What Is CMMS Software?

The basics of Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) software

What can CMMS software do?

CMMS software is a business system used to manage work orders, parts inventory and preventive maintenance. Ultimately, it provides a single source of truth for all information that your facility and maintenance management team needs.

At a high level, a CMMS system replaces paper logs, spreadsheets and disconnected point tools with one platform your maintenance team works on every day. That consolidation is what makes everything else possible: reliable reporting, consistent preventive maintenance and a full audit trail for every asset.

It also helps companies like yours plan, track, measure and optimize everything to do with preventive maintenance and work order management so you can develop better maintenance practices, stay organized and ultimately save time and money.

Specifically, a centralized, collaborative, real-time CMMS system can help users:

• Increase efficiency
• Connect systems
• Reduce equipment downtime
• Make data-driven decisions
• Budget effectively
• Prioritize work orders
• Implement set procedures
• Organize assets across devices
• Manage teams

Common business problems CMMS software solves

Before adopting a CMMS system, many organizations struggle with the same core maintenance problems. Among other concerns, organizations:

• Face delays due to asset breakdowns that make it difficult to keep routine maintenance on track
• Have difficulty maintaining appropriate staffing and keeping overtime costs to a minimum
• Fail to consistently focus on high-priority work
• Have low visibility into parts inventory, work order history, etc.
• Have difficulty scheduling planned preventive maintenance
• Consistently practice reactive maintenance rather than preventive maintenance, which can — among other things — reduce safety, increase unplanned downtime and decrease asset lifecycle

The source of the problem? Data recorded on paper or in outdated, disparate legacy systems that are difficult to update, share or sync across devices.

This makes it hard to track asset histories, schedule preventive maintenance, scale or maintain compliance – which ultimately leads to lost time and decreased revenue due to inefficiency. CMMS software can help.

Who uses a CMMS system?

A CMMS system is used by anyone responsible for keeping assets running and facilities safe. Typical roles include:

• Maintenance managers: Plan preventive maintenance, assign work and report on team performance
• Maintenance technicians: Pick up work orders, log completed tasks and record parts used from any device
• Facility managers: Track building assets and service contracts and compliance across one or many sites
• Reliability engineers: Analyze failure trends and refine preventive maintenance programs based on asset data
• Operations leaders: Control maintenance spend, downtime and safety outcomes.

Further Reading & Resources:

• Blog Post: Why You Aren’t Realizing the Full Benefits of Your CMMS
• Webinar: Using Reporting and Analytics to Drive Manufacturing Improvements
• Blog Post: 3 Elements of Maintenance Success in the Chemical Industry

Specific uses of enterprise CMMS software

The sections below cover the specific ways teams put a CMMS system to work day to day.

Comprehensive work order management and preventive maintenance

Efficient work order management is critical to running a business smoothly and efficiently. CMMS software ensures you have the full visibility you need for this kind of management by providing full trackability of parts inventory and work orders, complete visibility into work order history, and accountability for maintenance technicians.

Using robust CMMS software:

• Managers and operators can build, review, prioritize, assign and track work orders from any device. They can also receive up-to-the-minute updates when a work order is complete.
• Users can schedule preventive maintenance by setting up time, usage or condition-based maintenance triggers.
• Technicians can be alerted in real time when there is a new work order and receive important details like repair histories, checklists, asset manuals and more.
• Technicians can immediately input notes, mark a job as complete and let others know the status of a particular asset.

These features also allow for more effective preventive maintenance planning, reducing the number of expensive emergency repairs, decreasing downtime and saving you money in the long run.

Insight into asset performance and reporting

If you cannot effectively collect, analyze, access and apply your equipment data, your operations will be inefficient and under-productive. CMMS software can help you extract meaningful data to pinpoint preventive maintenance needs and manage KPIs:

• Track equipment usage and performance, including metrics like mileage, gauge readings and operational hours.
• Create asset profiles so you know all the pertinent information about a particular machine at-a-glance, including failure codes, required safety equipment, maintenance history and more.
• Quickly generate custom reports on things like asset downtime or cost of inventory so you can answer important questions about your maintenance operations at any time.
• Connect with other relevant systems in your company so your maintenance data is always available to relevant departments and individuals.

MRO inventory management

Your business has to order, use and keep track of countless MRO items, and your technicians need to access these parts in order to effectively complete repairs. In many cases, MRO accounts can make up as much as 40% of a business’s annual procurement budget. CMMS software can make your MRO inventory management easier and less costly by helping to:

• Automate purchases so you have the correct parts in the right place at the right time.
• Track every spare part, including important details like purchase date, availability on certain sites, where the part is stored and more.
• Inform technicians what parts are needed for a particular repair and where those parts can be found.
• Monitor big-picture metrics like inventory costs, order histories and usage statistics.

