The Importance of Making Data-Driven Decisions
In business as in life, using anything other than complete, accurate data to make decisions can be both dangerous and costly. MPulse founder Steve Brous coined a term around it—”experitive.” A combination of “experiential” and “intuitive,” it describes a form of decision-making that relies on instinct instead of data. In reality, it often means working with no data. Steve strongly believed this kind of decision-making is less than optimal. Sometimes it gets you the results you’re looking for. However, without consistently good data, a business can’t make consistently good decisions. And without the ability to make sound decisions, a business can’t produce consistently good results. Ultimately, only data-driven decisions can drive the results necessary for your business to thrive and grow. Consider the following example. A Man Walks into a Bar… …or rather, an employee, Dave, walks into the cold storage area of Sam’s Saloon and thinks, “I can save the bar some money by upgrading the old storeroom refrigeration condenser.” Based on the energy rating of the system’s compressor, it keeps the storage area cooled for about $400 per month. Dave knows the condenser is getting old, likely leaking, and probably not living up to its original performance potential. How can he make the case to Sam that the bar is wasting money unnecessarily so he can buy a new condenser? If the purchase is approved, how will he prove to Sam that the investment is paying off? Dave could take two routes to prove his point: The Experitive Route Dave tells Sam, “I can save you lots of money,” but doesn’t say exactly how much. The new condenser (hopefully) gets approved and purchased. Through observation, Dave proclaims, “Seems better to me!” This might sound crazy, but it’s often how maintenance decisions are made—usually because people don’t think they can measure results or don’t understand how. The Data-Driven Route Dave installs a meter to monitor and measure energy consumption by the system. He discovers it’s actually costing $600 a month—$200 more than it should. He can now clearly back up his claim with numbers and get his purchase request approved. With a new condenser installed and energy usage back to what it should be, Dave is generating $200 per month in savings. That will pay for the new $1,000 condenser in five months and add $200 to Sam’s bottom line every month thereafter. But the benefits don’t end there. Dave can continue to monitor usage from now on. If it climbs back above $400, he can quickly fix the problem and avoid future waste. Having hard numbers not only helps you run your business, but it also allows you to measure and use a whole host of key performance indicators. It provides the ability to say, for example, “We were 12,000 kilowatt hours over our mean monthly energy consumption” instead of “Boy, looks like we used lots of energy this month.” With solid metrics, you can accurately assess the cost-effectiveness of any new equipment installations or facility improvements. Data-Driven Decision are as Easy (and Accurate) as One, Two, Three Sam’s Saloon provides a simplified example, but the power of good data increases exponentially if you’re using a CMMS. A modern CMMS solution will allow you to collect and report on data across your entire asset inventory, providing numerous measures to help you make better decisions and answer business-critical questions. Many contemporary CMMS solutions allow you to connect to meters and gauges directly, eliminating the need for meter readings and manual data entry. Even simple measures from work order records can provide powerful data. Consider another example: You might wonder, “How much am I spending on maintenance for each of my work order types?” The following graph answers this question. You can easily generate this type of report from a CMMS. At a glance, you’ll know exactly how much money each work order type is costing your business in maintenance for a specified timeframe (in this example, a year), and certain questions can be quickly answered: Beyond general questions, you can formulate precise questions that lead to a more informed, data-driven decision-making process: CMMS gives you accurate, complete data, and you can apply this data directly to purchasing or other important organizational decisions. Support Your Decisions with Numbers Don’t rely on intuition alone for your critical business decisions. Begin to ask yourself whether it’s possible to support your decisions with numbers. Then, identify opportunities where these numbers can inform your decision-making process. Finally, consider implementing a modern CMMS to help you gather complete and accurate data. You’ll quickly see the results in the most important place of all—your bottom line. To learn more about data-driven maintenance and some of the powerful, affordable tools that make it easy, contact MPulse today for a free demo at (800) 944-1796.
