Top ten steps to CMMS deployment success

Top Ten Steps to CMMS Deployment Success
A white paper by Edward Garibian, eRPortal Soware Group
Top Ten Steps to CMMS Deployment
Success
How to Foster Adoption of a Computerized
Maintenance Management System to Extend
Asset Life, Reduce Costs, Increase Efficiency,
and Ensure Regulatory Compliance
Implemenng a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) is a must in today’s
business climate. With the need to lower costs, maximize eciency, coordinate workers, and
comply with an ever-increasing number of government regulaons, organizaons need
something that will give them complete visibility into their operaons. Plant managers,
engineering directors, and public works chiefs across a variety of sectors, including
manufacturing, ulies, higher educaon, and healthcare have turned to CMMS as a way to
opmize operaons and manage enterprise assets.
However, simply purchasing soware to manage assets doesn’t work. In order to reap the
benets of a CMMS, organizaons need to look beyond the technology and examine the
drivers of their workforce: what needs scheduling, which workers have the most knowledge
about a parcular piece of equipment, and what needs to be done to appease regulators.
Tossing in technology without carefully assessing people and processes can only lead to
wasted me and money, when the goal of implemenng a CMMS was to improve producvity
and increase cost savings.
This paper examines the roadblocks to a successful CMMS implementaon, including user
adopon and training, as well as the ten steps organizaons must take to reap all the benets
of their new CMMS soluon. Instead of scrambling to put out res, sta will be able to focus
on maintenance, all with a properly implemented CMMS.
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Top Ten Steps to CMMS Deployment
Success
Challenges in Implementing a CMMS
Implemenng a CMMS comes with its own set of challenges. The most dicult roadblock to

success are psychological issues; that is, when employees who are used to doing things one
way and are now forced to change their procedures. When people have been working in a
certain way for a number of years, changes can throw them o balance and make it more
dicult for them to adopt the new, improved processes oered by a CMMS. Plus, users need
training and support to make the changes sck so that companies can achieve the highest level
of ROI with their CMMS investments. The ability to get the people of the organizaon on board
is crical to any CMMS success story.
Not understanding how work ows and informaon is exchanged can also hinder progress.
Organizaons that do not take the me to dene processes, whether maintenance specic or
informaon workow related, have a higher risk of failure. The pre-implementaon period
is a great me to evaluate current work pracces, learn where they can be streamlined, and
document what the resultant business ow and work rules should look like. This does not
mean that debilitang amounts of analysis needs to take place. Just enough me in terms of
team thinking, white board brainstorming and note taking to then be able to create some rules
and decided upon pracces that need to occur in order to meet the desired improvements in
operaon.
A third roadblock to success can be the technology itself. Choosing the wrong soware or
implemenng the soluon incompletely or incorrectly.
Another signicant obstacle to success is not seng goals and not measuring those goals.
Without a clearly dened endpoint for the project and key performance indicators (KPIs) to
measure results, a soware implementaon is useless. Implemenng soware for the sake of
it doesn’t lead to a more ecient workforce or cost savings at all, and it adversely aects the
people and processes it is trying to help.
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Top Ten Steps to CMMS Deployment
Success
Top Ten Steps to Successfully Deploy a CMMS
However, it is possible to successfully deploy a CMMS and foster user adopon, even on the
most skepcal factory oor or with the most resistant of maintenance workers. The secret is
to involve stakeholders, down to the front lines, and select soware that will work within the

