This document outlines the key steps for successfully implementing a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS). It discusses defining goals, selecting software, pre-planning, developing master data like asset hierarchies and maintenance plans, gathering existing data, training users, and going live with the new system. The author emphasizes that high quality master data, adequate training, and support during go-live are critical for implementation success. Without following a planned process that engages stakeholders and defines business processes, a CMMS risks failing to maximize the return on maintenance assets.

1. Implementing a Successful CMMS
Randall C. Smith

2. • Strategy Engineering & Consulting, LLC‐ Houston, Texas
• Director of CMMS/Technical Writing
• In a less than four years we have created a strong team and a
successful division within Strategy Engineering & Consulting,
LLC, offering CMMS Implementations, Technical Writing of
Operating / Maintenance Procedures, Commissioning /Purging
Procedures, Engineering Standards, PHAs, and associated
facility documentation.

3. Topics to be covered
• What a CMMS Is/Is Not
• What can a CMMS do
• Defining Upfront items
• Goals or Driving Factors
• CMMS Software Selection
• Pre‐planning
• Implementation Planning
• Training
• Implementation
• Master Data
• Data Gathering
• Data Cleansing
• Hierarchy Development
• Spare Parts Catalog
• PM Development
• Report Development
• Data Loading
• Go‐Live

4. What a CMMS Is / Is Not
• CMMS is a computerized enabling tool used for the Gathering, Management,
and Analysis of all recorded Maintenance and Reliability Data
• A CMMS is a core strategic business asset that will help maximize the Return
on Investment (ROI) of company assets
• CMMS is not a tool that will make a Maintenance Dept. instantly operate
efficiently
• CMMS is really only a collection of databases and procedures to perform
when triggered. Without clearly defined Business Practices it will fail

5. What Can a CMMS Do
• Report the company’s list of maintainable assets
• Report the accounting of assets, purchase price, warranties, depreciation rates, etc.
• Schedule planned preventive maintenance routines
• Control preventive maintenance procedures and documentation
• Control and document planned and unplanned maintenance work
• Organize maintenance personnel including shift work schedules
• Schedule calibrations for gauges and instruments
• Assist in project management
• Provide maintenance budgeting and costing statistics
• Manage maintenance inventories
• Process condition monitoring inputs
• Provide analysis tools for maintenance performance

6. Top Ten Reasons for CMMS Failure
1. Incorrect Assessment of Needs
2. Underestimating Resources and Costs
3. Lack of Defined Business Processes
4. Lack of Pre‐planning
5. Poor Quality Master Data
6. User Acceptance
7. Inadequate Training
8. Project Management
9. Lack of Corporate Management Directives and Policies
10. Lack of Go‐Live Support

7. Defining Upfront
• Who are the stake holders?
• Who is paying for the implementation?
• Who will own and make decisions for the implementation?
• Who will directly benefit from the implementation?
• Who might indirectly benefit?
– The answer may be all or a combination of…
• Management
• Accounting
• Maintenance
• Operations
• Procurement

8. Goals or Driving Factors
• What critical features are required?
– Are labor costs to be tracked?
– Is procurement/purchasing included?
– Is inventory/warehousing included?
• What reporting does management require?

9. CMMS Software Selection
• Based on the previous questions, the complexity and sophistication
of the software may be evaluated to provide the best platform for
your facility.
• A few of the CMMS Software titles are:
– IBM Maximo
– SAP‐ Usually accompanies SAP financials
– Oracle E‐Business
– E‐Maint
– I‐Maint iMaint®
– And many more…

10. Pre‐Planning

11. Pre‐Planning‐ Hosting
• Hosting
– In‐house through Company servers, infrastructure
– Cloud managed resources
– Outsourced to a third party hosting firm
– SAAS‐ Software as a Service

12. Pre‐Planning‐ Corporate
• What corporate standards are in place for a CMMS
– Maintenance
– Financials
– Labor
– Inventory
• Who has access
• Who is the gate keeper

13. Pre‐Planning ‐Utilization
• What modules will be utilized?

14. Implementation Planning
• Round table discussions with management, maintenance staff,
procurement staff, etc. to define philosophies and plan implementation
• Define structure as agreed to in compliance with corporate desire,
goals, requirements, etc.