Preventive Maintenance ROI: Why It’s Worth the Investment
Whether it’s a car, an appliance, or industrial equipment, repairs can be costly and time-consuming. But what if you could avoid those unexpected breakdowns and save money in the long run? That’s the power of preventive maintenance. Preventive maintenance means taking care of equipment before it fails. It involves regular inspections, cleaning, lubrication, and replacing worn-out parts. By doing this, businesses and individuals can extend the life of their assets, improve efficiency, and reduce costs. Preventive Maintenance ROI Preventive Maintenance return on investment (ROI) is the money saved by taking care of equipment before it breaks. It compares the cost of regular check-ups and small repairs to the savings from avoiding big breakdowns, reducing downtime, making equipment last longer, and keeping things running smoothly. A high ROI means that spending a little on maintenance now saves a lot of money and trouble later, making it a smart choice for businesses and individuals. The return on investment (ROI) for preventive maintenance is significant, and here’s why. Lower Repair Costs One of the biggest benefits of preventive maintenance is saving money on repairs. Fixing something after it breaks is almost always more expensive than maintaining it properly. Emergency repairs often require rush orders for parts, hiring specialized technicians, and even shutting down operations while waiting for a fix. These unexpected expenses can add up quickly. With regular maintenance, small problems can be caught early and fixed before they turn into big, expensive issues. Extended Equipment Lifespan Think about your car. If you never change the oil, the engine will wear out much faster. The same goes for any piece of equipment. Regular maintenance helps keep everything running smoothly for a longer time. As a result, organizations don’t have to replace equipment as often, leading to big savings. Instead of buying new machinery or assets every few years, companies can get the most out of their investments. Improved Efficiency and Performance Well-maintained equipment works better, leading to lower energy costs and improved productivity. A machine that is clean and properly lubricated will run more efficiently than one that is dirty and neglected. In factories, well-maintained machines produce better-quality products with fewer defects. For facilities, maintaining heating and cooling systems can lower energy bills and keep workplaces comfortable year-round. Reduced Downtime When equipment breaks unexpectedly, operations may come to a halt. In businesses, this downtime means lost productivity and revenue. Employees may be unable to do their jobs, and customers may not receive their products or services on time. Preventive maintenance helps prevent these disruptions by keeping equipment in good working order. By scheduling maintenance during planned downtimes, businesses also can avoid sudden shutdowns and keep everything running smoothly. Increased Safety Faulty equipment can be dangerous. A worn-out part in a machine could lead to an accident, harming workers or customers. Regular maintenance helps identify and fix potential hazards before they cause harm. In particular, equipment failure could lead to serious injuries in industries like construction, manufacturing, and transportation. Better Compliance with Regulations Preventive maintenance ensures that equipment meets safety and environmental standards, helping businesses stay compliant with laws and regulations. Companies that ignore these rules may face fines, legal trouble, or even shutdowns. It also demonstrates a commitment to quality and safety, which can improve a company’s reputation. The Role of CMMS Software in Preventive Maintenance ROI CMMS helps businesses schedule, track, and document maintenance activities, ensuring nothing is overlooked. It provides automated reminders, keeps a record of maintenance history, and helps optimize inventory management for spare parts. By using CMMS, organizations can streamline their maintenance processes, reduce human errors, and improve overall equipment performance. Investing in CMMS software enhances preventive maintenance programs, making them more effective and cost-efficient. Cost vs. Benefit Analysis Some businesses hesitate to invest in preventive maintenance because it requires time and money. However, the costs of neglecting maintenance are often much higher. The National Institute of Standards and Technology reports that reactive approaches can incur costs that are 2 to 5 times higher than preventive strategies. Additionally, the money saved on replacements, energy efficiency, and reduced downtime far outweighs the upfront cost of regular maintenance. For example, a manufacturing company might spend $10,000 per year on preventive maintenance but save $50,000 in avoided repairs and lost production time. That’s a 400% return on investment! How to Implement Preventive Maintenance Starting a preventive maintenance program is easier than it sounds. Here are some simple steps: Why Preventive Maintenance ROI Matters Preventive maintenance one of the smartest investments a business or individual can make. It reduces costs, extends the life of equipment, improves efficiency, and enhances safety. While it may require some upfront effort and spending, the long-term savings and benefits make it well worth it. Instead of waiting for things to break, take action now and enjoy the rewards of a well-maintained system. In the end, prevention is always better than a costly cure. Have questions? Contact us. We’re here to help.
