Although management may know how many people in the organization are responsible for keeping the CMMS and other management systems running, they may not understand all their roles and responsibilities. Since you’re going down the path of centralizing your maintenance tools and reengineering some or all of your maintenance practices, it makes sense to identify all human resources related to those processes and how they make everything happen.
Following are the stakeholders we find are most often involved or impacted and the information you should request from them so you can plan accordingly.
Information Technology
- What is the corporate requirement for the software platform?
- What other programs may need to interface to the CMMS?
- What role will they play in supporting the new software?
- What are they currently spending for existing software and support?
Finance
- How does finance interact with maintenance currently?
- What financial information is currently shared and how is it shared?
- What financial information should be shared that currently isn’t?
- Is there any duplication of effort?
Customers
• How do customers interact with maintenance currently?
• What is their level of satisfaction?
• How do we track all customer requests?
• Can we make improvements to better serve their needs?
Obtaining answers to your questions will help you identify various issues. Categorize them to determine if they are a Tool, Process or People issue. You may then need to place that information into a feedback loop to see if it affects your earlier evaluation of tools and processes.
The logic for this effort is straightforward. When issues arise, they may be much larger than the software package alone. Any value gathered from the CMMS implementation may be diminished if the larger issues have not been resolved.
Final Thoughts
As with any major initiative, establishing a realistic, functional structure will help ensure success. Both management and maintenance personnel benefit from a framework that lets them focus on achievement. Furthermore, other workers impacted by the project will be curious to know what they can expect from it. This involvement will help driver user adoption, which is critical for the success of the project.
You may also wish to consider a phased approach, which allows your end users to master the basics of the system first, as well as keep them more focused. As with any software implementation, it is always better to walk before you run for maximum results.
Tero Consulting Ltd. provides Maintenance Management software solutions to reduce maintenance and operating expenses through our proven Web-Based CMMS, Azzier. Combined with our 40-plus years of CMMS consulting and implementation experience, we can assist with project planning, no matter how big or small. To learn more about our solutions and consulting services go to https://azzier.com/
