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CMMS: 50 questions before computerizationBefore you venture down the road to computerization of your maintenance organization, askyourself:

1. Is there enough time, money and interest to involve all levels within the maintenancedepartment and other stakeholders in the decision process to buy a computerizedmaintenance management software (!!"# system$ Is there support from top

management to see you through the inevitable ups and downs of the entire installationprocess$ !anagement support is essential.

%. "ufficient resources for a complete installation are also essential. &he resourcesinclude training dollars, time replaced on the shop floor and computer access. Ifnecessary, can you get typing and basic computer skills training for your mechanics$'ill management tolerate the initial research and keying of files by your mechanicsand staffers$ an you get the budget authorization to replace the mechanics slot onthe shop floor by overtime or by a contract worker$

). *fter the maintenance system is in operation will mechanics and supervisors have the

training, knowledge, positive attitude and access into the !!" to investigate aproblem$ Is there continuing training in advanced concepts beyond +which keystrokes to get which reports type classes$ Is there regular time set aside for thinkingand using the system for research into problem areas$ -o mechanics and supervisorshave easy access to terminals or personal computers$ *re these devices hardenedagainst the shop environment$

. Is there organizational willpower to insure that garbage and faked data will be keptout of the system$ *nother way to put that is, is falsifying a work order to fill eighthours viewed as a /oke or a crime$ 'ill the data coming out of the system becommonly held by management and the workers to be accurate and useful$ *re

maintenance records treated as seriously as payroll or other accounting records$

0. -oes anyone (including mechanics# have the time to investigate repair history todetect repeat repairs, trends and new problems$ elated to 2o. ) above, do they havethe training to use the system to answer the 3uestions that they have$

4. an you and your staff spend enough time designing the systems categories to makemeaningful comparisons between like machines, buildings and cost centers$ &his is atwo5step process. &he first step is to have the vendors trainer conduct a class in thecategory model of that system and how things are commonly handled. &he secondstep is to actually fight out the categories that you want to use. It is critical to

understand and wrestle the decisions that you make at the early steps in the setup of asystem.

6. If you have 177 pumps, probably %7 of them create the most maintenance load. &hisrule of management has tremendous application in maintenance. It is called the 8aretoprinciple. 9as the 8areto principle (the 7;%7 rule# been taught and used to isolate the+bad actors (that is, to identify the problem machines, craftspeople or parts#$ Be sureyou understand how to generate these 8areto analysis or e

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. 'ill you have the support of a responsive data processing department (or a veryresponsive vendor#$ =ou will want changes, fi. -oes the longer5range plan include !!" integration with stores, !8, purchasing,

payroll, *-;engineering$ &he trend is toward company5wide networks.?rganizations want everyone discussing a problem to be working from the same data.&his means linkages of the maintenance information system to the corporateinformation systems with all the links and hooks that that implies. Increasinglyinformation systems are viewed as strategic advantages. *ccess to information makesa ma/or difference.

50 questions/notes to help in your CMMS search

'hat follows are 3uestions;notes to ask yourself and vendors to help you avoid the mostcommon pitfalls of choosing, purchasing and installing computer control and information

systems.

* full5function !!" should be able to help in many areas. !any organizations purchasesystems to solve specific problems. &hey dont need other functions or dont consider themimportant at the time of purchase. &he following 3uestions;notes will help you focus yourattention in the various areas. &hey are not in priority order.

Work orders

1. an the system produce an easy5to5use work order that allows future conversion tobar codes, handheld terminals and other improvements to technology$

%. an the system classify all work orders by some kind of repair reason code:preventive maintenance, corrective, breakdown, management decision, etc.$

). Is there an easy way for a single person to screen work orders entered beforeauthorization that work can begin$ "ome systems have a field that has to be checkedby a supervisor or manager to release the /ob to the ne

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6. an it record service calls (who, what, time stamp, where, how# which can be printedin a log format$

. -oes it allow production to find out what happened (what status# to their work

re3uest without being able to make changes$

>. an it calculate backlog of work and display it by craft$

17. an both open and closed work orders be displayed or printed very easily$ Aeepwork orders available for at least five years and preferably form birth to retirement ofthe e3uipment.

