Mobile technology has become much more relevant to facility management in the last two years. Maintenance and engineering professionals are mobile by nature, and have relied on paper, phone calls, emails, and text messages to get their job done.  Although these different methods of communication have been somewhat effective, there is still quite a bit of improvement that can be made by using modern web based Computerized Maintenance Management Systems, or CMMS products.  With the advent of Smart Phones and Tablets, more facility managers are realizing the positive impact these technologies can have in their facilities.

Older Methods Don’t Produce the Same Results

Even though mobile technology is gradually becoming popular in the industry, there are still those who prefer older ways and have not incorporated the new technology into their facility management processes.

The older methods usually involve paper, phone calls, and manual data entry.  This means that when maintenance technicians and mechanics need immediate access to information, they have to wait until they are on site and even then, may have to wade through huge files from the administrative office in order to find what they are after.  This method is not only tedious; it wastes time and substantially reduces productivity.

The result is a maintenance process that is compromised and productive methods such as predictive maintenance become impractical or in some cases, impossible to implement.

Where Mobile Technology Comes in Handy

When utilizing web based CMMS products, mobile technology enhances the performance of employees and leads to lowered costs for the facility and for the workforce.  When applied in the following areas, mobile technology has far reaching effects:

• On Demand Work Orders:  The largest improvement made is in automated dispatch of workers to handle client Service Requests and Asset Repair Orders.  Workers don’t need to be called or stop by the office to pick up their Work Orders – they are sent automatically to their Smart Phones or Tablets.  The workers can start and stop the Work Orders in the field, giving accurate field work times.  They can document what they did and even take pictures before, during, and after the work is done to document the work completely.  When work is completed, everyone who is involved knows instantly, and the worker can be assigned their next task immediately, reducing travel and down time.  An added benefit is the elimination of double entry and the errors that happen as part of that older documentation process,
• Preventive Maintenance Work Orders: When work is completed for On Demand Work Orders, the workers have a scheduled list of Preventive Maintenance Work Orders that they can immediately begin.  All of the details they need to complete the work can be automatically sent to their Smart Phone or Tablet, increasing their productivity and minimizing the amount of work their supervisors need to perform.  Just like the On Demand Work Orders, workers can start and stop the PM Work Order in the field, documenting their work with notes and also with pictures.  Everyone who monitors Preventive Maintenance will know that the work is done, and follow up documentation becomes much easier.  Of course, the same benefit for eliminating double entry is useful for PM Work Orders as well.
• Quality Inspections:  Supervisors can perform Quality Inspections of both On Demand and Preventive Maintenance Work Orders with their Smart Phone or Tablet.  Their start time and end time is automatically documented, and they can record everything they find with easy drop down menus to prevent a lot of typing.  Inspectors can also take pictures of any deficiencies they find or also document when a job is well done, so there is a complete and accurate record of the work performed.  Analysis of Quality results becomes a lot easier, as reports are generated automatically to improve their productivity.
• Asset Inventory: This is another important area where the effects of mobile technology can be experienced as receiving, tracking, and performing physical inventories become much faster and more productive.  Inventory results can instantly and automatically be sent into the web based CMMS, eliminating transcribing errors and improving accuracy.

Without a doubt mobile technology is the next big thing for savvy maintenance professionals and when properly integrated with their chosen CMMS, it provides great opportunities for effectiveness, productivity, and accountability.

The smooth implementation and start up of Computerized Maintenance Management Systems or CMMS depends on a few key factors.  One of these is the proper formatting of data prior to installation, and when this is flawed, any system will replicate the flaws until corrected.  The good news is that experienced implementation professionals can help you avoid implementing flawed data.

However, even a system that has been correctly implemented can give rise to unsatisfactory performance.  This is usually because one of the most important aspects of a new CMMS implementation has been neglected:  Employee Training.

Why Training is Key

Your CMMS is going to be run by people, yet top management executives continue to cut back on training to “lower” cost.  What they end up doing is accruing more costs, due to errors their employees make while using their asset management software until they understand the best way to use their new tool.

In order to avoid this, it is not just important that the employees be trained in the proper use of the CMMS, there needs to be recurring training and knowledge retention evaluation as each new upgrade is introduced.

