Key Insights Shared in Recent FMJ Acticle
Given the deluge of tasks confronting a facility services team on a daily basis, the computer maintenance management system (CMMS) has become one of the most critical and in-demand tools available.
Ensuring that a CMMS can meet the demands of the moment and remain effective well into the future is essential. Michael Carmean, UG2 Engineering Manager, recently published an article in the September/October 2024 issue of FMJ sharing strategies for evaluating the efficacy of an organization’s CMMS.
“Don’t Drop the Ball: How a CMMS Can Make or Break an FM Organization’s Success,” lays out points to consider in evaluating a CMMS, delves into technological advancements, and outlines fundamental benefits of high-quality CMMS implementations.
Evaluating a CMMS
Key items to assess in order to align with your facility’s needs include:
- Ease of use. A CMMS should have clear, intuitive interfaces and logons. Also critical: Optimal communication and information-sharing.
- Available reporting types. Data in a vacuum will not help you advance your operations. An effective CMMS should generate reports that are useful to performance and outcome improvement.
- Condition-based versus time-based preventive maintenance. Most sites use time interval-based preventative maintenance. Condition-based sensors might be preferred by some organizations, but they require knowledgeable operators and sufficient sensors.
Tracking the Latest Advancements
Carmean’s overview of CMMS technology advancements cover a range of capabilities that make today’s systems more accessible and effective, from cloud-based access and user-friendly interfaces to mobile accessibility and integration capabilities. He also calls out advances in analytics, automation and AI, and their implications for teams and organizations.
Understanding Key Benefits
The benefits of implementing the right CMMS — and using it to full advantage — have significant long-term implications for a facility. As the article explains, they include:
- Faster work order resolution. Status changes are updated in real time, and the option to easily upload photos makes the technician’s task quicker and the issue easier to resolve and report back.
- Improved communication and customer service. A CMMS can dramatically streamline communications across the board, between and among teams, employees, vendors and other stakeholders. Time-stamped reporting and responses cut down the incidence of work order-related complaints and make stakeholders happier.
- Streamlined preventative maintenance, cost savings and reduced downtime. Organizations don’t just see bottom line benefits from the improvements to maintenance, their teams often become more knowledgeable about equipment life cycles.
- More effective employee allocation. Engineers can see, in real time, the tasks assigned to them and how they are prioritized, which allows them to better allocate their time. Managers can make better informed staffing decisions, redirecting cross-trained team members and improving overall efficiency.
- Superior reporting for more informed decision-making. Organizations can run reports on the spot to review information such as service, legal agreements, performance, individual technician productivity, types of calls received, and hours spent repairing assets that are nearing end-of-life. The resulting decisions can save money, improve capital planning and increase satisfaction across teams and stakeholders.
Embracing Best Practices
Finally, the article offers an overview of best practices for successful CMMS implementation. Carmean’s guidance covers ensuring proper setup, keeping an up-to-date equipment list, making sure to upload user manuals, taking training seriously, and transitioning data properly and thoroughly.
This article offers a succinct but comprehensive look at the current state of CMMS as it applies to facility management. We encourage you to read it in full, and invite you to get in touch for more information on UG2’s approach to integrating a CMMS.