organizaon’s culture. Here are ten steps that will lead to a successful CMMS deployment and
increase the company’s producvity.
1. Establish Clear Goals and Objecves
The hard and fast rule for any project an organizaon implements is to know what the end
result should look like, then map backward from there. Goals should be clear: reducing the
number of mes producon or operaons is stopped due to a malfunconing motor, pump, or
asset; or, increasing the number of machines or locaons a maintenance worker can service per
day. This requires talking to every stakeholder in the project - from the workers on the front
lines to management - and nd out what exisng rounes need to be improved along with
what is currently working well and should not be altered.
The ip side of seng goals and objecves is to know how to approach implementaon.
Most organizaons nd that implemenng a CMMS in phases works well for them. For
example, they will start with phase one objecves, like scheduling work or tracking the causes
of machine failures. Implementaon does not have to be done all at once, as long as the
company has goals in mind for each phase of the implementaon.
2. Match Soware to the Goals
Once a company sets goals for the implementaon, it’s me to review dierent CMMS
packages. For example, if the organizaon wants to implement CMMS in phases to meet a set
of goals, it will need a soluon that can be implemented in phases, parcularly if each goal
builds on a previous goal to produce an end vision. The soware chosen for a project like this
should be able to roll out limited funconality at each phase of the project and not force the
whole package on the workforce immediately.
The right CMMS will provide an easy-to-use home page with dashboard driven funconality
that is shaped based on a user’s prole. And this funconality should be congured to display
only the secons of the CMMS that need to be enabled to meet the goals of the target
implementaon. As requirements evolve and the company rolls out new funconality, the
associated tools and features will then be added to each user’s home page and dashboard set.
However, if the goal is to implement everything at once, make sure the CMMS purchased can
do that, too.
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Top Ten Steps to CMMS Deployment
Success
3. Incorporate the Organizaon’s DNA into the Implementaon Process
Each organizaon has its own acronyms, buzzwords, abbreviaons, and nomenclature. A
bus line with a large eet will have assets that will be referred to as vehicles or buses
and mechanical repair shops; a manufacturing plant will refer to its assets as machinery,
equipment, and motors. Whatever nomenclature an organizaon uses, it should be able to
incorporate those terms into its CMMS.
Another key element within the “DNA” of an organizaon is its internal work processes. The
CMMS should elevate and streamline these processes, which will increase automaon and
eciency. The soware should be a catalyst for change but sll recognize and adapt to the
organizaon’s proprietary processes. Companies should map the crical, core processes and
input them into the CMMS, idenfy which processes can be streamlined, and incorporate the
processes that can’t be changed. The CMMS and overall implementaon, including training
and adaptaon, should conform to the organizaon’s DNA, not the other way around.
4. Finalize the Deployment Mode
With the advent of cloud compung, organizaons can choose one of two opons to deploy a
CMMS: cloud-based, soware as a service (SaaS) deployments or, tradional on-premise
deployments. In a SaaS model, the CMMS is hosted by the vendor. An on-premise soluon is
installed on a central server at the customer facility. Both models are viable and ideally, the
soware you choose should support both navely.
SaaS works great for companies that need exibility; the organizaon may be evolving and IT
resources are not available.
An on-premise model works best for companies who are commied to invesng in their
infrastructure and prefer to keep their data in-house, or, as policy, choose not to expose their
IT to potenal service level vulnerabilies of the internet.
Some organizaons make decisions based on viewing the CMMS as a capital investment or an
operaonal expense. If the CMMS is a capital investment, opt for an on-premise soluon, but
if it’s viewed as an operaonal expense, a cloud approach is ideal.
With either method, the organizaon needs to evaluate its budget, its policies, and its needs

before choosing a cloud opon or an on-premise opon. Something to also examine is
whether the soluon can rst be deployed in the cloud and later implemented as an in-house
soluon if necessary.

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Top Ten Steps to CMMS Deployment
Success
5. Create a (Simple) Schedule
The most visible part of an implementaon is the go-live date. Set a feasible schedule with a
go-live date, and then create milestones to reach before rolling out the CMMS. But keep the
schedule simple – at a glance, the project’s stakeholders should know what phase the project
is in. Organizaons must incorporate sucient me for tesng, conguraon, and training;
however this does not have to translate into long, complex rollout schedules. As stated
previously, most organizaons benet from a phased objecves approach to implementaon.
Therefore rollouts schedule “sprints” should be built to correlate to each objecve. The
CMMS chosen should be exible enough for a rapid deployment but also agile enough to be
congured properly before it goes live.
6. Dene Maintenance Rules and Triggers
As part of the soware conguraon, dene what constutes a reason to work on a parcular
asset. What rules need to be in place to inspect, service, or repair an asset or locaon? For
PM scheduling is calendar periodicity sucient, or is usage-based scheduling, like replacing a
belt or bearing aer a certain number of hours used, more accurate and eecve? And what
parameters need to be monitored in order to trigger condion and predicve maintenance
work orders? What informaon is required in order to validate a request for work or service?
And what informaon is required in order to act on a service request, a PM, a Condion based
work order, or an inspecon? Ensuring that correct personnel are dispatched, with the correct
knowledge, the correct tools, supplies, and complete understanding of the asset or locaon
involved?
7. Inialize the CMMS with Asset Data and Structure
Before training and go-live, the soware system should be inialized with asset data, asset

