Implementing the Best CMMS
for Your Organization
By:
Dustin Taylor
Facility and engineering management has come a
long way during the last 30 years. Once regarded as
strictly reactive, resource-intensive cost centers
facility and engineering departments now run more
like a business. They collect and analyze data to
access, plan and make important decisions aimed at preserving
facilities and assets in the most efficient and effective
manner possible.
Computerized Maintenance Management Systems have
become invaluable tools in a manager’s arsenal. However,
implementing a CMMS requires work, resources and planning.
When properly implemented, a CMMS will provide a
healthcare organization with benefits for years to come.
Evaluation and Selection
The process used to evaluate and select a CMMS that meets
a healthcare organization’s needs should be based on a welldocumented
and well-executed plan. The process should
define the flow of maintenance work at the healthcare organization.
It should be developed using internal resources or by
utilizing independent, third-party resources. It should require
that workflow be documented as a reference guide, and as
workflow processes change, these changes should be reflected
in this living document. This document will ultimately be
the main source of reference for keeping processes in place
and on track. It is important to document all departments
that will be impacted, not just facility and engineering. In
addition, senior management should be 100 percent committed
to the project if it is to be successful.
An important part of the CMMS selection process is to
keep the users informed as the process moves forward. This
keeps them informed that changes are imminent and should
help reduce their fears.
In the final evaluation facility managers need to be certain
that all costs have been included: hosting fees, servers, workstations,
database licenses, software and hardware support,
and future upgrades. This is in addition to the cost of the
CMMS and the implementation services necessary to install
the system.
Tools and Processes
Once a CMMS has been selected, facility
managers will need to make an assessment of
the tools that will be used to gather the data
efficiently throughout the organization. In
addition, they need to inventory the hardware
to determine if any funds will be necessary
to upgrade equipment.
Documenting and managing the workflow
processes is critical for a successful implementation.
The evaluation stage should
already include most of this information.
However, facility managers should be open to
changing current workflow processes to take
full advantage of the CMMS and
thus provide a higher return on the
investment of time and money. It is
important to identify workflow
processes for managing at least
emergency, preventive and routine
maintenance work orders. The
processes should provide a measure
of time, resources and materials
used to complete work orders for
each of the three categories.
People and Technology
 To be successful, you will need to
form a team of dedicated individuals
to implement the CMMS. They
will need to set the overall tone,
build a plan and execute that plan.
Include individuals from the various
organizations that have a stake
in the success of the project.
Maintenance staff, operations,
finance, IT, HR and management should
assist where needed. Try and keep the team
small and efficient to streamline the decisionmaking
process. It is also important to have
an individual on the team who is committed
to the project’s success and can be the flag
bearer for the project.
The heart of a maintenance organization
lies in the events that happen in the field.
Problems arise when an organization doesn’t
take the necessary steps to ensure that its data
management strategies accurately describe
these activities. Managers must make certain
that they thoroughly plan and execute this
key process if they want to make decisions
based on valid and reliable information.
Despite advances on the business side of
facility and engineering management, it still
takes people to develop and execute procedures,
conduct training, and perform review
functions that reliably regulate data collection
to produce legitimate results.
Another critical factor is the technology employed by the software vendors being considered.
This relates to an organization’s overall
technology roadmap, and includes architecture
(e.g., Web-based versus client/server),
database (e.g., MS Access versus Oracle),
operating system (e.g., Windows versus
UNIX), network (e.g., stand-alone versus
LAN/WAN-based) and hosting (e.g., internal
versus externally hosted or ASP). In some
cases, vendors have rewritten their software
several times to take advantage of improvements
in software tools and technology as
they become available. Others have held on
to legacy systems and built new user interfaces or back ends to avoid expensive
rewrites. Although organizations can save
money with the latter approach, the trade-off
might be reduced functionality, especially in
the long term.
Goals, Objectives and Project
Definition
Facility managers should clearly define the
goals and objectives they want to accomplish
with a CMMS. Once the team is fully aware of
these goals and objectives, these parameters
should drive the project from start to finish.
Do not be too concerned about a timeline.
The CMMS software vendor can assist with a
project plan that outlines a specific timeline
based on these goals and objectives.
When defining key functionality in a
CMMS, focus on the basic tasks.
Organizations will find there is usually more
than enough functionality in the software. Do
not get bogged down creating a feature list
that may never be implemented or used. Define the software platform and configuration
requirements with the help of the IT representative.
Break the implementation into
manageable stages that can be completed in a
timely manner. Start with basic features that
will allow the organization to realize goals
and objectives quickly. Provide adequate
training to end users and do not cut corners
on services – this will cause supporters to
lose interest if the project gets bogged down.
Implementing a CMMS means providing a
system designed to meet as many people’s
needs as possible. Therefore, it is important to
manage people’s expectations to streamline
the project. Remember, the software
is only one component of a
facility and engineering program.
Trying to customize the software
to do something it was not
designed to do will create longterm
adverse effects and should
be discouraged. One of the main
goals is to centralize the data into
one CMMS. This allows facility
managers to streamline data collection
and business practices
while increasing the efficiency
and effectiveness of the maintenance
organization.
Conclusion
Implementing a CMMS application
is not an easy task even
when done correctly. The success
of the project will play a
critical role in the success of the
facility and engineering department. By
investing some time and effort into evaluating
the organization’s real needs and taking
the opportunity to re-engineer workflow
processes, facility managers will greatly
increase their chance for success.
In the end, a CMMS is only one part of the
equation. The benefits of an all-encompassing
maintenance and operations program will not
only provide financial benefits, but will create
better communication between internal
departments. This can result in greater cooperation
and increased efficiencies. All these benefits
provide a greater return on investment.
Finally, look at the project as an opportunity to
improve maintenance and operations processes.
Do not hesitate to compromise if it means
greater success in the long run for the entire
healthcare organization.
FC
Dustin Taylor is vice president of sales and marketing for TMA
Systems LLC, Tulsa, Okla. Reach him at (918) 858-6683 or
dustin.taylor@tmasystems.com. Internet: tmasystems.com.
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