How CMMS Supports PFMEA Implementation
CMMS supports PFMEA by centralizing information, including data, real-time monitoring, and efficient maintenance processes. Because CMMS helps track equipment performance, spot patterns, and predict potential failures before they happen, PFMEA can identify and reduce risks more efficiently. CMMS sends real-time alerts when equipment is not performing as expected, allowing maintenance teams to address issues early and prevent larger problems. It also keeps a record of equipment usage, repairs, and inspections, which helps refine PFMEA assessments and prioritize critical maintenance tasks. By using CMMS with PFMEA, organizations can prevent failures, improve equipment reliability, ensure safety, and maintain smooth operations, reducing downtime and repair costs. This combination creates a strong system for managing maintenance and minimizing risks. What is PFMEA? Why Manufacturers Use PFMEA The Role of Maintenance in PFMEA Key Elements of PFMEA How CMMS Supports PFMEA The Benefits of PFMEA What Is PFMEA? Process Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (PFMEA) looks at each step of a process to determine possible failure points (failure modes), their causes, and their effects on the process or product. Next, manufacturers can assess the risks associated with failures and prioritize actions to reduce or eliminate them. The goal is to minimize the risk of failures and improve process reliability and quality. See how MPulse CMMS helped Siemens Building Technologies Group improve their lean manufacturing philosophy. Back to Top In short, combining CMMS with PFMEA helps manufacturers improve processes, predict and prevent equipment failures, and strengthen preventive maintenance. This approach optimizes resources, supports data-driven decisions, ensures safety, and boosts compliance, leading to a more efficient, reliable, and cost-effective operation. Back to Top
Tips for Winterizing Your HVAC System
HVAC systems affect every part of your operations—from your asset health to employee safety to your ability to serve customers. One of the most common assets MPulse customers maintain is an HVAC system. There’s a good reason for that. The BP Group estimates 40-55% of a utility bill is for heating/cooling. That’s why waiting for your HVAC system to break before you fix it is far more expensive than the actual cost of the repair. Winterizing Your HVAC System Before the cold weather hits, HVAC maintenance should include preventive winterizing tasks to reduce breakdowns. You can save money on energy and other services by using HVAC preventive maintenance software. For example, failure to insulate HVAC pipes properly can result in frozen pipes and leaks, a costly repair. But that’s not all. According to FacilitiesNet, HVAC maintenance results in 15‒20 percent savings in energy. That’s why keeping your HVAC system in tiptop shape is in everyone’s best interest. The BP Group shared the following infographic with some important ways to save both electricity and money when the temperatures dip. These tips include… Replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent or LED lights, which use less energy and last longer Adjusting building temperatures with programmable thermostats based on building usage Pushing warm air down with ceiling fans Opening blinds to let in sunlight, which will heat the room Closing blinds when the sun goes down to keep heat in CMMS Software for HVAC Maintenance Staying on top of winterizing your HVAC system is important. And nothing is better at managing maintenance work than CMMS software. Preventive maintenance can help your organization optimize the performance and life cycle of your important assets—including HVAC systems. Below are some ways regular maintenance helps save energy, no matter what the temperature is. Regular maintenance allows the HVAC system to run smoother, so the moving parts need less energy to keep it going. Maintenance for outside air dampers, which let in outside air for cooling, ensures the dampers are not allowing more air in than needed, thereby using more energy to heat or cool that extra air. Replacing an old system with an energy-efficient system, such as one with an ENERGY STAR rating, will use less energy over time. Do you have questions about how CMMS software can help with winterizing your HVAC system and other important assets? We’re here for you. Contact us to learn more.