15. Pre‐Planning ‐Training
• What training will be required up front as well as on‐going?
– Implementation
– Operations
– Go‐live support

16. Implementation

17. Master Data
• Master Data is the foundation of any system
• High quality data utilizing pre‐defined templates is critical to
success
• Level of detail is driven by business requirements
• Poor Master Data will result in poor transactional data
• Data Maintenance Process is required once it is in service

18. Data Gathering
• Data gathering via walkdowns
• Data extraction from existing systems
– Accounting
– Purchasing
– Maintenance
– Inventories
– Operations
– Engineering

19. Data Cleansing
• Data cleansing
• Data standardization
• Naming Conventions (UNSPSC, NAIC, SIC)

20. Hierarchy Development
• Asset Functional Hierarchy must be pre‐defined.
• Hierarchy is difficult to change once in service.
• Hierarchy will dictate how costs roll‐up and reliability data is
analyzed.
• Asset Data has to be constructed into a Functional Hierarchy

21. Hierarchy Development
Company
Plant
System
Item
Parts
Parent
A group of
systems put
together to
produce
output
A group of
items put
together to
perform a
function
A group of
parts put
together to
perform a
function
Things that
break and
cause a loss
of function

22. Spare Parts Master Catalog
• A Repository of Information concerning all MRO items needed
to support the Material requirements of a Maintenance
Department
• It is organized and structured using Pre‐Defined Rules
• Pre‐defining the catalog is critical

23. New Items Guidelines for Spare Parts Catalog
• Repetitively Purchased Items‐ (3+ times per year)
• Value‐ Item’s value should outweigh transaction cost of maintaining a
Material number and purchasing via a PO
• Stocked Material Items‐ This is plant determination based on their
operations. Factors are: frequency and volume of usage, delivery method,
timing issues, production and/or project requirements
• Material Items Associated with BOMs‐ Items associated with BOMs and
meet the criteria of wearable, stocked or critical spares
• Critical Spares‐ associated with equipment or functional locations that are
critical to ongoing operations
• Capital Critical Spares‐ Items purchased under capital projects that are
critical to ongoing operations

24. PM Development
• If you know, start with the equipment where the most
problems are
• Identify the failure modes
• Use Condition Based Monitoring (CBM) where possible
– CBM is less expensive
– CBM often extends the failure window over time‐based activities
• Focus on precision maintenance
– Torque Values
– Belt Tension

25. PM Details
The following information should be included:
• What work is being performed?
• What materials/parts are required?
• What special tools are needed?
• Equipment required (cranes, man‐lifts, cherry pickers, etc.)
• Expected man‐hours
• Number/location of inspection points
• Inspection tolerances and acceptable limits
• Frequencies (Historical/Best Practice/Mfr. Recommendations)

26. Report Development
• The early planning stages will dictate the KPIs you wish to track.
• Key Benefits
‐ Spot trends on key performance measurements
‐ Access data on work orders and PMs
‐ Data analysis tools for all levels of management
‐ Track worker productivity and material usage
‐ Monitor equipment performance and work order completions

27. Reporting
• A Few Report Examples are:
‐ Executive Summary
‐ PM Futures
‐ PM Parts Needed
‐ PM Completion Analysis
‐ Work Order Summary (Open, Complete)
‐ On‐Time/Late Work Orders
‐ Downtime Analysis
‐ Unscheduled Work Reports
‐ Failure Analysis
‐ Downtime by Asset
‐ Labor and Parts Analysis
‐ Trends Analysis

28. Data Loading and Testing
• Test platforms will be developed and utilized prior to startup
• Throughout the project, Asset Data will be loaded and tested
• PMs will be loaded and tested

29. GO LIVE!
• Training should be complete just prior to Go‐live
• Go‐live support is critical in the first days/weeks of Go‐live
• Consultant availability is critical as startup continues
• Flexibility is critical
– The ability to re‐define and adjust as critical issues arise

30. THANK YOU!
Randall.Smith@strategyeng.com
832‐617‐9251