If your organization has just bought CMMS software to fine-tune its maintenance program, chances are that employees are still trying to figure out where to get started. This article shares tips on how to make this happen in a painless manner for everyone by addressing a few common issues. In a smaller organization, this task of accepting and assigning work gets done by an admin or a non-technical staff but with this software, it will be easy for the employees themselves to look into what work is pending and what they need to get done.
What is CMMS Software?
It is a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software, used by many professionals. This CMMS will help to get to manage a computer database of maintenance operations, spare parts, equipment, regulatory compliance and all costs associated with these functions. Also, it tracks reactive and preventive maintenance performed by technicians to ensure timeliness of completion.
CMMS software also helps facilities organize and manage preventive and schedule maintenance tasks, inventory, safety, and much more technical related work. It is a big part of developing better maintenance practices to provide the best value of maintenance.
Key Features Of Any CMMS Software:
- Controlling the company’s list of maintainable assets through an asset register
- It controls the accounting of assets, purchase price, depreciation rates, etc.
- It manages and controls preventative maintenance procedures and documentation
- Controlling the issue and documentation of planned and unplanned maintenance work
- Organizing the maintenance personnel database, including shift schedules
- Scheduling calibration for gauges and instruments
- Controlling portable appliance testing
- Assisting in maintenance project management
- Providing maintenance budgeting and costing statistics
- Controlling maintenance inventory
- Processing condition monitoring inputs
- Providing analysis tools for maintenance performance
What are the benefits of CMMS Software?
The Initial Setup
The IT department will be able to get this part done quickly. But the main task lies in how to start using it. The problem many organizations face is to use it without bogging down reactive maintenance operations. The most critical thing is that maintenance operations go as planned. If anything that makes it slow down could be a problem for the organization. The software is just a tool and should not come in the way of maintenance work being done.
Dealing with Data
After the initial setup is done, it will now be time for putting in the data. The question you may face is whether all the data has to be put in at once and if yes. The facilities and equipment are the things that need to be filled in at first. You can import this data to the software if it is kept in a delimited file. It is time to fill in the data for supplies, spare parts, technicians, etc. Then this information has been put into the system. It will be easy for you to start with the definition of the planned and unplanned maintenance tasks that are present on the different facilities and equipment. This process can take up some time and it is a good idea to start. With a breakdown of the tasks so that you can start creating work orders for the maintenance program.
First Targeted Maintenance
There are two types of maintenance: reactive maintenance and breakdown maintenance. If you want to know which to start with on the software, then this answer is breakdown repair. Start with creating task definitions for this type of maintenance work and then create work orders. You can make the whole process fast if you have several generic breakdown tasks instead of one large task. What’s more, you can use the software to create special instructions and orders. The sooner you start taking care of breakdown maintenance, the easier it will be for you to have some sort of control over the whole system. The thing to remember here is that breakdown maintenance is the more expensive of the types and the sooner you start taking control of them, the easier it will be for you to get the workload done and over with.
Managing workflow
Creating a smooth workflow is something every organization should strive at and with a CMMS software to help you, it will be easy to do so. Usually, organizations will have an already established workflow where someone gets the work requests and then assigns the work order to employees. This whole process is made easy with the software of this kind. It makes it easy for the designated person to accept the work requests, create the work orders, schedule preventive maintenance work to be done and then pass them to the contractors and employees to get the job on the field do. Once the job on the field gets done, it has to be entered into the system to make sure that someone else does not do the job.
Data analysis
Unless data analysis is done, how will an organization know how it is doing? Reporting is a crucial component of maintenance programs and it should be done properly. The software should ideally be equipped with features that will let you have a short summary of statistics like backlogs, pending work orders. the average time in which work orders get completed, equipment required to get the job done, what equipment needs to be ordered, etc. This is an area that if studied well will provide an organization with great insights into how to improve performance and which departments need intervention.
Wrapping Up
Having software lets an organization make sure that a lot of human errors don’t happen. No matter how careful an employee is, chances are that he will make errors in his work. That is where such a system comes in that enables an organization to make sure that work orders get done in the least time possible and all data is maintained perfectly.