New CMMS buyers have several aspects to consider before implementing a system. From justification to evaluating training and support, this report offers tips to ease apprehensions before jumping into a new CMMS.
1. Software Advice: 3 Steps for a
Smooth CMMS Implementation
Trends and best practices from the industry
2. Apprehensions about implementing a new software system are quite common,
and implementing a new computerized maintenance management system
(CMMS) comes with a lot of considerations. It’s crucial to get it right in the
beginning, so that a CMMS leads to a reduction of downtime and boost in profits
instead of confusing data and useless reports.
In our last report on those who contact Software Advice for a CMMS, we found
that nearly half use manual methods, such as a spreadsheet or paper methods,
to manage maintenance.
3 Steps for a Smooth CMMS Implementation
Manual Methods
Other CMMS
Percent of sample
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
22%
48%
These buyers tend to have the most concerns regarding implementation, so
we’ve listed three steps for a successful implementation.
3. Before any investment, an employee must provide a business case to get
commitment from executives. Some evidence maintenance managers can use to
justify a CMMS are the costs of on-premise or cloud-based software and the cost
of machine downtime per hour.
Other evidence can be in the form of clear benefits gained from using
maintenance software, such as:
• Ability to identify operational trends. Using past repair data, managers
could notice that a recurring job took twice as long as usual. This could lead
them to investigate whether the machine has a more severe problem or if
the employee is inefficient.
• Better awareness of maintenance costs. Historical data also enables the
ability to generate reports, which can help identify changes in costs of work
or spare parts.
• Improvement of inventory control. Optimize spare-part ratios to save
money and set up notifications based on maximum and minimum spare part
numbers.
Justify CMMS Value
4. Transferring data from one system to another, or from spreadsheets, is another
common request from CMMS buyers. Vendors offer help with this important
process, but a couple ways companies can prepare include:
• Verify data quality and remove duplicates. Perform some initial data
cleaning and remove duplicate entries and tidy up any with messy or
excessive information.
• Begin using uniform naming conventions. If not already present, begin
naming assets and spare parts in a logical fashion (a boiler should be named
“Boil-02”, for example) to make assets easily searchable in the CMMS.
Scrub Data and Use Asset Naming Conventions
5. Getting the CMMS up-and-running is great, but training and support from
vendors will keep the software useful and help companies squeeze all the value
from a CMMS moving forward.
That’s why the top CMMS vendors often offer training sessions on topics such as:
• Entering assets
• Creating user profiles
• Establishing maintenance schedules
• Creating work orders
• Managing spare parts inventory
CMMS buyers should also evaluate the support services provided by vendors.
Take into account your time zone and how quickly you can get a real person on
the telephone for questions. This will ensure questions can be answered quickly
and downtime can be minimized.
Take Advantage of Vendor Training and Support
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7. Software Advice™ is a trusted resource for software buyers. The company's
website, www.softwareadvice.com, provides detailed reviews, comparisons and
research to help organizations choose the right software. Meanwhile, the company’s
team of software analysts provide free telephone consultations to help each
software buyer identify systems that best fit their needs. In the process, Software
Advice connects software buyers and sellers, generating high-quality opportunities
for software vendors.
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