Five Ways CMMS Software Helps Transform Maintenance Managers into Leaders
Five Ways CMMS Software Helps Transform Maintenance Managers into Leaders
Reena Sommer, Ph.D
Posted 12/19/2023
Introduction:
Maintenance managers are pivotal in overseeing and coordinating all organizational maintenance activities. Their job involves ensuring the efficient and reliable functioning of equipment, machinery, and facilities. Maintenance managers are generally charged with maintaining the operational integrity and longevity of the organization’s physical assets. To achieve these ends, they carry many responsibilities, including developing and implementing maintenance policies and procedures, scheduling routine inspections and repairs, managing maintenance budgets, and supervising maintenance staff. Overall, they strive to minimize downtime, reduce operational disruptions, and optimize the lifespan of assets by proactively addressing issues and implementing preventive maintenance measures. Maintenance managers also collaborate with other departments to align maintenance strategies with overall organizational goals, emphasizing safety, cost-effectiveness, and compliance with regulatory standards.
The above tasks present a tall order for any maintenance manager wanting to excel and become top in their field. This is a challenging feat, considering they are in charge of a department with many moving parts, quite literally. Fortunately, since more and more organizations are adopting a CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management Software), attaining excellence is much more attainable. In simple terms, just as a CMMS is a strategic tool, maintenance managers are just as crucial in optimizing operational efficiency and ensuring the reliability of key assets.
Qualities That Make Maintenance Managers a Leader:
Maintenance managers, as leaders, possess certain qualities and demonstrate specific leadership behaviors. The following are a few leadership attributes that make maintenance leaders stand out:
Vision and Strategy:
A leader is a maintenance manager with a clear vision for where their maintenance department is heading and aligns the team’s efforts with broader organizational goals. This person also has a strategy for implementing their vision by developing and communicating a concrete plan for maintenance activities, outlining priorities, goals, and resource allocation.
Communication Skills:
A maintenance manager with leadership skills can effectively communicate expectations, goals, and changes to the team and ensure that information is transparent and easily understood. Listening actively is a key communication skill because it encourages team members to share their concerns and ideas, and in doing so, it fosters open communication and creates a positive work environment.
Decision-Making:
Maintenance managers who demonstrate decisiveness can make informed and timely decisions while considering the impact on the team and the organization. They also take responsibility for outcomes, whether positive or negative. A key attribute is demonstrating effective and timely problem-solving skills when facing maintenance issues, especially those that emerge on short notice.
Team Building & Empowerment:
Another leadership quality is a maintenance manager who invests in the professional development of team members by identifying and nurturing talent within the maintenance department. This person can inspire and motivate a team and foster a positive and collaborative work culture. By delegating responsibilities and tasks, a maintenance manager’s team members are empowered to take ownership of their work and develop their skills. By being reliable, consistent, and fair in decision-making within the team, a maintenance manager is able to engender members’ trust.
Adaptability:
This leadership skill requires that a maintenance manager demonstrates flexibility in adapting to changes in technology, processes, or organizational structure and encourages the team to embrace change positively. Leading by example, seeking continuous improvement, and promoting a healthy work culture encourage the team to find more efficient and effective ways to perform maintenance tasks.
Results Oriented:
The bottom line for strong maintenance managers is focusing on results and achieving goals. This person can set challenging yet achievable goals for the maintenance team and monitor progress toward those goals via performance metrics (KPIs) that measure and improve maintenance performance. The best leaders motivate their team. They make a point of celebrating the wins rather than focusing on when the team missed the mark.
In summary, maintenance managers who are true leaders combine technical expertise with strong interpersonal and organizational skills, fostering a positive and productive work environment and leading the team toward achieving common goals. Now let’s turn to five critical ways a CMMS can help transform maintenance managers into leaders.