Audit preparedness

CMMS software can help maintenance departments better meet safety initiatives and comply with regulatory, industry, geographic and other audits:

• Keep an accurate and searchable record of all tasks so inspectors can quickly verify actions and maintenance history can be audited stress-free.
• Maintain employee compliance and safety by embedding training videos and creating user profiles where certifications and renewal dates can be monitored easily.
• Easily provide the proof required to achieve ISO certification with archived work orders, task lists and photos attached to work orders.
• Use automated reports and searchable audit logs to track key metrics and quickly pull up any necessary information about a particular asset.

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The benefits: How can CMMS software improve your business?

Increased transparency

CMMS software can replace disparate systems, Excel sheets and physical paperwork to effectively track:

• Assets and physical equipment (machines, vehicles and other equipment)
• Supplies such as parts, materials and other inventory
• Work orders and workflows
• Related information such as service schedules, equipment budgets and invoicing

This ultimately increases transparency and decreases inefficiency and confusion when it comes to maintenance work orders.

Improved team management

Businesses can better manage teams with key CMMS software features, including:

• Key and lock management
• Mobile access, single sign-on and unlimited users
• Browser and device-agnostic user interface
• Event and transportation scheduling
• Technology ticketing
• API access
• QR code and barcode-enabled workforce tracking and management

Lower maintenance costs

CMMS software helps lower maintenance costs by making preventive maintenance the default instead of the exception. When maintenance is scheduled and completed on time, equipment breaks down less often, so your team spends less on the expensive emergency repairs that come with reactive maintenance.

CMMS software also cuts costs by streamlining maintenance processes:

• Preventive and predictive maintenance
• Parts and inventory management
• Calibration management
• Work order management
• Purchase order and facility rental management

Time saved

CMMS software can eliminate delays caused by emergency breakdowns and unavailable inventory, ultimately saving time and keeping production steady.

Additionally, with all the asset data you need at the ready, you can run comprehensive reports to quickly answer questions about service history, compliance, vendor track records and more.

Increased ability to track critical assets and data

The need for historical and real-time information that is readily available and easily searchable is fundamental to maintenance improvement. CMMS software provides this kind of information with:

• Accurate, effective and easy work order monitoring
• Service history tracking
• Billing and invoicing
• Robust reporting and analytics
• Inventory and asset management

Of course, it is not just about the collection and analysis of the asset and maintenance intelligence. A robust CMMS also enables configurable reports and KPIs that can be automatically distributed to the right employees to make better-informed business decisions — extending the value of CMMS software.

Money saved

Emergency repairs and staffing inefficiencies can take a huge financial toll on your business. CMMS software not only decreases the equipment breakdowns that cost your organization money but also allows you to maintain appropriate staffing levels and avoid overtime and wasted labor costs.

Improved health and safety

CMMS software can help give you peace of mind when it comes to health and safety of your team by:

• Providing straightforward, easily accessible safety requirements for every job
• Simplifying audit logs
• Making safety procedures more accessible
• Allowing those in charge to track safety training

Further Reading & Resources:

• Blog Post: Why a CMMS is Foundational to Manufacturing Maintenance Program Success
• Blog Post: 5 Signs it is Time to Replace Your Healthcare Facilities Maintenance Solution
• Webinar: ROI Benefits of a CMMS with Trinchero Family Estates

Industries that benefit from CMMS software solutions

Effective maintenance is key across a wide range of industries, including:

• Manufacturing
• Utilities
• Oil & gas
• Retail
• Healthcare
• Education
• Telecommunications
• Corporate
• Mining

CMMS software can help with five primary use cases across these industries:

• Facility maintenance—buildings, HVAC, plumbing, electrical systems and building services
• Fleet maintenance—vehicles, mobile equipment and scheduled inspections
• Production and manufacturing maintenance—production lines, machinery, tooling and preventive maintenance programs
• Linear asset maintenance—pipelines, rail, transmission lines and other geographically distributed assets
• Field services maintenance—dispersed assets serviced by mobile technicians in the field

Find a CMMS solution built to serve your industry

Features of great enterprise CMMS software

When evaluating enterprise CMMS software, it's important to consider both the features you need and the potential challenges you may encounter. First, be sure to look for hidden costs such as time spent during the configuration and installation, limited reporting that does not include the data you need, complicated interfaces that require significant training and solutions that do not scale with you as your business grows.

Instead, you will want CMMS software that is:

Mobile access for work anywhere productivity

Effective CMMS software will provide easy-to-use mobile capabilities. Without mobile features, maintenance technicians in the field spend extra time retrieving documents or on other non-maintenance tasks, resulting in inefficiency and lost productivity.

