Why do you need a CMMS consultant?

inrecent weeks we have been called upon to fix and re-implement some CMMS installations. These companies — like many others — have purchased and implemented the software without proper guidance and support.

Through no fault of their own, and by doing the best they could, they implemented the software, not knowing the future repercussions of their actions. I’ve dedicated this article to all the CMMS consultants out there who are often overlooked for the great job they do.

You’re probably asking yourself, how hard can it be to take software, add equipment, PMs and inventory, and make it work? Any maintenance person should be able to do it. So what makes it so difficult?

If you’ve been following my past columns, you know that I believe there should be a great deal of thought and planning before implementing a CMMS program. Meetings should be held to discuss exactly what the software will be used for in the short term and in the future.

To start with, process flows should be developed for work order, inventory, and purchasing activities. The workflow will help determine the way data will be entered into the software. It will determine if the program needs modifications and customization.

So you’re probably thinking: “This all sounds pretty easy. Why would I need a consultant?” Consultants will do several things to help you implement a workable CMMS.

1. First, they will take you through implementation steps so your CMMS will not fail or need to be reconstructed in the future. What we often see is little or no planning prior to implementation. The program is loaded on a PC and the maintenance department populates the program as they see fit. They add and modify the program as they go. What they end up with over a year or so is an ugly mess that doesn’t work. I’ll describe what we see as you read this article.

2. Second, consultants will know the program intimately. They will be able to guide you through a plan to develop the program that will create the results you’re looking for. They can advise you on modifications you are thinking of making that may adversely affect the program in the future. CMMS software may not always work exactly the way you want, but the consultant will know workarounds to achieve the desired results.

What we often see are programs that have modifications done that make future expansion of the program nearly impossible. We’ve seen modifications and changes made that would supposedly help use the program, but that could have been achieved much more easily. Reversing these changes is not easy and the alterations take time to reconstruct. Some programs do not allow changes after the software has been used. In this case you’re stuck with what you have done.

3. Third, consultants can help you develop nomenclatures for key fields in the database. Effective naming structures will help with the navigation of the software, taking advantage of the many shortcut keys the program will have. Properly formatted key fields will eliminate database corruption.

Nomenclatures for key fields are vital. There are standard rules for these key fields. Usually they require key fields to have only numbers, letters and dashes (-). Any other characters are considered to be illegal. Although many programs allow you to remove these illegal characters, just as many do not. Again you may be stuck with what you have.

4. The fourth thing consultants can do is assist you with the design of security for the program to protect your data. As far as access to the program goes, we usually see that anyone and their dog can make changes to the program. They can enter illegal characters into key fields and add duplicate data throughout the software. It’s important to set up security within the program to protect the integrity of your data and eliminate corruption. Security set-up also helps your users navigate the program because they only see on screen the functions they will use.

5. Consultants will be able to modify reports that will deliver the required information in the desired format. Installing company logos and the hard-coding of important procedural information on work orders and purchase order forms are common. What we see is reports and forms that don’t look very pretty and aren’t very functional. The CMMS programs we work with allow customization of forms and reports that reflect the workflow and the needs of the organization. Many places use the work order forms that come with the program without customization, which usually leads to a waste of paper, which has a negative impact on the environment.

6. Consultants can deliver customized training programs and manuals from basic to advanced levels. They’ll know all the navigation shortcuts and tips that will save the user time when entering data and finding information in the software. Knowing how to navigate and use the program as quickly and easily as possible can make the difference between effectively using the program or not. If it’s simple and easy, users will be eager and willing to use it because it will help them with their maintenance activities.

7. Consultants can give you ongoing advice and support as you progressively expand the use of the program. Most companies start out using the program on a small scale and progressively use more and more of its functionality. What we’ve seen in the past couple of years is a very large turnover of maintenance supervisors and managers. Although our customers have experienced these personnel changes, we have been able to keep them on track and maintain their software progression. Your consultant can be the stability you need as you experience change in your organization.

As I mentioned, we’ve been working with several organizations over the past several months to help re-implement their software. In every case, problems have been caused by the lack of knowledge about the CMMS and how to implement it. Companies have spent their money on the software without allocating funds to implement it properly.

I know consulting is considered to be expensive. We spend time with our customers to get them started on the right foot so they can use and grow their CMMS. But repairing and re-implementing your software also is costly. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you don’t need any help. Budget and spend the money on a good CMMS consultant who has the software and maintenance experience you need.

Without sounding arrogant, I’d like to say one last thing. Pay us now or pay us later. Without question, paying us now is much cheaper and in the long run will give you a program that is both functional and easy to use.

Machinery & Equipment software editor Peter Phillips of Trailwalk Holdings, a CMMS consulting and training company based in Nova Scotia, can be reached at 902-798-3601 or by e-mail at peter@trailwalk.ca.

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What went wrong?

Just to give you some examples of what we’ve seen, here are some estimated hours to repair and re-implement some CMMS installations:

Company #1: 95 to100 hours to remove illegal characters in key fields. Their program at the moment will not print or close work orders due to these characters. They will need to be removed to make the software functional again.

Company #2: We estimated approximately 1,000 hours to repair some 20,000 corrupted records. You might say, “Why not just start over?” In this case the company does not want to lose the equipment history, so starting over is not an option.

Company #3: A new maintenance supervisor decided to ignore what a consultant had set up and implemented three years ago. The supervisor didn’t understand the CMMS and without asking the consultant or the corporate office, he changed key data fields in the program. The damage will take some 1,500 hours to bring it back to company standards and repair the corrupted data.

I could continue to list examples, however
I think you get the picture. (PP)