Leveraging CMMS for Transforming Maintenance Managers into Leaders:
CMMS software helps organizations compete by reducing costs and improving efficiencies. With these outcomes, CMMS software can be instrumental in transforming maintenance managers into influential leaders. It provides maintenance managers with the tools and capabilities to improve their decision-making, maintenance processes, and overall team performance. Here are five specific ways:
1. CMMSs Offer Streamlined Work Order Management:
Efficiency and reliability are two essential goals that maintenance managers aspire to achieve. When organizations implement a CMMS, its work order management feature makes these goals attainable. By using this feature, companies experience a 20-30% reduction in time to complete work orders. (Aberdeen Group, 2016). This is accomplished in the following two ways:
Automation of Work Orders:
The CMMS software automates creating, assigning, and tracking work orders. This eliminates manual paperwork and ensures that maintenance tasks are executed promptly. The days of work order slips piling up on a desk or in a maintenance team member’s mail slot are a thing of the past.
Prioritization and Scheduling:
As is true for most organizations, some maintenance tasks are more urgent than others, especially when something goes wrong unexpectedly. These are times when a CMMS is most helpful because maintenance managers can use the software to prioritize and schedule work orders based on criticality, resource availability, and overall organizational priorities. Moreover, CMMSs’ real-time capabilities make transmitting urgent work order information instantaneous. This helps in optimizing maintenance activities and minimizing downtime.
2. Asset Lifecycle Management:
Asset Tracking and Monitoring:
By utilizing the CMMS asset tracking and monitoring features, the software allows maintenance managers to track the performance and condition of assets in real-time. Maintenance managers can access information on equipment history, maintenance schedules, and associated costs, which allows them to change schedules based on actual data as needed.
Predictive Maintenance:
By leveraging data from CMMS, maintenance managers can implement predictive maintenance strategies, reducing unplanned downtime by identifying potential issues before they become critical. According to a study by Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), effective CMMS implementation can lead to a 15-20% reduction in downtime. This finding suggests that such a strategic approach can significantly improve equipment reliability and longevity in its operations.
3. Resource and Inventory Management:
Optimized Resource Allocation:
CMMS helps by managing and allocating resources effectively through its reporting capabilities. The software provides insights into workforce availability, skill sets, and workload distribution, all in real-time. Maintenance managers can deploy the right personnel to the right tasks and at the right time.
Inventory Control:
Maintenance managers can track and manage spare parts and inventory levels using CMMS. This prevents overstocking or stockouts, leading to cost savings and improved maintenance efficiency. Moreover, it makes it possible for maintenance managers to ensure that their inventory-related decisions are accurate.
4. Data-Driven Decision Making:
Performance Analytics:
CMMS software can also generate detailed real-time reports and analytics on various maintenance metrics, allowing maintenance managers to assess performance, identify trends, and make informed decisions. This feature eliminates the need to guestimate equipment performance, giving maintenance managers the confidence to evaluate maintenance operations effectively and efficiently.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
A CMMS helps maintenance managers define and track maintenance KPIs related to equipment reliability, maintenance costs, and workforce productivity. This facilitates continuous improvement initiatives and ensures maintenance efforts appropriately align with organizational goals.
5. Regulatory Compliance and Documentation:
Documentation Management:
CMMS assists in maintaining comprehensive documentation related to equipment, maintenance procedures, and regulatory compliance. Adhering to industry standards and regulations is essential for audits and a responsibility that rests primarily on maintenance managers.
Audit Trails and Reporting:
CMMS-supported preventive maintenance programs have been shown to assist companies in meeting regulatory requirements. A study by the European Journal of Operational Research highlighted a 10-15% improvement in compliance-related metrics. The software provides audit trails and reports that help demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements. This feature allows maintenance managers to access historical data, efficiently facilitating transparency, accountability, and compliance.
Conclusion:
There is no doubt that maintenance managers have challenging jobs that are tasked with numerous and diverse responsibilities. Despite this, leveraging CMMS software helps improve performance on many metrics. CMMS features empower them to efficiently manage work orders, optimize asset performance, allocate resources effectively, make data-driven decisions, and ensure compliance with industry regulations. These capabilities make it possible to transform maintenance managers into proactive leaders by assisting them in actualizing operational excellence in their maintenance operations. With a CMMS, maintenance managers can become the Rock Stars they always wanted to be.
Reena Sommer
Reena Sommer has written extensively about CMMS and maintenance management best practices since 2018. Reena has been a contributor for Hippo CMMS, Click Maint among others. She has her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Manitoba. Reena hails from Winnipeg, Canada and currently resides in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Many smaller companies feel maintenance management software is overkill for their organizations. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, even a one-person maintenance department can reap the benefits of maintenance management software. The same benefits realized by the maintenance crew in larger companies are there for smaller maintenance departments also.
