Expired Reminder | Reminder past its due date/distance requiring immediate attention |
| Hybrid Reminder | Reminder with both time and distance intervals |
| Maintenance Template | Reusable reminder configuration at settings level |
| Notification Threshold | Days or kilometers before due date when email is sent |
| Odometer | Total distance traveled by vehicle in kilometers |
| Perform Time | Calculated future date when maintenance is due |
| Setup Distance | Vehicle’s odometer reading when reminder was created |
| Upcoming Reminder | Reminder approaching due date (within 7 days or 100km) |
9. Appendix: Review Checklist
Business Stakeholder Review
Technical Feasibility Review
Operations Review