One size does not fit all!
There are many different types of maintenance software applications with varying levels of complexity, each having its place within a particular industry. The selection, sizing, and proper implementation of the software are critical aspects of
a software initiative.
Maintenance software goes by many names:
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CMMS - Computerized Maintenance Management System
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EAM - Enterprise Asset Management (Software)
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CAFM - Computer Aided Facility Management (Software)
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Facilities Maintenance Software
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Work Order Tracking Software
What does maintenance software do?
Maintenance software handles five key aspects of property and facility management.
Work Management
The primary function of maintenance software is work management - the management of scheduled or unscheduled activities performed by the maintenance, engineering, or operations departments.
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In most maintenance software applications, a work order is created for each activity performed by maintenance personnel.
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Labor, vendor and parts costs incurred to complete a work order can be assigned to the work order and allocated to the department or customer for which the work order was created.
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Some maintenance software applications allow Supervisors to actively manage and distribute the maintenance work to technicians, based on their current workload.
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Examples of unscheduled maintenance work requests are:
"Too hot in the office."
"Leaking sink in the restroom."
"Lights are out in the conference room."
"Need furniture moved in the office."
Preventive Maintenance
Preventive Maintenance or PM is a pre-determined maintenance procedure to be performed at a regular interval on a specific piece of equipment or other asset. Most maintenance software applications allow users to setup a specific preventive maintenance activities that initiate a preventive maintenance assignment each time the predetermined interval is reached. Examples of preventive maintenance activities are:
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Quarterly filter changes on air conditioning units
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Semi-annual elevator inspection
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Annual fire-safety inspection
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Monthly carpet shampoo
Inventory
Maintenance software enables accurate recording of spare parts (light bulbs, air conditioning filters, etc.) used in the maintenance process. By providing accurate information on parts usage, quantity and location, organizations can make better purchasing decisions. Most maintenance software applications allow for a standard cost to be assigned to each spare part. When a part is used to complete a specific maintenance work order, the cost of the part is assigned to the work order.
Purchase Orders
Many maintenance software applications have a purchasing module available with which users can create, track, and report purchases for materials and services. When a part or service is required to complete a particular work order, the purchase order price is automatically applied to the appropriate work order. By tying this function to the parts inventory function, the maintenance software can be used to automatically initiate purchases when item quantities reach some predefined reorder level.
Reporting
Maintenance software is a central storage repository for operations information and maintenance history. With the information contained in maintenance software, building and facility managers can get reports of all maintenance activity. The reports can include:
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Summary of total costs for maintenance
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Summary of itemized costs for maintenance (Labor, Parts, etc.)
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Budget planning and equipment replacement reports
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Summary of work performed for specific tenants/customers
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Billable work preformed for specific tenants/customers
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Work history and failure analysis for specific equipment items
