Selecting the right CMMS for my business?

Work Identification (i.e.. Notification/request work is required)

The need to perform “work” could be triggered by a routine maintenance activity that has fallen due, a user logging an existing or potential problem from an inspection, or because of a processing change. Some CMMS platforms are even equipped to trigger work identification requests based on inputs from field devices.

Not all notifications/requests to undertake work will be approved. Some will be rejected; others may require a follow-up, or clarification to enable a decision to be determined on such work. Likewise, there needs to be a mechanism to prioritise any work, so that resources can be effectively managed and backlogs of work dealt with in a structured fashion.

Plan (What needs to be done)

This function enables the user to plan the work requested and complete the requirements around the task operations, resources (internal and or external), task durations, spares, materials, specialised equipment, documentation, and any other mission critical considerations to ensure those undertaking the task are set up to succeed. 

Schedule (When does the work need to be done)

Most CMMS’ will include a scheduling function, to aid in the sequencing the work that has been fully planned and prioritised. Each scheduling period, a list of back log and forward log work, along with available resources (skill sets) and production / processing requirements, need to be considered to develop a clear, concise and achievable schedule that can be communicated in preparation for execution.

In practice, many organisations resort to using ‘add on’ scheduling software / products such as MS Excel or Project, as it’s easier to develop and communicate the schedule using these tools, rather than producing it using the scheduling functionality in the CMMS.

Once the schedule is developed, all work is packaged as printed ‘job packs’, or made available electronically for mobile access in the field.

Execute (Doing the work)

This is the phase where the work is completed as planned and scheduled. During this phase, the work is allocated to a work group or individual and executed as per the relevant details. Whilst executing the work, there is also an opportunity to gather some extremely valuable data (history) on the task completed, for feeding back into a CMMS for the purpose of cost control and history analysis. The history that can add value to the ongoing improvement of the future maintenance activities:

• How long did the task actually take?
• Are any changes to the tactic or work instruction required?
• What was the actual equipment condition and/or failure mode?
• Did the task require additional, less, different resources?
• What parts or consumables were actually used?
• Where any additional parts required that weren’t listed?
• Were there any additional safety requirements, or unidentified hazards?
• Where any photographs or video taken as evidence of the repair, or the condition?

Close (Complete the work)

Closing out the work denotes that all deliverables have been completed for the task such as;

• The history captured for that work has been entered into the CMMS
• The unused materials have been returned and booked back into inventory
• Repairable spares have been returned to the service provider for overhaul
• The workplace Supervisor has verified work was completed to a satisfactory standard
• Follow up work has been initiated

‘Closure’ can be an extremely important phase, as this ‘may’ trigger the next cycle for routine work, depending on how the CMMS has been configured.  As Such, the mantra “The work is not done, until the paperwork is complete!” is quite befitting here.

Analyse (Continuous Improvements)

This phase of work management deals with analysing the work history to continuously improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the work undertaken.  The improvement process is a combined effort between the planning, execution, supply, production and reliability teams. The better these teams work together the greater the magnitude of improvement in the key metrics.

Having to source parts in an unplanned manner can be extremely costly and time-consuming. A CMMS may have the functionality to keep track of your spare part needs including forecasts, movements, and consumption. Some systems can reserve stock items for future planned work, to ensure the item is available for when the work has been scheduled. Most systems will trigger re-ordering to maintain pre-determined min/max stock levels and also have a process for managing repairable (rotatable) spares. Some systems can also generate and read bar codes (or QR codes) to improve the ease of identification and tracking.

Work activities that require spares, materials, consumables (e.g. lubricants, gaskets, filters, etc) will need to have this information captured, to enable the CMMS to allocate them to the task and be procured in advance if necessary. This can be done through the cataloguing of items from suppliers if the CMMS has this functionality.  If the business has an existing procurement/purchasing software, this will need to be integrated with the CMMS to enable effective transfer of information, otherwise, this information will need to be transferred into the CMMS for accuracy of any reporting.

The level of budgeting and reporting functionality is a consideration when selecting a CMMS.

All systems will offer the ability to capture some form of history or costs against work completed, but this will vary from system to system.

Some systems may offer the ability to create a zero-based budget, built on the activities for the coming year, or the ability to forecast maintenance spend for the coming period, but this is all dependent on the baseline data (master data) that has been entered into the CMMS.

Most systems will provide a suite of useful metrics and reports as a standard. Depending on the system, these can be pre-configured, or provide the option to create user-defined reports. Typical reports may include (but are not exhaustive):

• Identified work (volume and effort of workload)
• The ratio of planned vs unplanned work
• Scheduled workload (schedule loading)
• Adherence to the schedule (schedule compliance)
• Forecast spend
• Plan versus actual hours
• Actual spend against budget
• Follow up work generated from PM inspections
• Work backlog / forward log
• Etc.

In addition to the primary functions outlined above, there are some other features for consideration that could well shape your product selection. These are:

For some users, the ability of their CMMS to communicate and integrate with existing platforms and applications is an important consideration. Some CMMS packages have what is referred to as API functionality, which stands for Application Programming Interface.  This feature can enable those connections to be created. There are also other third-party API software solutions on the market that can also help you integrate different applications.

Some businesses like their employees to access the CMMS in real-time with some form of the mobile device. Mobility is fast becoming a key criterion when it comes to selecting a CMMS solution.

Some products have features that allow users to work remotely offline and capture data that can later synchronise when back in range.

User interfaces and experiences can differ vastly between products, and if selecting a product that is seen as difficult to interact with, users will push back, undermine it, and ultimately find ways to work around it, and your system will cease to be a “system” as a result. 

The following should be considered when selecting a user-friendly CMMS:

• How intuitive is the look and feel?
• How easy will it be for any new users, or those using a device for the first time?
• Can unwanted/superfluous fields be removed or greyed out?
• How easy is it to transition between screens and functions?
• How does it handle the highest volume transactions?
• How easy is it to use on a tablet or phone when in the field? (mobility)

The importance of engaging a cross-section of end-users, to experience the different options should not be underestimated, as this will drive ownership and a greater level of acceptance of the final product selected.  It can also be instrumental to help identify any user or function-specific shortcomings that can go overlooked.

 Once the CMMS systems have been shortlisted using the above process, the overall cost of implementation, ongoing support, and software fees will need to be considered. It’s also important to understand how the software will be hosted and licensed, as this will impact the cost of ownership models which will differ between products and vendors.

There is a lot to consider when it comes to selecting the right CMMS for each business. The investment is significant, and so too are the gains in business performance if the right decisions are made along the way.

At EnterpriseIS we take a structured and holistic approach to CMMS selection to ensure that capability, features and value are evaluated against each client’s goals and objectives. Our experienced consultants can help ensure the benefits outweigh the expense and that implementation goes to plan.

Reach out to the team at EnterpriseIS to start exploring the possibilities.