Mobile CMMS Is a Must for Facility Maintenance
Facility maintenance employees are always on the go—whether it’s on the other side of the building or in a completely different location. That’s why CMMS software, a key component of software for facility maintenance, designed for mobile access is more than just a nicety—it’s a necessity. Mobile devices have transformed the workplace, and the facility maintenance department is no exception. Thanks to growing bandwidth and better access, you can now connect to the Internet—and virtually any business application—from almost anywhere, via Wi-Fi or cellular connection. Improved security features also mean you can safely control access to your data, even when you aren’t in the office. And that means more organizations are discovering that mobile technology, coupled with mobile CMMS software, is a natural fit for facility maintenance workflows. This integration highlights the growing role of software for facility maintenance in streamlining daily operations. Access Information Where Maintenance Happens The combination of mobile devices and CMMS software allows your team to access information and record data on the spot. That means they’re doing their job where they’re doing their job—instead of taking notes to input later or going back to an office to get more detail (or the next work order). That’s why mobile technology is such a great fit for maintenance. Your team no longer needs to run back to the office to pick up paperwork or make a phone call. You don’t see piles of paper sitting on a desk waiting to be entered. No one needs to search a bookshelf for manuals or a filing cabinet for warranty information. No one is writing things down on a paper calendar. It’s all right there on the screen, wherever you are. This improves efficiency, which makes a big difference when working in a busy facilities office. Incorporating software for facility maintenance ensures that mobile CMMS systems work seamlessly to meet these demands. What Can Mobile Technology Do for My Facility Maintenance Team? If you’re looking for mobile CMMS software, consider the benefits of an adaptive interface—which simply means the software works on any size display or device—desktop computer, tablet, or mobile phone. That means your maintenance team will experience the same familiar interface and the same easy access no matter what device they’re using. With mobile CMMS software and your mobile device of choice, you can… Get up-to-the minute alerts and reports Open, access, and complete work orders on the go Access historical data on assets while you work on them Send or upload photographs of failed components View available parts inventory Update inventory using barcode scanning and online ordering systems Access maintenance and repair manuals electronically Mobile devices have huge potential to change the way maintainers track data. Mobile CMMS, as a cornerstone of software for facility maintenance, can help your team spend less time on the computer and more time doing what you hired them for—maintenance. Not sure if your CMMS has mobile capabilities? Create a CMMS comparison chart and make sure your CMMS software is keeping up with the changing workplace. How does your facility maintenance team use mobile software—or how could they use it? Contact us to learn more.
Maintenance Management in the Real World: Stories from the Food Processing Industry
Food processing maintenance management is cost sensitive. Fluctuations in raw material costs coupled with strict compliance regulations mean that maintenance teams must consider quality control and budget constraints along with standard maintenance tasks. It’s enough to make even the most senior maintenance manager pause to consider how his team did their jobs without CMMS software. “Our MPulse CMMS software opened our eyes,” explained Mike Wosniak, maintenance engineer with Echo Lake Foods in Wisconsin. “Suddenly we could see the holes in our maintenance strategy.” Cost Control for Food Processing Maintenance Management Profit margins on food processing fluctuate, so cost management is a huge part of the maintenance team’s job. A dollar saved on maintenance is a dollar that goes to straight the bottom line. Mike found the biggest cost savings in his CMMS software’s inventory management features. “We streamlined our ordering process with our purchasing department,” he said. “Now we can track it better. We aren’t wasting money in unused parts sitting on the shelf, and we know when something is out or low.” Communication for Maintenance Teams It’s not just interdepartmental communication that improves with CMMS software. Like many maintenance departments, Beaverton Foods in Oregon has seen older techs retire—and their experience leaves with them. Pete Johnson, Beaverton Foods operations manager, has found media integration tools to be a big help as he trains new maintenance workers. “It helps a lot with information and knowledge transfer,” he said. “We’re using MPulse to capture media and other information about equipment to make it easier for techs to find and access resources.” Regulatory Compliance in Food Processing Maintenance Management When you talk to food processing maintenance management professionals, one major topic comes up every time—compliance. Food processing is heavily regulated by federal, state, and international regulations, from the U.S. FDA to SQF to the Global Food Safety Initiative. Compliance is all about visibility. Pete also credits his MPulse CMMS software with keeping his team—and his company—on top of regulatory compliance paperwork. “MPulse helps us track when maintenance activities have happened,” he said. “Plus, I can see which tasks are due in the month ahead.” Customer Audits And it’s not just regulatory agencies who audit food processors. Customers also schedule plant visits to make sure the company is performing to their standards. Echo Lake Foods makes breakfast foods for big-name customers—Walmart, Burger King, and Dunkin Donuts, to name a few—and the companies frequently inspect the plants. “Now we can sit them down in front of a computer, and they can see all the data right on the screen,” Mike said. “It’s so much better than pulling out binders of information.” Food Production Downtime Production downtime is a big problem in any manufacturing industry. From preventive maintenance (PM) schedules to inventory management, CMMS software automates maintenance management and reduces asset downtime. That’s particularly important in food processing maintenance management. CMMS software helps maintenance techs track equipment data and quickly find information when they’re crunched for time. “A lot of PMs are performed annually, so people don’t remember what they did last time,” said Jason Slanagan, maintenance manager, New Seasons Foods. “MPulse saves us a lot of time looking for information.” All of these benefits have one major advantage in common—visibility. Jason summed up his MPulse CMMS software experience with a statement maintenance managers certainly can agree on: “It’s so much easier when you can remember everything.”
