Live Tracking of Facility Maintenance Work Performance

What is your maintenance staff doing right now?  Are you sure?

Every manager worries about productivity and ensuring on-time work performance.  Many know that their staff could be more productive, but don’t currently have a means to correct this deficiency.  You don’t have to remain in the dark.

A growing trend in facility maintenance is using web based CMMS systems to track work performance using barcodes to provide start and stop times.  The use of barcodes gives two advantages – you know that the worker was standing in front of the equipment or work area plus they can automatically pull up work instructions when they scan, saving them time.

Time stamps can be compared to work schedules automatically; alerting management to work that has been missed or is late.  This “watchful eye” improves employee accountability and quality without undue discussion or conflict.

A simple performance tracking process with big benefits

What is needed to begin tracking?  The list is brief – you need equipment/location barcodes and a barcode scanner.  Of course, this presumes that you already have a CMMS that is capable of work performance tracking.  The scanner can be durable, small (1” x 2”), and cost about $110.

  1. Different shifts can share scanners to reduce up front hardware costs.
  2. Scanners can be live if scanning is performed via SmartPhones.
  3. Engineers don’t need to pay for login access unless they perform management functions, like work scheduling or employee management.
  4. Managers can receive automated alerts when schedule discrepancies are discovered.
  5. Your work performance information is available at anytime from anywhere you have an internet connection.  In essence, your staff stays connected and you stay informed.
  6. Different access levels can be granted to isolate what any login users see.
  7. Your client can stay in the loop automatically with summary reports of work performance.
  8. Managers get more control of your work process and service delivery.

What other tasks will the CMMS handle?

There functions that online maintenance tracking software can perform will vary.  However, almost every system has:

  1. Planned and On-Demand Work Scheduling
  2. Individual Employee Work Plans
  3. Automated Employee Dispatch and Notification
  4. Complete Equipment Histories, including Cost Factors
  5. Human Resources Suite for Improve Employee Management
  6. Quality Assurance
  7. Inventory Management

What other factors are important?

  1. Integration with Mobile Devices, such as Android or Apple SmartPhones and Tablets.
  2. Quick and simple implementation.
  3. Every level within the organization can perform their work without having to learn too much “tech”.
  4. Built in training videos to provide system support.
  5. Live technical support.
  6. Zero Footprint for secure locations.
  7. Zero systems maintenance costs (included).
  8. Zero system upgrade costs (included).

It is helpful to think of your CMMS as a tool, just like you have in your tool box.  If you had to loosen the bolts on a heat exchanger, you probably would prefer to have a wrench.  If you had to ensure work gets done on time and done properly every time, you would probably prefer a web based CMMS.