Your computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), or facility management software, is designed to make life easier for your facility to share and store information to help your team manage building and asset repairs and maintenance. If the software tool is more of a barrier than an access point, it’s time to evaluate if the CMMS is doing its job. Here are 5 warning signs that you need to install a new system.
1. Your CMMS Is not up and running.
This seems like a no-brainer. If you’re investing in a facility management solution, you want it up and running as soon as possible. A well-equipped implementation team can collect complete and accurate data for you, help you get comfortable with your software and offer continuing support as you start digging into its functionality. If you’re left in the dark waiting for an implementation to happen, you’re wasting time and money you could apply toward creating preventative maintenance schedules, organizing work orders and managing assets. Make sure you find a software provider that you can consider a partner for implementation.
2. Your CMMS is not customized for your facility’s needs.
No two buildings are the same, so when evaluating different software options, make sure you pick a partner that will work with you and your building team to identify what would help you most. Do you need better asset mapping and tracking? Are you trying to implement a preventative maintenance plan? Are you looking for an easier way to organize service requests? The right software will provide a customized experience for your facility team’s success.
3. Your CMMS Is not accessible to your team.
Assigning tasks to your team is crucial to operating efficiently, but if the information in your CMMS isn’t readily available, you’re limiting your success. Your whole team should have access to up-to-date floor plans, asset information, O&M manuals and anything else that can help them in the field. Having everyone in the same software also means you have a hub for communication and collaboration. A good facility management software collects and organizes information, but the best FM software makes asset and floor plan information available to everyone who needs it.
4. Your CMMS isn’t intuitive.
Your software should be powerful, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be simple to use. Poorly designed and outdated CMMS distracts from instead enhances your work. You want data to be accessible when you need it and out of the way when you don’t. Your CMMS shouldn’t be the problem; it should solve the problem.
5. Your CMMS isn’t evolving with your facility.
If your maintenance software can’t keep up as your building and team evolves, there’s a problem. If your CMMS is stuck in the past, you miss opportunities to implement new features based on new needs. Your team is adaptable, and your software should be as well.
If your current software checks off one or more of these warning signs, consider reevaluating your system. If you’re worried about the time and money invested into your current solution, think about a supplemental software. For instance, even though a program like AkitaBox was developed to function independently, it can also be used in conjunction with an existing CMMS.
The road to implementing a facility management software doesn’t have to be a difficult one. Check out the AkitaBox facility management software suite in a series of demo videos here.
