From Clutter to Clarity: Mastering Workflow Efficiency with CMMS

Published 2024-04-11 by Diego Santos (a 9.4 minute read) | Back to the main page

Introduction

As a seasoned maintenance management consultant, I’ve witnessed the profound impact of Computerized Maintenance Management Systems on industrial manufacturing organizations. That impact has not always been positive which may sound like an unexpected thing to write on an article supported by a CMMS company. The truth is that I have no interest in selling solutions to organizations that are simply not ready for them - it will benefit anyone.

Rather than following some trend or implementing the cheapest thing out there due to regulatory or managerial pressure, why not start an exercise that accepts that a CMMS can indeed be a very important tool for improvement and approach the matter from that perspective? I know it's simplistic, but it all starts with understanding the steps that go into the implementation of such a system. Yes, this investigation will represent an increase on your department's work load. Consider it an investment that may very well save you a lot of work and money in the future.

As you probably can tell, this article assumes that your company currently has no centralized maintenance organizational tool. You may still be using Excel and a calendar to organize and schedule jobs and people. If that is not the case, feel free to browse through the other articles in our technical blog - there'll probably be some experience or recommendations that are of value to you.

In this article, we’ll delve into the benefits of a successful CMMS implementation, its role in streamlining processes, and how it can significantly enhance overall efficiency for maintenance managers. I will also address some considerations that may pose a challenge to a successful system implementation that truly adds value to maintenance departments. I will also offer some proven solutions to those challenges. Because, as mentioned above, this is an article supported by a CMMS software solution that is especially suited for SMEs, I will give some practical application examples (mostly screenshots) using our platform to show you how we implement some of the points we will address. However, most if not all of the points, can be considered relevant for other solutions as well.

Defining CMMS

Before we dive in, let’s establish some understanding of what a CMMS is. A Computerized Maintenance Management System is a comprehensive software solution designed to support maintenance operations. Its core functions include work order management, preventive maintenance scheduling, and asset tracking. This type of software package is widely used in the manufacturing and utilities industries and many other applications where industrial equipment maintenance plays an important role in keeping production running and where there is extreme interest in keeping expensive machinery operating well for as long as possible to increase ROI.

The Power of a CMMS

Unified Work Order Management

With a CMMS, work orders converge into a digital hub. Information is fed in through all workflow stages by all people involved in the process. As a practical general example, consider the following:

1. An operator creates a work request.
2. The maintenance foreman for the current shift receives and fine tunes the failure report (maybe some recommendation for things to check or adds a recommendation for a possible spare to use) and assigns the job to one of the technicians.
3. The technician reviews all of the information, collects the recommended spare and goes on-site.
4. The technician confirms the use of the spare and completes the work as the equipment is now back in operation.
5. The foreman confirms all is well and closes the work order.
6. The operator receives a notification that the work request he or she has raised has been resolved.
7. The spare is below minimum levels so the person responsible for stock control, is aware that a purchase order needs to be done to replenish stock.

In this example, all steps are recorded and available for later reference. The process is distributed through all people involved and the result is a valuable record of occurrences that may very well make the next similar issue faster to solve (by following the steps) and cheaper (less time taken and it can be performed by a more junior technician).

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Real-Time Asset Tracking

A CMMS package provides real-time information about equipment location, maintenance histories and spare parts inventory. If the information is fed correctly (very important! Remember: "garbage in, garbage out!"), it is possible to know precisely where that pump or critical motor is currently in service within your facility and all the places it has been installed in ever since it was bought.

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Streamlined Communication

Easy and effective communication is the backbone of successful maintenance operations. The CMMS tool helps to bridge gaps between maintenance teams, supervisors, operators, and other departments as it provides a unified platform where requests and actions are made and recorded. Features like notifications, comments, in-app messaging, and shared documentation ensure everyone stays informed and target-aligned. At the same time those interactions are recorded to further optimization of processes.

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Mobile Accessibility

Technicians in the field need tools at their fingertips. Mobile apps empower them with real-time updates, photo attachments, and remote access to work orders. Whether they’re troubleshooting a malfunctioning pump or inspecting a conveyor belt, the information is readily available.

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Data-Driven Decision Making

With the premise that information is added with good quantity and quality, then statistics and reports, trend analysis, and key performance indicators (KPIs) will reveal patterns and areas for improvement. Maintenance managers can make informed decisions backed by data that can be quite broad in their reach, impacting staff productivity, spares availability, all resulting in increased equipment reliability as things run better and cheaper for longer.

The collected data informs resource allocation, cost control strategies, and return on investment (ROI) calculations. Whether it’s evaluating repair costs or planning for equipment upgrades, the numbers guide the manager's path.

Challenges & some solutions

Introducing a CMMS often faces resistance. Stakeholder buy-in, clear communication, and addressing concerns are very important.

Quality input takes time. By distributing the responsibility of data input through all involved, potentially means less wrench-time, the very thing technicians were hired to do - but does it?

Can it not be argued that increased efficiency actually increases productive wrench-time? In many cases it does and that is one of the root reasons for CMMS adoption. However, it also needs to be acknowledged that some technicians will not really be sensitive to having this explained to them and then magically cooperate for the good of the company - for them it's yet an extra thing they need to do.

A strong management may be a solution for this - I've seen it happen. Another solution, that I realize is not common (for the cost) is to establish a CMMS team or person, depending on the complexity, that takes some (although probably not all) of the input requirements and continuously assures quality data input. Don’t laugh - I have personally worked with a company that had this setup and it worked extremely well.

Yet another strategy that we have successfully applied, is to implement a new CMMS at the same time as a new major system is installed, so that the "normal" and "natural" way to manage the new equipment is through the new CMMS tool. There's less resistance to start with and the next thing you know, usage spreads to older systems.

As an additional comment to this point, we have had interesting experiences where the technicians have complained about the overload of information that comes with digitalization and mobility of resources. There's just too much information and the time spent digging through all of it to find the thing that matters is not worth it. We disagree as that feeling probably comes from a mismatch between the needs and the implementation. But the solution to this is not as simple as it perhaps sounds, because even the needs of the same class of staff are different. Mechanics need something, electricians need something else. These differences are hard (if not impossible) to accommodate and that results in part of the workforce being happy and part unhappy at least on the initial stages. Maximize happiness but do not be paralyzed by that goal - that's unlikely to be 100%.

These and other challenges need to be considered and addressed. I have seen companies battle these issues and repeatedly losing, no matter what CMMS product they install.

Conclusion

Efficiency isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. With the use of a dedicated maintenance management platform (compared to nothing at all or to a bunch of scattered logging tools such as Google calendar and Excel), maintenance managers unlock a world of streamlined processes, data-driven decisions, and extended equipment lifecycles.

But one size doesn't fit all. Companies that are inherently disorganized may amplify their inefficiencies if a CMMS is pushed to be used. If the operation is small enough it can actually be that properly managed scattered digital platforms are enough to keep a hand on things - I've seen it happen. So I'm not going to say that absolutely everyone needs a CMMS, I will only say that many will benefit from it.

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