Many smaller companies feel maintenance management software is overkill for their organizations. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, even a one-person maintenance department can reap the benefits of maintenance management software. The same benefits realized by the maintenance crew in larger companies are there for smaller maintenance departments also.
Facility management personnel in all industries have waited a long time for computer technology to become applicable and affordable enough to implement in their respective maintenance efforts. In recent years, flexible, dependable and economical computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) have become available to help fight the never-ending struggle to operate and maintain buildings of all shapes, sizes and functions.
Facility management personnel in all industries have waited a long time for computer technology to become applicable and affordable enough to implement in their respective maintenance efforts. In recent years, flexible, dependable and economical computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) have become available to help fight the never-ending struggle to operate and maintain buildings of all shapes, sizes and functions.
The effectiveness of maintenance can make the difference between success and insolvency, between limping by financially and organizational excellence. Many companies and organizations consider their computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) and processes as catalysts for achieving a competitive advantage. Yet, good intentions are only part of the recipe for success.
The effectiveness of maintenance can make the difference between success and insolvency, between limping by financially and organizational excellence. Many companies and organizations consider their computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) and processes as catalysts for achieving a competitive advantage. Yet, good intentions are only part of the recipe for success.
The degree to which RCM analysis can contribute to profitability is directly variable with the quality and accuracy of the CMMS data on which the analysis is based. Because the technique is rigorous, its over-use will defeat the purpose and lead to cost overruns instead of savings. The way to optimize the RCM return is to apply the analysis strictly to the equipment and systems that will pay off from it, and to know this we must rely on the CMMS. This paper provides guidance for ensuring that the equipment data and history residing in a CMMS are complete and accurate; so that RCM analysis will be a success and positively impact a company’s bottom line, not hurt it.
The degree to which RCM analysis can contribute to profitability is directly variable with the quality and accuracy of the CMMS data on which the analysis is based. Because the technique is rigorous, its over-use will defeat the purpose and lead to cost overruns instead of savings. The way to optimize the RCM return is to apply the analysis strictly to the equipment and systems that will pay off from it, and to know this we must rely on the CMMS. This paper provides guidance for ensuring that the equipment data and history residing in a CMMS are complete and accurate; so that RCM analysis will be a success and positively impact a company’s bottom line, not hurt it.
Maintenance management is an around-the-clock challenge. Equipment failure can (and does) happen at inconvenient times–times when maintenance managers may be off-site and must rely on communication from technicians to convey problems and act efficiently. Mobile computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) and applications provide live, synchronized status reports and other key features that can dramatically improve reaction time and efficiency.
Maintenance management is an around-the-clock challenge. Equipment failure can (and does) happen at inconvenient times–times when maintenance managers may be off-site and must rely on communication from technicians to convey problems and act efficiently. Mobile computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) and applications provide live, synchronized status reports and other key features that can dramatically improve reaction time and efficiency.
The latest ARC Advisory Group study of the enterprise asset management (EAM/CMMS) software market profiles more than 80 maintenance application suppliers. This number of choices is enough to make any plant manager shudder. How can you pick the tool that is right for you? The tug-of-war between decision makers can make or break the success of an EAM/CMMS implementation. This article addresses the delicate balance of wants and needs, and how they apply in the application selection process.
The latest ARC Advisory Group study of the enterprise asset management (EAM/CMMS) software market profiles more than 80 maintenance application suppliers. This number of choices is enough to make any plant manager shudder. How can you pick the tool that is right for you? The tug-of-war between decision makers can make or break the success of an EAM/CMMS implementation. This article addresses the delicate balance of wants and needs, and how they apply in the application selection process.
Now that the best EAM/ CMMS application for your business has been selected, the deployment phase begins. But an EAM system is not a plug-and-play application. Will you miss out on some real operational savings? Will the data be clean enough to provide value in a production environment? Will processes be tailored to match the new system, or will they be optimized to improve business? Is the vendor knowledgeable about your specific industry or regulatory requirements?
