If you are still using a paper based or a spreadsheet based system for maintenance management, then you are up for some big trouble. Computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) are revolutionising the field. More and more companies are on the lookout for a simple solution for maintenance management.
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How To Choose The Right CMMS For Your Business
If you are looking to make the switch for the overall betterment of your business, then this article will help you to choose the right CMMS solution for your business.
The CMMS market is filled with options and these 5 pointers will help you choose the right maintenance management software for preventive maintenance plans:
#1 Start With a CMMS Project Team
Draft a project team that comprises of at least one person from every single department in your organisation that will potentially use the system. Typically, the project team should contain maintenance and facility managers, field technicians, plant engineers, staff from accounting, purchasing and IT.
By setting up a team like this, you will get a better understanding of your employee’s requirements from various angles, which will help you to make an informed decision.
#2 Create a Criteria Based on Your Business Needs
To make sure that the CMMS solution you choose is the best fit for your business, you should create a list of required features that your business needs. It’s considered good practice to further break down your list into a must have section and a nice to have section.
It’s very important to know your requirements before choosing the maintenance software. Are you on the lookout for a simple system that will simply track maintenance requests, or are you looking for something that is more robust and feature rich. CMMS tools can keep track of an inventory of your assets, equipment, and spare parts. They can also send out alerts when preventive maintenance plans are pending and so on.
Don’t just think in terms of your present operational requirements, but factor in what you might need 5-10 years down the line.
#3 Do Extensive Research
There are so many resources available online, providing plenty of information about various maintenance software providers. Take a look at various comparisons of CMMS products. Pay extra attention to customer reviews for field feedback.
Once you are aware of your business’ software requirements, create a list of the most important parameters you should look for in the software. By making use of these free online resources, you can take an informed decision with less confusion.
#4 Create a Shortlist
Once you are done scouring various CMMS vendor websites, customer reviews, and directories, try to create a list of the top 3 products that best fits your needs. Many modern vendors provide demos through live web conferences and offer free trials.
Take advantage of these facilities and don’t feel shy to ask your doubts. Check out the demo with your project team, so they can offer in their perspectives as well. When you involve more people in the demo process, it will increase the rate of employee buy-in as well.
#5 Review and Finalize your Shortlist
After you create a shortlist, make a scorecard for every single CMMS option in your list and rate them based on parameters such as functionality, ease of use, cost, security, tech support, vendor track record, growth potential, etc.
The top ranked CMMS solution would be the one you should use.
I hope this article was useful for you to learn about CMMS technology. If you have any doubts with regards to this, let us know through the comments and we will be glad to help you out. If you have any suggestions regarding how we can improve the article, let us know them through the comments as well for us to improve. 🙂