OSHA Standards for Food Manufacturing
As food manufacturing maintenance teams know, compliance is all about visibility. Staying on top of regulations is crucial for maintaining operations and avoiding costly penalties. Food processing is one of the most regulated industries globally, governed by a variety of federal, state, and international guidelines. Key regulatory bodies include OSHA, the U.S. FDA, and the Global Food Safety Initiative, all of which set stringent standards for safety and sanitation. On top of these regulations, customers may also conduct plant visits to ensure companies meet their own standards of quality and safety. MPulse CMMS software simplifies compliance management by organizing and tracking the required paperwork. As a result, your food manufacturing maintenance team stays compliant with minimal effort. Food Manufacturing Maintenance Professional’s Guide to OSHA Standards Like many other sectors, food manufacturing must adhere to OSHA 1910, which sets general industry standards, and OSHA 1928, which specifically applies to agriculture. Some of the most frequently cited OSHA standards in food manufacturing include: OSHA 1910.22: Housekeeping In food production, cleanliness is paramount for both food safety and worker safety. OSHA 1910.22, a housekeeping standard that applies to all industries, requires facilities to maintain clean, orderly, and sanitary conditions. It mandates that workroom floors remain clean and dry whenever possible, and that all areas are kept free of hazards to facilitate safe, effective cleaning. OSHA 1910.263: Bakery Equipment This standard focuses on the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of bakery equipment, with a special emphasis on managing risks related to combustible dust. OSHA classifies many common bakery ingredients, including flour, sugar, spices, and cornstarch, as combustible agriculture dusts. Standard 1910.263 outlines strategies for reducing these risks by controlling exposure to hazardous ingredients such as wheat, rice, oat, potato, and rye flours. OSHA 1910.272: Grain Handling Facilities Grain handling is classified as a “high hazard industry” due to the risk of combustible grain dust. To prevent explosions, OSHA requires strict controls on grain dust. That includes implementing a preventive maintenance program, minimizing ignition sources, and properly installing dust collection systems. Grain handling facilities must follow these regulations carefully to avoid significant hazards. OSHA 1910.307: Hazardous (Classified) Locations Any area where flammable substances or combustible dusts are present is classified as a hazardous location. OSHA 1910.307 specifies which equipment is approved for use in these environments to minimize the risk of fire or explosion. Additional OSHA Standards in for Food Manufacturing OSHA also publishes industry-specific food manufacturing standards, including those for meatpacking, poultry processing, and the manufacture of certain food flavorings. These standards complement general regulations by addressing unique hazards and safety requirements within specific food production sectors. Balancing Compliance with Quality Control and Budget Constraints in Food Manufacturing In addition to adhering to OSHA regulations, food manufacturing maintenance teams must manage a delicate balance between compliance, quality control, and budget limitations. Routine maintenance tasks, combined with the need to meet regulatory requirements, can place significant strain on resources. However, failing to comply with OSHA standards can result in costly violations that impact both the budget and the reputation of the company. That’s why proactive compliance management is critical. MPulse CMMS software streamlines this process by providing a centralized platform for tracking regulatory requirements, maintenance schedules, and audit-ready reports, ensuring your team stays ahead of compliance challenges. Food processing is a cost-sensitive industry, and any violation of OSHA regulations can lead to expensive consequences. Let MPulse help you manage compliance more efficiently. Contact us to learn how our CMMS software can assist in maintaining regulatory standards while optimizing your maintenance operations.
