According to statistics, about 80% of all CMMS implementations have not been successful. When you look at the budget concerned with CMMS projects, the failure rate of 80% is a gruesome figure for any organization to withstand. However, with some simple methods to Implement a CMMS perfectly, organizations can capture the full benefits that a computerized maintenance management system can offer to a company. Let’s talk about how you can implement a CMMS successfully:
- Planning your project’s scope
When you hurry to buy CMMS software, it often rushes you to implement it. Before buying one, you should stop and assess several factors. One of the reasons for the failure to Implement a CMMS is selecting the wrong CMMS. You require the correct CMMS for your work and the scope should be well thought out before you choose a package.
What do you need the CMMS for? What kind of maintenance is very vital for your business? Is it possible for some modules to wait? How do you envision your company utilizing the CMMS after some time? Is it probable that you will fuse it with other maintenance management systems in the offing?
- Acquiring management commitment
Senior management does not properly understand CMMS and the former and current resources that must be inculcated in the project. In addition to purchasing the software, there are usually maintenance costs, training costs, information research, and data entry costs. Ensure that these expenses are added to the project’s budget to paint a clear picture for the top management of the period and the needed budget for the project. This will give you an upper hand to receive their full interest in the overall project.
- Project planning
Have a clear picture of the project’s implementation from the beginning to the end. Which are the most vital milestones? Get to know the person responsible for implementing a CMMS, the individual responsible for information gathering, and the kind of data to be collected.
Come up with a numbering schedule, equipment ID schedule, location blueprints, and material and labor costs. Elaborate code tables in the planning period, such as the kind of work order and the status of the work order. Proper planning in the initial stages minimizes confusion in the later stages of the project.
- Be ready for change
Do not assume that the workers will automatically adapt to the new CMMS. They might view it as an item that has come to replace them, and employees are normally afraid of anything that might render them jobless.
Involve your employees as soon as possible and inform them about the transition. You can also hold sessions to let your employees ask questions to gather their views to feel part of the project and are positive about the possible changes.
Get to know the challenges your employees envision in the information collection and data entry. Be in the know-how if a section of employees responds negatively to the transition. A defiant employee can cause challenges leading to the failure of the project.
- Training
CMMS is a complex system that would need training for the workers responsible for operating the application. Do not underestimate the need for training. Training is required from the CMMS creators and internal training for workers. Every facility has a different way of implementing the CMMS, and your workers would require special training for the particular use of the CMMS.
Train your workers on how your organization uses terminologies. This way, you will be able to avoid confusion and errors in the implementation process. Also, new employees would need training, and you should also know that the training timing is vital.
- Information gathering
Collecting all relevant information your workers will require to operate the CMMS is normally a tricky endeavor and a major reason for project failure. Collectively collecting all relevant data takes about six to twelve months of human resources.
An important part of the implementation plan is the required data to be collected, i.e., warranty data, equipment model, cost, frequencies and procedures, serial numbers, etc., and how the information will be collected.
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- Data entry
After planning to implement a CMMS, buying the CMMS, and collecting data, having a well-thought-out plan of the data entry method into the system will help avert confusion. A magnitude amount of work is needed for the data entry process. Who is responsible for this? You can opt to seek the services of outside professionals or in-house employees to assign the task.
You then require the best methodology for entering daily data that the CMMS will automate. Will an assistant enter finished operational orders daily, or will maintenance operators enter their work orders? Weigh the possible options to figure out the advantages and disadvantages of your unique situation.
- Analysis and reports
Having fewer usable reports is more effective for your CMMS than having many reports that nobody can access. Think of the individual analyzing these reports daily. What decisions will be arrived at regarding the analysis? Before setting up your system, get to know what you require the system to operate on. Arrange your reports systematically and ensure that the reports have the data you require to figure out short and long-term sequences in maintenance.
- Make continuous improvement and stay on track.
Please do not use the CMMS for keeping records of the machinery and its parts. This is the work of spreadsheets. Ensure that your workers fully comprehend the work of the CMMS and look for ways of updating it for future use.
The implementation process for a CMMS is not an easy task, and proper planning should be carried out before actualization. Ensure that you have all the relevant information to avert failure and losses. Most successful facilities have a fully functional computerized maintenance management system with adequately trained employees for the smooth running of the production process.
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