Computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) helps maintenance teams better organize their day-to-day tasks and big picture objectives. The following sections will give you a more in-depth look at what a CMMS is and what you can expect to achieve with one.

What is a CMMS typically used for?

A CMMS can be used for a variety of objectives, but the most common use cases are work order management, preventive maintenance scheduling, inventory and asset management, and audit preparation. When used effectively, a CMMS helps maintenance departments take better control of their operations and gain deeper insights into their maintenance and facility management costs and trends.

What are the benefits of a CMMS?

Overall a CMMS will help you decrease costs, maximize productivity, and get more done in less time.

A CMMS’s robust reporting features allow you to track maintenance, labor, and inventory costs in one easy-to-navigate system. Extraneous costs and labor hours can be associated with work orders, preventive maintenance tasks, inventory updates, and more to provide a holistic, real-time view of your maintenance expenses. You can use this data, and other reports, to gain insight into problem areas within your department, while discovering ways to cut costs and improve your bottom line.

In addition to reducing costs, maintenance leaders who implement a CMMS see improvements in their team’s work performance as well. Requests will no longer be forgotten about or overlooked because they will all be stored in one central location. This will also increase accountability for your team, and encourage them to work efficiently and effectively to showcase their hard work and talents.

Determining your maintenance needs and goals

In order to choose the solution that works best for you and your team, it’s important to lay out your objectives. Establishing these up front will help you prioritize solutions with your organization’s end goals in mind. You should define your goals in terms of return on investment, cost savings, time savings, improvements in efficiency, compliance needs, downtime reduction objectives, safety improvements, inventory management, event management, and preventive maintenance efforts. Once these are outlined, you can begin to determine what your solution looks like, whether it be a CMMS or something else entirely.

Evaluating CMMS options

There are many CMMS options out there, and you want to ensure you choose the one that’s best for your organization. When evaluating your options, be sure to carefully analyze the following factors and determine if they are important to your organization or not.

  • Functionality
  • Ease of use
  • Customer support
  • Training
  • Mobile friendliness
  • Software development
  • Data ownership
  • Integration options

Making the case for a CMMS

Making the case to your manager or the C-Suite of your organization for a CMMS is a hefty undertaking, so being prepared is essential for success. In order to make the case for a CMMS, be sure to walk through the following steps.

  • Evaluate your current processes
  • Outline your goals
  • Research and evaluate potential vendors and pick your top contender(s).
  • Provide return on investment

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