The Future of Maintenance Management: Sustainability and Environmental Impact
Sustainability. Going green. Earth friendly. Carbon footprint. Carbon Neutral. You hear these buzzwords about the environment all the time, and you know your organization wants to reduce waste and save money. But what does maintenance sustainability really mean for the maintenance team? Environmental Impact of Sustainable Maintenance The maintenance department is often the focus of environmental policies because maintenance itself is a key part of sustainability, as it improves operations and contributes to longer asset life. After all, the best way to reduce waste is by preventing assets from becoming inefficient and from breaking too soon in the first place. So organizational sustainable maintenance policies have a big impact on how the maintenance team does their jobs. Measuring environmental impact is about calculating what is saved instead of what was spent: fuel that wasn’t burned, water that wasn’t used, and waste that never happened. You know computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) solutions can help you track what you’ve already done and what still needs to be done. But CMMS can also help you quantify how those tasks turn into savings—in time, money, and other resources. CMMS is an environmental impact software can help you meet sustainability maintenance goals in six major ways. 1. Reduced Energy and Water Consumption CMMS can help your team collect and track data on water and energy usage. By recording gauge readings over a period of time, you can compare current to historical usage, calling attention to spikes, trends, or major changes. Such condition-based monitoring (CBM) allows you to automatically generate corrective work orders when assets become less efficient because they need maintenance. 2. Reduced Material Consumption and Waste You can reduce material waste by improving the tracking of purchase orders and inventory. Knowing exactly what you have on hand prevents over-ordering and stocking unneeded parts or materials. Not only do you prevent waste of inventory, but you also save the energy needed to transport and store unnecessary stock. Additionally, when you start using electronic records and mobile devices to track work orders and inventory management, you reduce the use of office supplies like paper and ink. 3. Optimized Equipment Lifecycle Perhaps the simplest way CMMS contributes to sustainable maintenance goals is by efficiently scheduling and tracking preventive maintenance (PM) tasks on your critical assets. Your CMMS system notifies you in a timely manner when these services are due, so your team is on top of it. Staying current on your PM services helps your assets work better and more efficiently for longer—saving money and energy as well as reducing emissions along the way. 4. Certification Support It’s one thing to say your operations are sustainable; it’s another to prove it through a certification process. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program for facility management, the ISO certification process for manufacturers, and other regional certification programs require organizations to show how their business processes are saving environmental resources. Hard data is the proof to obtain these certifications, and nothing does maintenance data better than CMMS. 5. Community Relations Environmental policies affect more than just business operations. Proving your organization’s good stewardship is an important part of community and public relations. With CMMS data to back up any environmental success stories, your organization can promote its environmental policies both internally and externally. In turn, recognition and promotion of an organization’s efforts for sustainability can result in improving the organization’s image and attracting new clientele. 6. Risk Management CMMS systems store critical safety instructions and enforce adherence to important industrial practices, preventing spills and other accidents dangerous to both people and the environment. Organizations are always looking for ways to minimize risk. Social responsibility is part of that equation. Strong environmental policies can minimize the potential for damage caused by the organization’s actions—things like toxic spills, improper disposal methods, or destruction of natural resources. Your maintenance team can be a key proponent of improving energy efficiency and reducing your organization’s carbon footprint, resulting in lower energy use and maintenance costs. Best of all, your CMMS software can serve as a way to record and report on your team’s efforts—making sure your hard work is documented in a Labor Resource Management Feature. As a result, your organization can stay ahead of the environmental curve with a proactive approach to reduce waste, save energy, and improve operations. Having an environmental impact software will allow you to show off your sustainable maintenance practices.
