A CMMS can help you make strides for your maintenance operation.
You might be wondering:
With the vastness of maintenance solutions available, what specific qualities can keep your property humming?
That's a good question because we know many maintenance solution providers will tout all the ways their solution "will" augment your maintenance operation.
We've got news for you.
You need to focus on the core of your operation today, not the bells and whistles someone is trying to sell you.
It's vital to understand the foundation and framework that leads to a reliable and robust system you can use for the long term.
You need a system that'll keep your property fully operational today and for years to come.
Keep reading because we're going to identity five dynamics of a reputable system.
Now:
We want you to understand that there are far more qualities associated with progressive systems than we'll dive into today.
However, these five define the basis for establishing the right kind of system.
Please don't forget that.
These are traits you need to focus on when implementing your system and strengthening your maintenance foundation for the long haul.
Maximize Operational Effectiveness through the Use of a Definitive CMMS Framework
Here's the thing:
We want to get to the core today, to the root of what makes an excellent maintenance solution.
We've talked about maintenance software solutions over and over while boasting about all the fascinating qualities they possess.
So we're guilty ourselves.
With that said:
There are five core facets of a solution that every leader needs to know.
You must use them at full capacity to ensure your property keeps humming along with max efficiency.
Time for the details.
- Work Orders
- Equipment Management
- Material Management
- Vendor Management
- Preventive Maintenance
Maybe these seem apparent to you, and perhaps they don't.
The critical concept to understand:
If you're missing any one of these, there's a severe flaw in your operation.
On the other hand, if you become laser-focused on developing a maintenance operation with these features applied, you can be sure you'll achieve maximum effectiveness.
Understanding the 5 Pillars of Your Property's Maintenance Core
We're going to break down these fundamentals.
But first, we want you to close your eyes and imagine your current operation.
Without our help yet, go ahead and consider the areas you might have mastered or even need quite a bit of improvement.
Now:
Write these five features down on a piece of paper.
We challenge you to identify strengths and weaknesses for each in your operation as we go through them.
Ready to go? Onward we go.
Work Orders
As you already know, when you run a property – stuff breaks!
You'll want to get all the details – since they matter anyway – and produce work orders for completing requests as scheduled and on time.
Look:
Work orders are a primary function of your CMMS, so your ability to manage them will come in handy.
To ensure everything in your operation runs smoothly, make sure you make works orders easy.
Keep them detailed but straightforward.
What is the best way to do this?
Digitally create, track, edit, and automatically communicate these work orders for the best results.
Think about how convenient it will be for your engineers the next time multiple air handlers stop working at once.
Equipment, Material and Vendor Management
Everything in your property, in some way or another, is associated with equipment, material, and vendors.
What you don't want to miss is the importance of managing each altogether.
Could you imagine the complexity of managing tons of equipment, the material related to each asset, and all your vendors, in an old system or outdated spreadsheet?
Painful.
We discuss the integrity of data all the time in our business.
It's also what has led us to build our software the way we do.
Tracking equipment information, the associated labor, and vendor information can lead to Proactive Operations when done correctly and with an effective structure in place.
You need Equipment information in your system that details:
- Associated facilities
- Specifications for the equipment
- Warranty information
- Vendor details
- Associated Materials
All of the information needs to be organized and helpful.
The same goes for your Materials and Vendors.
And:
In a solution that'll keep your property operating with constant uptime will digitally document all three of these interdependent of one another.
Yes, everything is connected.
This is what we mean:
Let's jump back to the equipment information we outlined.
When you need information about a vendor, opening the record should give you the details on all the equipment and materials associated with that vendor.
Opening the record on related material will highlight that specific vendor – and the equipment!
See the uniformity here?
This means that all the details have been covered, and you're never going to be concerned about the integrity of your data again.
Ultimately, all of this information centralized in one location will afford you the ability to be a highly effective property manager.
Equipment, materials, and vendors are the nucleus of your operation.
It's time you batten down the hatches and focus on moving your operation from a cost center to a profit center.
Securing the integrity of this data will make it a lot easier.
Preventive Maintenance
Preventive maintenance used to be an innovation.
Now:
We think it's a must. Do you agree?
A CMMS without preventive maintenance is useless. We can't drill this concept enough.
Do you remember when we mentioned we have a solution that can prevent all of your air handlers from going out at once?
Preventive maintenance is your solution.
It gets better:
Preventive maintenance can help you quickly move to become a profit center too.
Are you seeing the synergy a robust framework produces yet?
Where you have data integrity coupled with preventive maintenance capabilities – you have proactivity.
At the heart of your maintenance operation is your ability to be proactive.
Don't rush. Think about this for a moment.
You have various types of equipment operating throughout your property.
- Life safety equipment
- HVAC
- Plumbing
- Electrical
So many moving parts that'll eventually break.
This is what you'll do as a proactive leader.
- Identify activities to be completed for each piece of equipment
- Determine the tasks involved with each of your activities
- Use your preventive maintenance calendar to schedule and oversee your activities
- Prevent equipment from breaking before its time
- Achieve Proactive Operations
Your preventive maintenance equals unmatched effectiveness that'll keep your property humming.
Forget about downtime. Remember your peace of mind.
That is all.
Over to You
The details matter, so nothing slips through the cracks. This leads to Proactive Operations for your property – and you look fantastic.
We've focused on specific factors that could be affecting your operation's success in today's article. This is important because now you have a tangible takeaway that you can use for bettering your operation.
So, did you write down your strengths and weakness for all five of these characteristics? How did you measure up? Do you agree that these are incredibly vital for your CMMS's framework?
Editor's note: This post was originally published in August 2015 and has been updated for comprehensiveness and freshness.
