What to Consider When Choosing a CMMS

At TeknaByte we know that there are various CMMS providers on the market today and that, further, not all solutions are created equal. With so many options, it can be increasingly difficult to determine what’s the best fit for your company. In order to help you guide your search and choose the right CMMS for you, we’ve organized a list of what to consider when choosing a CMMS. Using these steps, you can better identify exactly what you need in your CMMS software, whether you’re starting from scratch or moving from your current CMMS to a new program. Let’s get started!

What is CMMS?

Before we get to the things that you should consider when choosing a CMMS, it’s crucial that you have an understanding of what a CMMS is and why it’s important for your business. CMMS stands for Computerized Maintenance Management System (or software) and is designed to simplify maintenance management.

CMMS solutions allow organizations to track work orders, determine which of their assets require preventive maintenance instantly, and quickly generate accurate reports. CMMS solutions also give technicians the freedom to focus less on paperwork and more on the hands-on tasks that require their attention. Finally, CMMS solutions also make maintenance management easier by supplying managers with the information they need to make more informed decisions. In order to find the best CMMS software for your company and experience all of these benefits, what should you know? Let’s find out.

Clearly Define Your Goals

The first thing you should do in the process of choosing a CMMS is clearly define your goals. This involves identifying your personal goals and expectations of a CMMS in order to narrow down the features your chosen CMMS needs to have. A few of the most important questions to ask yourself when defining your goals include:

• Will you be doing preventive maintenance?
• Will you need to be able to track all of your work orders?
• Is predictive maintenance important to you?
• Will you need to be able to manage your parts inventory?
• What kinds of reports do you expect from your CMMS program?
• Do you have the necessary IT staff needed to manage this system?
• What current hardware and software requirements do you have in place?

Organize a CMMS Team

After clearly identifying and defining your goals for your CMMS, it’s a good idea to enlist the help of members of your staff who are already familiar with maintenance operations It’s important that each member of your CMMS team is from a different department that will be utilizing the technology in order to ensure that at least one member of each department understands how the software works. This approach will also prove helpful in assisting you to get a better idea of the needs of your company overall. You’ll save yourself a lot of stress upon implementation of your chosen CMMS by taking this approach during your search.

Consider Your Preventive Maintenance Needs

Another thing you should consider when choosing a CMMS is whether or not you have preventive maintenance needs and what those needs are. It is crucial when looking for maintenance software that your chosen software supports preventive maintenance. Further, it’s also a good idea to identify which type of preventive maintenance best suits the needs of your organization, whether that be meter-based or calendar-based.

You should also establish whether your chosen CMMS allows you to take readings and measurements, enables you to pass/fail them, and whether or not it can create corrective maintenance work orders from failed inspections. Answering these questions will ensure that you choose a CMMS that provides exactly the features you need for preventive maintenance within your company.

Understand Your Specific Purchase Order Needs

The best CMMS for your company should ensure the timely creation of purchase orders. From being able to create purchase orders to replenishing your parts and ordering new materials, your chosen CMMS should meet specific purchase order needs. In order to make sure you choose a CMMS that meets these requirements, it is crucial that you think about your current purchase order processes. If you’ll be using the CMMS to manage your inventory, for example, it’s important that it provides better methods to build parts lists, to reorder amounts, and specify on-hand minimums. By keeping your specific purchase order needs in mind, you’ll be better equipped to find the right CMMS for your company.

Make Sure to View the CMMS Software in Action

Finally, before making a final decision about the right CMMS software for your organization, it’s a good idea to actually see the software in action. This is the best step to take once you have narrowed your choices down to just a few CMMS providers. Be sure to request a demo of each of the CMMS programs that you are considering in order to get a better idea of how they work and whether or not they meet the requirements of your business. When viewing the demo, make sure to see the CMMS work on all of the tasks that it will be regularly used for in your business. Take note of how efficiently it completes these processes and identify whether or not it works well for your particular business. This will be the determining factor when it comes to finally choosing a CMMS.

Need IT Staff for Your CMMS?

Now that you understand the things to consider when choosing a CMMS, you may be wondering whether or not you have sufficient IT staff to manage the software for your company. Fortunately, TeknaByte is made up of a team of experienced IT professionals who have the skills and knowledge needed to keep your CMMS running smoothly.

Offering managed IT services, IT consulting, and more, we are Indianapolis’s top choice when it comes to IT professionals. Let us help! Contact us today by visiting our website or by giving us a call at (317) 620-3900 with any questions. We look forward to working with you!