Do You Have a Defective CMMS System?

Ideally, a CMMS is seen as a critical business system, which means the system is used to optimize ROA, enhance craft efficiency, and promote job safety. But when there is no leadership, executive sponsorship, or understanding of industry best practices, then the system is doomed to fail, or at best, be under-utilized. The CMMS may be intuitive, but operational excellence is far from a given.

When is a CMMS Poorly Implemented?

If the base product (that you’ve purchased) lacks features that you believe should be present to optimize ROA, then you may need to configure the product. If configuration is not possible, then you can purchase more software or create needed functionality using Excel/Access. Training (or lack of) is often blamed for poor implementation. The implementation consultants may have provided navigational/product training but what about asset management best practices? Almost every installation/implementation succumbs to bad data. This occurs when there is unclear business rules, lack of accountability, lack of enforcement, and unclear objectives. Some organizations are quite happy with basic processes but visionaries pursue advanced processes which set them apart from the rest. Tactical positions “get the job done” (i.e., fix things) but strategic roles attempt to reduce work altogether.

Concluding Statements

If you could get all the people in an organization to understand the importance of asset management and the importance of CMMS design within that discipline, they could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition [partial quote by Patrick Lencioni].

.