Now that the best EAM/ CMMS application for your business has been selected, the deployment phase begins. But an EAM system is not a plug-and-play application. Will you miss out on some real operational savings? Will the data be clean enough to provide value in a production environment? Will processes be tailored to match the new system, or will they be optimized to improve business? Is the vendor knowledgeable about your specific industry or regulatory requirements?
A whopping 94.7 percent of plant maintenance managers feel they are not using their computerized maintenance management software system to its maximum capability, according to the results of a national CMMS survey conducted for Reliable Plant magazine by educator, consultant and author Kris Bagadia. “I knew that it was going to be a high percentage. I didn’t know it was going to be that high,” says Bagadia.
A whopping 94.7 percent of plant maintenance managers feel they are not using their computerized maintenance management software system to its maximum capability, according to the results of a national CMMS survey conducted for Reliable Plant magazine by educator, consultant and author Kris Bagadia. “I knew that it was going to be a high percentage. I didn’t know it was going to be that high,” says Bagadia.
What is a failure code? Quite simply, it is a code that illustrates why an asset failed or the reason that the asset failed. Codes can be a number which is cross referenced to a list of actual code descriptions or more conveniently a series of alphanumeric characters that are a logical abbreviation of their descriptions. However, with modern database technology and available disk space, the full descriptions are increasingly being used instead of alphanumeric codes.
What is a failure code? Quite simply, it is a code that illustrates why an asset failed or the reason that the asset failed. Codes can be a number which is cross referenced to a list of actual code descriptions or more conveniently a series of alphanumeric characters that are a logical abbreviation of their descriptions. However, with modern database technology and available disk space, the full descriptions are increasingly being used instead of alphanumeric codes.
An elephant is a large animal and it is doubtful anyone would want to eat one. But the old proverb, with a little twist, has a similar paradox to implementing a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS). Not developing the proper steps to implementation may lead a company to failure.
An elephant is a large animal and it is doubtful anyone would want to eat one. But the old proverb, with a little twist, has a similar paradox to implementing a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS). Not developing the proper steps to implementation may lead a company to failure.
Most, if not all, companies use CMMS systems to oversee their maintenance activities. From home-grown systems to complete ERP systems, leveraging technology allows companies to more efficiently and effectively manage their maintenance, repair and operations activities. So as a core maintenance function, surely routine, lubrication-related preventive and predictive activities such as regreasing motor bearings, taking oil samples, and executing oil top-offs and inspections belong in the CMMS system like any other maintenance task, right?
Most, if not all, companies use CMMS systems to oversee their maintenance activities. From home-grown systems to complete ERP systems, leveraging technology allows companies to more efficiently and effectively manage their maintenance, repair and operations activities. So as a core maintenance function, surely routine, lubrication-related preventive and predictive activities such as regreasing motor bearings, taking oil samples, and executing oil top-offs and inspections belong in the CMMS system like any other maintenance task, right?
In this year literally billions of dollars will be spent, in many different countries, on implementing CMMS and enterprise level systems. Some corporations, such as RIO TINTO and BHP, have attempted to circumvent a lot of this cost by developing implementation templates for use across their global operations.
In this year literally billions of dollars will be spent, in many different countries, on implementing CMMS and enterprise level systems. Some corporations, such as RIO TINTO and BHP, have attempted to circumvent a lot of this cost by developing implementation templates for use across their global operations.
Good Computerized Maintenance Management Software (CMMS) that schedules preventive maintenance work orders on your equipment is an integral component of any efficient maintenance department. Preventive and scheduled maintenance, efficiently scheduled, will not only reduce your maintenance costs, but will minimize emergency repairs and downtime, resulting in an increase in overall profitability.
Good Computerized Maintenance Management Software (CMMS) that schedules preventive maintenance work orders on your equipment is an integral component of any efficient maintenance department. Preventive and scheduled maintenance, efficiently scheduled, will not only reduce your maintenance costs, but will minimize emergency repairs and downtime, resulting in an increase in overall profitability.
Industry pacesetters use real-time equipment data to prioritize and optimize their maintenance resources. The process is straightforward in concept: use real-time data to determine the equipment health, but only inform the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) when maintenance is actually necessary. From there, the CMMS automatically produces the work order and uses the workflow that is already familiar to all maintenance personnel.
