MRO Today - Software alone isn't the cure

Software alone isn't the cure

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So here we are, at the dawn of a new millennium, in the formative years of the information age, and your maintenance information software still doesn’t give you the results you want or even work the way you want.

Orders lay around for months, even if they are finished, and then the computer isn’t necessarily updated to reflect the actual work. Forget about parts inventory control, you don’t have a process to track it. Getting accurate reports on cost is next to impossible.

So you’re going to upgrade, get the latest and greatest software. That way, you won’t have any excuse for not showing the return you were supposed to show when you got your first system in 1978.

Do you want to bet on whether or not you’ll get that return this time? Anyone care to guess the reason why so many of our computerized maintenance management software (CMMS) applications fail to meet our expectations?

When you decide to give up on your current software and get a new CMMS, there is a key item you must remember:

Computers don't do anything for maintenance!

That said, let’s look at the things you need to do to get the most out of your next system, before you select it.

First, determine what you want the maintenance department to do in the long and short term.

Develop a plan to get there. You need to look at all your processes: work order, inventory, purchasing and reporting. Industry, economics culture and organization structure all combine to make your facility unique.

The maintenance application you choose must be designed to fit your processes and strategic plan or you will have to change the way your department operates.

Second, look at why your current CMMS is not giving you the desired results.

Did you define your goals for the system up front? Did you limit them to the half-dozen or so big payback items? Did you establish a basic return on investment for the important items?

When reviewing why your current system failed, pay very close attention to the database structure.

Is it really necessary to track half-inch plastic ball valves as a piece of equipment? Are the hierarchies correct? Do I care about detailed history if I don’t have anyone who is going to analyze it or change my files? How am I getting the information into the system? How accurate is the information in the system?

You’ll find it is rarely the application that is the real cause for lack of results.

Next, tackle the new system design requirements and look at the technical and information requirements.

Review the network design, connectivity issues, operating system, software, hardware and Internet applications.

You should understand what you can or can’t change and what your information technology department will support.

In addition, look at what information you have available to you — information you would like included or tied into your new system. How accurate is it? How will the information get into the system? Are you going to need parts templates, CAD interfaces, document management, ties to controls systems or predictive maintenance systems? The list can go on forever.

With all that done, it’s time to evaluate your personnel and other system users. Look at their skills and technological competence. These people are the ones that make or break your CMMS.

Don’t underestimate the amount of training that will be required with the new system to get your desired results. This also means ongoing reinforcement training.

One way the old system probably failed was most of the department didn’t know what to do with the computer, and nine out of 10 times, the maintenance staff never saw a work order before they completed the job.

With the leg work done, it’s time to select your new technology and CMMS application, or maybe just fix the old one.

Arne Oas is the practice area manager for Computerized Facility Integration. He can be reached at .

This article appeared in the April/May 2000 issue of MRO Today magazine. Copyright, 2000.