Implementing and effectively using a CMMS package demonstrates innovation. The right Computer Maintenance Management Software (CMMS) is the best way to manage all aspects of facility services. Your CMMS can provide a best practices framework to help your managers make better decisions today, and more profit tomorrow.
Once you have chosen the CMMS tool for your team, the next step is the implementation, which is possibly the most important step of all. The way that your implementation is handled will be a key to the overall success of your project. Many businesses underestimate the value of following a strict procedure during implementation and may not be getting the best return on investment as a result.
Steps to a successful CMMS implementation:
- Planning. The planning stages of the process will directly affect the success of the implementation. Ensure that your chosen software is going to match up to your best work methods. The best time to make changes is before the implementation process begins. If the planning stage is done with care and attention to detail, it will make the implementation and training process that much quicker, and the system will be able to go live in days or weeks, rather than months.
- Communication. It is vital to communicate with the key employees who will need to implement the system. They will be able to communicate in turn with the employees that work under them. The entire system should have buy-in from top management down to the worker in your buildings. All key managers and employees should be educated on the benefits of using your CMMS and the value that it will bring to your business. It may even be beneficial to include some of the key personnel into the planning process form the very beginning. They have detailed knowledge about their facilities and what is needed to be successful.
- Training. If you are the pilot of a plane, but don’t know how to fly it properly, you will probably crash. The value of training your staff to effectively use the chosen CMMS cannot be over emphasized. It is vital to ensure that everyone who interacts with your new system gets the training they need before it goes live. The business may even have to implement basic computer literacy classes to ensure that all employees are up to par and are able to use the system with ease.
- Support: Employees will need product support, especially at the beginning of the implementation and in the first months of use. It is always wise to have a dedicated team to provide support to prevent employees from going back to ‘doing it their way’ shortly after implementation.
It is important to remember that humans are notoriously resistant to change. Implementing a CMMS package should be done with care. Over time, employees will become comfortable with using your new system, and your begin discovering ways to make work even easier.