11. -oes the system facilitate labor scheduling with labor standards by task, ability to sortand resort the open work orders by location of work, craft, other ways$

Stock room

1. 'ill the system facilitate big5ticket analysis by printing all parts over 077$ 'ill itfacilitate *5C analysis by printing the product of (in descending order# the unit costtimes the annual usage$

%. -oes the store room part of the system have part location to help the mechanic orstore keeper find infre3uently used parts$

). an the system generate a parts catalog by type of part or by current vendor withyearly usage to facilitate blanket contract negotiation$

. -oes the system recommend stock levels, order points, order 3uantities$

Maintenance history and reporting

1. an the system maintain maintenance history that is detailed enough to tell whathappened years later$

%. an it provide information to track the service re3uest;maintenance work orderissue;work complete;customer satisfied cycle$ -oes it include elapsed time and other

analysis factors$

). an it provide reports for budgets, staffing analysis, program evaluation,performance$

. an it provide information for work planning, scheduling and /ob assignment$ -oesit have the capability to store and retrieve work plans, copy old work plans andmodify e

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0. Is it able to isolate all work done (sort, arrange, analyze, select or list# by work order,mechanic, asset, building, process, product, division, floor, room, type of e3uipmentor asset$

4. -oes it provide the ability to easily structure ad hoc (on the spur of the moment#reports to answer 3uestions that come up$ &his is called a report writer.

6. -oes it have the ability to generate e3uipment;asset history from birth (installation,construction or connection# to present with all ma/or repairs and summaries ofsmaller repairs$

. *re system reports designed around 8areto principles, where the system helpsidentify the few important factors and helps you manage the important few vs. thetrivial many$

>. -oes the system report on contractor vs. in5house work$ an the system trackcontractor work in as much detail as in5house work$

17. an it provide reports charging back maintenance cost to department or cost center$

11. -oes it have reports with mean time between failures (!&BC# that show how oftenthe unit has failed, how many days (or machine hours# lapsed between failures, andthe duration of each repair (!&$

1%. 'ill the system highlight repeat repairs when a technician needs some help$

PM system

1. -oes the system allow mechanics to easily write up deficiencies found on 8!inspection tours$ an the system then automatically generate and track a plannedmaintenance work order$

%. an it automatically produce 8! work orders on the right day, right meter reading,etc.$ an the 8! system sort work orders by location to minimize travel time$

). Is it able to display 8! work load for a future period such as a year by week or month

by trade$

. Is it able to record short repairs done by a 8! mechanic in addition to the 8! andactual time spent$

0. -oes the system support multiple levels of 8! on the same asset (such as a )75day *level and a 175day B level on the same asset#$ -oes it reset the clock if the highlevel is done (if you do a yearly rebuild, does the monthly 8! clock get reset#$ *resetting feature prevents a )75day 8! coming up a week after a rebuild.

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4. *re 8!s generated by location by trade to facilitate efficient use of people andminimize travel$

6. -oes the system allow the input of data from predictive maintenance subsystems$

&his might include trending, days to alarm, baseline and comparison to previousreadings.

. an it highlight situations where the 8! activity is more e. *re there simple reports that relate the 8! hours;materials to the correctivehours;materials to the emergency hours;materials$ &his will show the effectiveness ofthe 8! program. &hese ratios become benchmarks for improvement.

Genera

1. an the system handle three to four times more assets then you imagine having$ Dvenmedium5sized and smaller companies go on ac3uisition hunts. * successful smallmanufacturer might find itself tripling or more in size overnight.

%. -oes the system have a logical location system to locate assets and where work isdone$

). an the system track the warranty for components and flag warranty work to recoverfunds$

. Is it easy to use and learn for novices and 3uick to use for power users$

0. Is the system integrated or can it be integrated to purchasing, engineering,payroll;accounting, etc.$

4. an the system easily handle a string 8! such as a lube route or filter change route$

6. -oes the system run on standard computer hardware (not special hardwareincompatible with everything else#$ Is the system compatible with e. -oes the vendor have software support people$ an you easily get through to aperson$ Is there an 77 number$ ?nce you get through, do the people know theproduct$ -o they know factory maintenance$

17. an the vendor provide economical customization$ -o they have ongoingenhancement$ *re the programmers employees of the vendor or contract workers$

0

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11. -oes the vendor have a local installation organization$

1%. *re they e