Industry pacesetters use real-time equipment data to prioritize and optimize their maintenance resources. The process is straightforward in concept: use real-time data to determine the equipment health, but only inform the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) when maintenance is actually necessary. From there, the CMMS automatically produces the work order and uses the workflow that is already familiar to all maintenance personnel.
For most companies, gone are the days when users were forced to conform to a rigid framework dictated by the CMMS vendor and strictly controlled by the Information Systems department. Users today enjoy freedom to customise the content, look and feel of their CMMS environment on a variety of devices, from handhelds to desktops. With modern computers and software, users are overwhelmed with choices.
For most companies, gone are the days when users were forced to conform to a rigid framework dictated by the CMMS vendor and strictly controlled by the Information Systems department. Users today enjoy freedom to customise the content, look and feel of their CMMS environment on a variety of devices, from handhelds to desktops. With modern computers and software, users are overwhelmed with choices.
I previously explained the system and procedures that need to be set up in order to make people do what you want them to do. Since people can’t be more effective than the system in which they work, you have to start by building a system and procedures. However, if you as maintenance leaders are going to get people to do what you want them to do, you are going to have to use diplomacy and psychology.
I previously explained the system and procedures that need to be set up in order to make people do what you want them to do. Since people can’t be more effective than the system in which they work, you have to start by building a system and procedures. However, if you as maintenance leaders are going to get people to do what you want them to do, you are going to have to use diplomacy and psychology.
When exploring CMMS automation opportunities in your facility, there are many factors to consider. These include cost versus benefit by automating, cash-flow impact, organizational readiness, ease of implementation, availability of resources, technological maturity and availability, as well as probability of success.
When exploring CMMS automation opportunities in your facility, there are many factors to consider. These include cost versus benefit by automating, cash-flow impact, organizational readiness, ease of implementation, availability of resources, technological maturity and availability, as well as probability of success.
After working in the CMMS/ EAM software world for almost 16 years, I recently switched to an engineering consulting firm focused on helping clients implement reliability best practices. I’ve developed a fresh perspective on what it takes to implement CMMS/ EAM software successfully.
After working in the CMMS/ EAM software world for almost 16 years, I recently switched to an engineering consulting firm focused on helping clients implement reliability best practices. I’ve developed a fresh perspective on what it takes to implement CMMS/ EAM software successfully.
How does the current state of leadership affect employee engagement? What is the effect of both good and bad leadership as it pertains to organizational health and engagement? From a leadership perspective, who actually is responsible for employee engagement?
How does the current state of leadership affect employee engagement? What is the effect of both good and bad leadership as it pertains to organizational health and engagement? From a leadership perspective, who actually is responsible for employee engagement?
Technical visionaries often invoke terms like the Internet of Things, smart machines and machine to machine (M2M) to ease our fears about managing the upcoming brain drain that accompanies the graying American industrial workforce. The theory goes that one day, self-learning machines and massively parallel computing may replace the operator. Perhaps, but not in the foreseeable future. That's because smart machines are very good at keeping us from doing dumb things, like stalling a commercial airliner, or pushing a gas compressor beyond safe tolerances. In the realm of black and white, the value of artificial intelligence is unassailable. But what about the rest of the time?
Technical visionaries often invoke terms like the Internet of Things, smart machines and machine to machine (M2M) to ease our fears about managing the upcoming brain drain that accompanies the graying American industrial workforce. The theory goes that one day, self-learning machines and massively parallel computing may replace the operator. Perhaps, but not in the foreseeable future. That's because smart machines are very good at keeping us from doing dumb things, like stalling a commercial airliner, or pushing a gas compressor beyond safe tolerances. In the realm of black and white, the value of artificial intelligence is unassailable. But what about the rest of the time?
In a great step forward from management, an experienced reliability engineer was hired to help improve plant reliability. The first task for this engineer was to determine the equipment that causing the biggest losses for the business. Having had a CMMS in use for a number of years, this was the obvious place to start.
In a great step forward from management, an experienced reliability engineer was hired to help improve plant reliability. The first task for this engineer was to determine the equipment that causing the biggest losses for the business. Having had a CMMS in use for a number of years, this was the obvious place to start.
