Running a CMMS evaluation

Before you start comparing different CMMS packages, make sure you have a detailed understanding of your business requirements: what do you need the system to do? List the buildings, equipment, and vehicles you need to track, what maintenance they require on what schedule, how many employees will be using the system and where, and any other information you want the system to handle. Also, gather your technical requirements: find out if the system needs to run on Oracle or SQL servers, for example.

Once you've done that, create a list of features and capabilities you need. Don't worry too much about listing the basic capabilities that are available in all CMMS. Instead, focus on the handful of features that are most important to you - and we do mean handful. Try to keep the list short - five to 10 items at most.

Next, get in touch with vendors. Submit a BuyerZone request for CMMS quotes and you'll be put in touch with up to five qualified providers of maintenance software based on your requirements. It's important to compare several vendors to get the best sense of the advantages and disadvantages of different systems.

In addition to reviewing the vendors' web sites and product literature, you should ask the vendors to conduct a demo for you. While you can usually get a demo CD and try the software on your own - and we recommend that you do - you'll get a much better sense of the products' capabilities if the vendor can walk you through an online demo as well. These online demos are usually done live using a web conferencing service, so you can ask questions and investigate the product areas that are most important to you.

Like many business software applications, CMMS software is often packed full of features, many of which you'll never use. Industry surveys indicate that most companies only use about 20% of the features available in their MMS system, so don't be distracted by the 80% that are just fancy add-ons. Focus on evaluating those features you decided are essential, especially the work order functionality.

CMMS ease of use
Don't depend solely on your feature checklist, though. Getting your staff to adopt a new CMMS system can be difficult, so it's important that it be easy to use. Of course, every salesperson will tell you their maintenance management software is easy to use. You need to decide for yourself what "easy to use" means, but here are some examples.

• Is entering information intuitive? Can you skip sections or include non-standard information?
• How much is automated for you?
• Can you easily find specific information about an asset?
• Are the various screens easy to understand?
• Does the "flow" from section to section match your workflow?
• Consider real-life situations: how easy is it to reschedule maintenance when needed?
• Can you switch immediately from one task to another if an emergency comes up?

No matter how easy the basic functions are, users will always have questions, so investigate the built-in help features as well. How much contextual help is included? Are there pop-up "tool tips" to explain various buttons? Is the help system useful?

Flexibility
Most CMMS software can be customized to include your company information, employee names, and specific buildings or equipment. If your maintenance operations are unique to your industry or business, you should look for a system that includes more significant customization options. If the CMMS system doesn't match your processes exactly, you'll never reach the full ROI potential.