Is Your CMMS Taking You in the Right Direction?

Are you getting the most out of your CMMS system? In most cases, you’re not. And you’re not alone.

Most organizations implementing CMMS have achieved some level of process improvements, but not much else. Reporting from the system is often limited and supervisors seldom use the system for more than assigning work orders and closing them out. During implementation, there is often too much focus on software capabilities, not enough on management improvements and business practices. Today’s FM software is complex, with ever-increasing functionality. During implementation it’s very easy to get distracted by the bells and whistles and lose sight of what’s really important. For example, after implementing a CMMS, many organizations often find that they can’t develop desired reporting or pursue certain high priority improvement initiatives. Why? The CMMS was not setup to enable it. During implementation, there was no deliberate and meaningful effort to link the software setup with management strategies.

Today’s top FM organizations are using their CMMS to achieve a high level of proactiveness within their departments. CMMS is being used as a strategic tool, not just a maintenance operating tool. Process improvement is only one of the many goals to be pursued during a CMMS implementation. To do it right, your departmental objectives should drive your software decisions, not the other way around. To ensure a successful CMMS installation, you should:

1) Define and document your objectives (be specific!)
2) Determine how you’ll monitor the department towards achieving your objectives (performance metrics)
3) Determine CMMS requirements to enable your defined objectives

Use a change management approach to user rollout. During training sessions be sure to emphasize desired new management practices and objectives. Don’t just train on software features. The features are useful and value-adding, but make sure your key objectives are at the forefront of your CMMS implementation.