Knowing Your Stakeholder: Your Users
At this point, you’ve identified most of your stakeholders in the CMMS purchasing process. However, we saved the most important one for last—your users Users are any staff who will operate the software in their day-to-day jobs. The most frequently stated concern among users is ease of use. Because a system that’s difficult to learn and navigate won’t be adopted quickly by the people who’ll be logging in the most. And software that’s not used will never produce the desired results. Prevent Poor User Adoption Your users need to understand why they need to learn a new system. Consider who on your team might have emotional reasons to oppose CMMS. What could they be? You can prepare by thinking about how maintenance management software will impact each role. Firstly, ask yourself… How is this program likely to affect each person’s daily workload positively or negatively? How might this program threaten each person’s job, work performance, or domain of responsibility? Secondly, to avoid becoming a victim of poor user adoption, you need to… Listen—and develop an understanding of the users’ concerns. Ask some probing questions to understand what users like and don’t like about the programs they currently use. Do your homework. Be sure to vet all potential solutions for usability based on what you learned from your discussions with users. Evangelize the merits of the chosen solution—prior to implementation. Explain to those who’ll be using the software what it does and how it does it. Sometimes establishing the right expectations is half the battle. Train. Be sure to purchase good training and let users know they’ll be getting it. Before go-live day, ensure all key users have been trained. Understand Their Perspective When you’re reviewing CMMS software, consider how the features will impact your users. Study after study shows that software that’s easier to use is used more often—and more effectively. For example, removing the “clutter” will significantly streamline data access for your teams. One such CMMS feature is called role-based access control, where your maintenance personnel will only see the records relevant to their unique workloads. With role-based access control, you can easily adjust settings in your MPulse implementation so the right people have the right access to the right records. So, you can give your employees access to what they need—and only what they need. For example, one MPulse customer employs a variety of maintenance professionals with very specific job duties. With role-based access control, their plumbers only see plumbing work orders. Their electricians only see electrical work orders. Another customer with multiple facilities set up their role-based access control based on location. So the maintenance team at their Phoenix facility only sees work orders for that location, while the Denver facility team only sees the work orders for their location. Create “Super Users” Like many organizations, your maintenance team probably includes technicians of all ages. While younger generations typically view new technology positively, the same might not be true for everyone. However, peer-to-peer mentoring can help. Start by finding the right employees to help their coworkers learn a new system by helping them become what we call “super users.” You probably already know who they are—they are approachable, open to learning, responsible, and knowledgeable about the organization and how to contribute to its success. Their enthusiasm for the software and its capabilities is catching. It’s important to support people who are likely to become super users with time, continuous training, and hands-on experience. In general, maintenance managers should encourage employees who have… A strong understanding (or potentially strong understanding) of workflows A belief in the value of technology and data-driven management An enthusiastic attitude and strong communication skills Good problem-solving capabilities Flexibility and adaptability to change Desire for continued learning and skill development Super users can help you get your whole team on board with the initial implementation. Additionally, it can help the whole organization discover the value of CMMS data—and the decisions it helps make. When it’s time to pitch CMMS software to your team, a little proactive work can go a long way. Follow these steps, and you’ll dampen the fears of even the most skeptical users. Contact us for more tips. [related-content]
Why Most Users Don’t Need a CMMS App, Part 1
CMMS and mobile technology offer big benefits for maintainers. The ability to access information and record data on the spot—where maintenance happens, instead of in a plant or campus office—fits nicely into maintenance workflows. However, mobile app fatigue sets in when users feel overwhelmed by the number of apps on a device. But, you don’t need a mobile CMMS app to benefit from mobile technology. An adaptive interface will likely serve users well, no app required. CMMS with Adaptive Interface Software with tablet and smartphone compatibility will work on desktops, laptops, as well as Apple, Android, and other popular smartphones and tablets. Also called adaptive interface, this software works on any size display or device, whether it’s a desktop computer, tablet, or mobile phone. At MPulse, we call this concept Adaptive “Any Device” Interface. That term means what it says—our CMMS software will work the same way across multiple devices. MPulse’s tablet and smartphone compatibility means your maintenance team will experience the same easy access no matter what device they use, making things easier to find and creating less confusion. Benefits of Adaptive Interface for Maintenance Teams For such an important component, the user interface gets very little thought from the actual users. That’s by design. A good user interface is instinctive, so you don’t need to think about it. When your CMMS software has an intuitive, adaptive interface with tablet and smartphone compatibility, your maintenance team experiences some big benefits… Faster training because your maintenance techs will already know the basics Smoother software implementation with less help from expensive, outside consultants Quicker response and completion times because it’s easy to use Better user compliance the software is seamless and makes their work less complicated Easy access to work orders and the ability to make updates without stopping by the office or needing to find a computer. The strongest user interfaces make using the software more intuitive and seamless, no matter what device you use. So, you don’t always need a mobile app to make CMMS easy to use on the go. Access to real-time data is the best way to save time and help your maintenance staff boost productivity. And an adaptive interface means better acceptance from your workforce and a better way for maintainers to quickly enter data on the job. That helps your team spend less time on the computer and more time doing what you hired them for—maintenance. Have questions? Want to see how MPulse works on your mobile device? Contact us. We can help.