type denions, and the organizaonal structure or model. Training workers with “dummy”
data is confusing, and expecng them to enter the data on top of their regular dues will
cause adopon impediments. The best way to foster adopon is to have accurate data with
accurate associated physical aributes in place at me of go-live. There are a number of
ways to accomplish this task accurately. Data conversion from exisng CMMS applicaons is
one common approach. Import templates may also be available for mass import. Or, mobile
tools that allow sta to auto-discover new assets on-the-y, and associate those assets with
templates that pre-populate aributes.
The important thing is to have the data in the system before training – and most denitely
before go-live, when users will be acclimang themselves with the CMMS in real-world
situaons.
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Top Ten Steps to CMMS Deployment
Success
8. Train Employees on the Actual Soware
A CMMS deployment will fail if users are not trained on the soware. No maer how intuive
the interface is, users need to know how the soware will work in the context of their jobs.
Users should have roles-based training that highlights the funcons that will be most useful
for them. Ideally, the CMMS provider can oer on-site training to the users, providing the
employees with their familiar environment to ask quesons, test funconality, and learn how
the soware is going to improve their producvity. The benet of a vendor training on site
is that the employees are being trained on the customized iteraon of the soware for the
company’s needs, rather than a generic product that may or may not resemble what will be
deployed.
9. Support Employees Aer Go-Live
Go-live should never be the end of a CMMS implementaon. Aer go-live, employees will
need support to refresh the concepts learned during training or address situaons that
weren’t covered in training but will inevitably crop up as they’re on the shop oor. This
support could be on-site or a combinaon of on-site and remote support, and the idea is
to build in a me period where users can get their quesons answered to cover any gaps in

formal training.
The post go-live support helps employees use the CMMS as part of their daily schedule. It gets
them to the point where they don’t feel like the process has changed, and when they come in
for their shis, they grab a coee, log into the terminal and begin work. Being available to
answer quesons helps them get to that point where the CMMS is an essenal part of their
jobs.
10. Review Reports and KPIs
Since a successful CMMS deployment extends past the go-live date, the last step is to review
reports on the KPIs the organizaon has set as a measure of success. Using the benchmarks
set at the beginning and measure results 60 to 90 days aer go-live, when users have had a
chance to grow accustomed to the system. If the objecve for the CMMS was to get a beer
handle on employee producvity, the company should review the me it is now taking for
machines to be xed or how many work orders are now being handled during a day or week.
The new CMMS should oer the reports needed and specied by the company with lile
hassle. It should be easy to run the reports and analyze KPIs without having to involve the
enre IT department, and most importantly, the CMMS should allow the organizaon to
successfully close the loop on whether the deployment met the original objecves. The
CMMS should not just be about entering data; but ensuring that the company has a system
that facilitates accurate and relevant data entry, along with tools for using that data to make
decisions.
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Top Ten Steps to CMMS Deployment
Success
Conclusion
By following these ten steps, companies can successfully deploy CMMS products that are right
for their organizaons. When examining vendors, decision makers need to make sure the
vendor of choice can provide the features and support necessary to follow the steps and
implement the CMMS with minimal disrupon to the business. Look for on-site training, the
ability to roll out features in a phased approach, role-based training, the ability to adapt to the
company’s proprietary processes and terminology, and robust reporng features that allow for

comprehensive insight into the success of the system. Use the steps as a checklist for meeng
with vendors to nd those who are a t with your company’s culture and CMMS objecves.
The eRPortal Soware Advantage
Designed to t seamlessly into a company’s processes and technology, eRPortal Soware
Group’s CMMS soware manages assets throughout their enre lifecycle, from the inial
investment to nal disposal and every stage in between.
eRPortal soware is built for exibility, interoperability, and ease of use. This means it can e
smoothly into exisng systems and applicaons, including nancial, accounng, operaons,
GIS, HR, and HMI. It can be deployed either on premise or in a cloud-based Soware as a
Service (SaaS) model, allowing you to choose the best t for your organizaon. Flexibility and
ease-of-use mean rapid go-live and rapid ROI.
To learn more about how eRPortal Soware Group can help you reap the full benets of
Maintenance Management Soware, please call us at (866) 326-2757 or visit us at :
Website: www.erportalsoware.com
Resources: hp://www.erportalsoware.com/products/resources.asp
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