Conversely, a mobile-responsive CMMS app allows technicians to complete the necessary tasks for maintenance and repair efficiently by giving them the tools to:

Conversely, a mobile-responsive CMMS solution allows technicians to complete the necessary tasks for maintenance and repair efficiently by giving them the tools to:

• Retrieve procedures and documentation
• Evaluate the equipment’s maintenance history
• Check parts availability
• Initiate parts orders
• Update work order statuses.

Keep in mind, though, that all mobile CMMS software is not created equal. Some tie users to a particular type of device, which can keep users from maintaining flexibility or changing devices without additional cost.

Seamless integration with enterprise systems

It is essential that your CMMS software is able to integrate with other systems if you’re going to effectively use it to capture, analyze and use data. Do your research ahead of time to make sure that the system you are looking at can be easily integrated into your current tech stack.

With Accruent Maintenance Connection, you can easily connect your key applications, such as ERP platforms or IoT applications, to your CMMS software. These integrations allow for closed-loop data management, enabling complete data visibility and real-time data insights that range from inventory stock availability across multiple locations to the current meter readings for key assets.

Intuitive user experience and simple adoption

CMMS software only delivers value when your team actually uses it. Ease of use directly affects user adoption and plays a critical role in achieving the return on investment (ROI) you expect from your CMMS.

Ask yourself:

• Is the software intuitive?
• Does it make my employees’ jobs easier, faster and better?
• Is it responsive to the day-to-day needs of my employees?

When answering these questions, be mindful of the particular needs of your users and your facilities.

If a CMMS requires extensive configuration or is difficult to use, it can create overly complex workflows that hinder adoption. Employees may use the system inconsistently, incorrectly, or not at all, resulting in inaccurate data and reporting that undermine the value of the platform.

Choosing a CMMS that is intuitive and easy to learn helps drive adoption from day one. As usage increases, so does the quality of your data, enabling better decision-making, greater operational efficiency, and a stronger return on investment.

Enterprise-grade security and data protection

Leading CMMS software prioritizes security features to keep your data safe, including:

• Secure cloud-based storage
• Single sign-on for secure authentication
• Access control that ensures only the right people are authorized to access the right resources

Streamlined data migration and system onboarding

CMMS software is most effective when it has access to complete, accurate information. When evaluating solutions, ensure the platform supports seamless data migration from spreadsheets, legacy systems and other disconnected sources. Centralizing data in a single system helps your organization:

• Accelerate digital transformation and improve workplace collaboration.
• Gain real-time visibility into maintenance performance, asset health and key operational metrics.
• Share actionable insights through automated alerts, scheduled email reports and customizable dashboards.
• Improve decision-making with accurate, centralized data that supports continuous improvement and long-term growth.

Dedicated support and long-term partnership

While a vendor’s CMMS software itself is the most important factor in selection and buying process, the vendor organization should be equally important. Good vendors are partners with their customers, and they provide help with implementation, training and ongoing support. Implementation services, in particular, are a natural part of a CMMS software integration project. Thorough vendors will acknowledge this and include these costs upfront.

Additionally, they should provide training in many forms and not just as a one-time activity. Any suggested formal training should be outlined clearly by the vendor and should define key details including the duration, number of users that can be included in the sessions, and the materials that will be provided. As part of their proposals, CMMS software vendors typically include how training will be conducted, how much it costs, and other key details.

Finally, once your CMMS software is in place, questions will inevitably arise as companies work through growing pains. A good vendor will provide 24/7 support to help companies work through these issues, and they will be able to resolve and escalate any concerns when necessary.

Advanced reporting, analytics and insights

Great CMMS software turns your maintenance data into decisions. Look for configurable dashboards, scheduled report distribution and the ability to slice performance by asset, site, technician or work order type. The most useful reports for a maintenance team include:

• Downtime by asset, so you know which equipment is costing you the most
• Preventive maintenance compliance, showing how much scheduled work is completed on time
• Mean time between failures (MTBF) and mean time to repair (MTTR) for reliability tracking
• Labor and parts cost per work order, for budget control and vendor accountability
• Backlog and overdue work orders, so no critical task falls off the list

Without solid reporting, a CMMS system just records what happened. With it, you can predict, prevent and continuously improve.

Centralized maintenance and asset management

One of the most valuable features of CMMS software is its ability to centralize maintenance data in a single system. With immediate access to critical information, maintenance teams can quickly view work order statuses, inventory levels, parts availability, standard operating procedures, compliance documentation, and other essential records.

By providing a single source of truth, a centralized CMMS improves collaboration, increases visibility across the organization, and enables faster, more informed decision-making. This helps teams operate more efficiently, maintain compliance, and keep assets performing at their best.

See how much your company can benefit from a modern CMMS software solution like Maintenance Connection.