Repair planning hasn’t always looked like it does today. For a long time, it was a largely internal process. Shops relied on experience, estimator judgment, and a general understanding of how repairs should be performed. That approach worked when vehicles were simpler and expectations were lower. That’s no longer the case.
Repair Planning Has Gone Through a Clear Shift
Over the past decade, repair planning has evolved through a few distinct phases. It started as a process-focused activity, centered on improving estimates and shop efficiency. From there, it moved into a more structured approach, where consistency and completeness became the goal. Today, it looks very different.
As Tanya Sweetland, Senior VP of Collision at OEC explained, “If we think back ten years or even a little bit more, repair planning wasn’t really a thing. There were words and signs in body shops that said repair planning, but it was more promotion of an idea than it was a discipline. And it certainly didn’t seem to be defined. So, if you talked about repair planning ten, fifteen years ago, probably everyone would have their own definition in their head, and we wouldn’t be talking the same language.”
Repair planning is now largely driven by OEM procedures, with a much heavier emphasis on accuracy, documentation, and accountability. This shift didn’t happen all at once, but the expectations have changed quickly.
Hear directly from OEMs, industry leaders, and repair experts on how repair planning is evolving.
The Volume of OEM Information Changed the Game
One of the biggest drivers behind this shift is the sheer volume of OEM repair information. In just the past year:
- 14 million+ OEM procedures were available across brands
- 7.5 million procedures were updated
- Hundreds of thousands of new procedures were added
This creates a new reality for shops. Even experienced teams can’t rely on memory or past repairs. The information is constantly changing, and missing even one step can impact the entire repair. As Mary Mahoney of the Collision Engineering Career Alliance explained, “Advances in vehicle technology, from autonomous driving to electric engines, have dramatically changed the skill sets required to build and repair modern vehicles. At the same time, we’re seeing a new era of technicians entering the workforce, working alongside experienced repairers who now need to adapt to vehicles that may look completely different from what they originally trained on. It really creates a responsibility for all of us to make sure technicians are properly trained to safely repair vehicles and follow correct procedures to reflect the evolving needs of the collision repair industry.”
OEM Research Is Now Expected, Not Optional
As repair planning has evolved, so have the expectations around it. OEM certification programs now require proof that procedures were accessed. Insurers are placing more emphasis on proper documentation. Even training programs are starting to incorporate repair planning into their curriculum. What does this mean for repairers? Repair planning is no longer just about internal process improvement. It’s now something that is being evaluated from the outside.
As Jennifer Boyer of Ford Motor Company noted, “The vehicles are complicated, and it all starts with the repair plan to deliver the right repair.” From the OEM perspective, even with procedures widely available, they weren’t always being used consistently. As Boyer explained, “However, repair plans weren’t consistently being utilized. And it became really apparent that we needed to modernize the way that we make repair procedures available to the market and really think about it as a repair plan.”
Why Documentation Is Getting More Attention
With more complexity and more oversight, documentation has become a bigger part of the conversation. But this isn’t just about internal process. It’s about how repairs are understood by customers, insurers, and OEMs. “Customers seek transparency,” Jennifer Boyer states. “Being able to communicate how the vehicle has been repaired is important, because when a vehicle isn’t repaired properly and the customer doesn’t have confidence, it becomes a point of defection from the brand.”
Shops are now expected to:
- Show which procedures were followed
- Explain why certain operations were required
- Maintain a clear record of the repair
Documentation supports compliance while also reducing confusion across teams and improving communication with insurers.
See how these trends are showing up across shops in the latest Repair Planning Field Report.
What This Means for Shops Today
The biggest change is not just in how repairs are planned, but in what repair planning is expected to accomplish. It now plays a role in:
- Supporting repair decisions
- Aligning teams internally
- Communicating with insurers
- Maintaining repair quality standards
Shops that are still approaching repair planning the same way they did a few years ago are starting to feel the gap.
Where Repair Planning Is Headed Next
The industry is continuing to move toward more connected, OEM-informed workflows that include:
- Access to procedures directly within estimating systems
- VIN-specific repair guidance
- Better integration between planning, documentation, and execution
As these capabilities expand, repair planning will become even more central to how shops operate.
For a deeper look at how repair planning is evolving across the industry, watch The Evolution of Repair Planning webinar.