Who Should Train?

When planning employee training, there might be the temptation to hire corporate trainers to carry out the training program.  If these individuals are true systems experts, this could be a reasonable path to follow.  However, unless they are willing and capable of spending the time needed to learn the CMMS fully, this path should be resisted.  While corporate trainers might have general knowledge of a number of asset management software products, each system has its own methods and special features.

One advantage some CMMS products have is built in training videos.  These mini training sessions usually cover the same material taught in live training sessions, but they are broken down into 3 to 5 minute bites.  Employees can review the videos whenever they feel unsure about what they are doing, without having to ask someone for help.  One other advantage is the ability to learn at their own pace, and reinforce any live training they have received as they start using their new CMMS.

Who Should Be Trained?

The true effectiveness of a CMMS system depends largely on how completely it has been embraced by the members of an organization.  Everyone needs to be involved when it comes to the smooth running of a facility, and everyone should receive some level of training if their jobs are scheduled or managed by the CMMS.  Of course, individuals who are not going to directly log into the system don’t need extensive training, but it is helpful for them to know what the process is for work management and their role in a successful facility.

Benefits of Proper Training

When the employees in an organization have undergone proper CMMS training, there are several benefits which the organization enjoys:

• Smooth running of the facility
• The ability to take advantage of all the features of the CMMS, improving ROI
• Cost effectiveness due to a reduction in flaws or mistakes
• Increased accountability and an “ownership” mentality
• Improved documentation of systems and work performed
• Better employee performance measurement

To get the most out of your CMMS implementation, comprehensive training is a wise investment that will give benefit in every aspect of asset management.

Experienced Facility Managers understand the importance of a computerized maintenance system to keep assets functioning as designed.  Not only does a CMMS cut overall operational costs, but it improves facility utility consumption, provides a healthy work environment, and ensures that assets remain at top functionality for as long as possible.  However, in order to keep getting the most out of your CMMS, it is important to keep track of asset sustainability by reviewing system use and maintenance performance trends.

The Importance of your CMMS to Sustainability

If you want to get the most value from your CMMS, you should treat it like an asset – in essence make sure it is properly implemented and maintained.  Let’s assume you had a perfect equipment list, perfect work instructions, a perfect PM schedule, and a perfect work force.  Why do you need to maintain your CMMS?  Even in this “perfect” scenario, equipment condition changes, the needs of the facility change, the demands of your tenants change, and all assets are consuming their “useful life”.

In order to prevent asset degradation, you must review the performance of your team as well as the performance of your equipment and make appropriate adjustments to keep everything on track.  When reviewing Work Order documentation, it is easy to spot missing information or readings that don’t make sense.  It is much harder to understand work quality and what your staff did to correct the deficiencies they found.

Employee Work Performance Measurement

When you evaluate employee performance, work consistency is just as important as work completion.  If your workforce is doing a great job most of the time, you will still experience asset degradation on the days when work is not as good as usual.

Having a built-in measurement tool within your CMMS is the best way to monitor work completion and measure the quality/consistency of work performance.  Work inspections will tie directly back to work performed, and trends can be easily identified over time.  You will also have the ability to measure consistency for individual employees, which helps you understand the level of supervision and training needed for each staff member.

New and Continuous Training

Of course, system and trade based training is a component of sustainability, but how do you determine the best training material and methods for your staff?  This is one aspect that is usually neglected when it comes to facility management. Even though CMMS makes it possible for a facility to be efficiently run and managed with a limited number of staff, they still need to be trained to keep the facility running efficiently. New employees should be trained on the proper use of the CMMS software while experienced employees should go through continuous education as trends in the industry change.

Use of Add-on functionality

Most CMMS vendors create an allowance for add-on functionality in order to expand the use of the software. The reason why it is necessary to take advantage of these is that it enables the CMMS software to grow with the specific needs of the facility.

Regular CMMS Upgrades

Whenever CMMS software goes through an upgrade, it usually includes more efficient tools for better management. In order to get the most of the software, it is important to make use of recent versions. The sustainability of CMMS can be greatly improved if these vital tips are implemented. Improved sustainability means a more efficiently run facility, which in turn will lead to greater cost effectiveness.