7 CMMS Best Practices for Maintenance and Operational Efficiency

 A young engineer is leveraging mobile capabilities in a factory, which is one of the many CMMS best practices.

The use of computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) software is a critical step in improving efficiencies and lowering costs by streamlining maintenance tasks and workflows. However, if you are considering implementing a CMMS solution, it is essential to understand that software will not be as effective as it could be unless key CMMS best practices are followed to optimize it.

Today we will review the most important best practices businesses should adopt to get the most out of a powerful, all-in-one CMMS solution like LLumin’s CMMS+. And, for organizations looking to get the most out of their CMMS investment, we explain why we offer training to organizations as the platform is deployed and ongoing support after implementation.

A custom graphic illustrating CMMS best practices in seven boxes

Top CMMS Best Practices for Efficiency and Investment ROI 

Without a clear strategy for managing digital transformation, as well as a thorough understanding of your maintenance and operations objectives, it will be easy to waste time on efforts that prevent your company from reaching its full potential.

Implementing CMMS software can help you create highly productive maintenance procedures and best practices, manage complex tasks, and improve visibility on critical KPI objectives throughout all departments or facilities. However, getting there will necessitate understanding the broader capabilities of your chosen software and adhering to CMMS deployment and utilization best practices.

The CMMS best practices we’ll go over today are some of the key ones that can help you make the most of your platform. They are:

  • Team involvement
  • Leveraging mobile capabilities
  • Tracking assets in real-time
  • Ongoing training 
  • Establish product experts
  • Maintenance metrics and KPIs
  • Leverage mobile technology

We will expand on these CMMS best practices and discuss how they will help your CMMS implementation succeed. 

1. Team Involvement

Your CMMS implementation is unlikely to be fully successful in the long run unless you encourage employees to adopt new software and keep them involved throughout the entire implementation process and informed of changes as they occur.

Everyone who will be working with your CMMS solution, from facility managers to technicians to upper-level directors, should get involved. It will be critical to gain their support and educate all team members on why your company needs digital transformation and the numerous benefits of your chosen CMMS solution.

2. Leveraging Mobile Capabilities

Manual, paper-based maintenance programs and processes are quickly becoming obsolete, and for a good reason—they cause disorganization, waste, and communication breakdowns. Using and leveraging mobile capabilities in CMMS software will ensure that information is readily available and exchanged between managers, technicians, and employees throughout the day.

In the digital age, most employees have access to connected mobile devices that allow them to access your CMMS solution from any location. Using this technology can help boost your maintenance and operational efficiency while saving your company time and money lost on requiring employees to have a workplace computer or to make frequent trips to a centralized location to gather important information and documentation.

3. Tracking Assets in Real Time

One of the most important features of any CMMS software is the real-time tracking of critical or high-value equipment and infrastructure. Tracking key asset parameters throughout the day allows you to analyze the status of your equipment, implement proactive maintenance processes, and even forecast future parts and tooling support needs.

Your chosen CMMS solution should offer comprehensive reporting and monitoring features that let you accurately assess equipment performance and make the necessary adjustments to increase equipment life span and performance efficiency. The most cutting-edge solutions, like LLumin’s CMMS+, will provide valuable information and analytics to help businesses switch from preventive maintenance processes to more sophisticated predictive maintenance models for assets that are appropriate. 

4. Ongoing Training 

The best CMMS providers will have established training programs in place and will offer ongoing support. Choosing a CMMS that is accompanied by excellent support and training will be critical throughout your implementation project.

To get the most out of your new software, your team will need to understand how to navigate the CMMS solution, pull reports and historical data, edit and resolve maintenance tasks, and customize the software.

Maintaining an ongoing training schedule will inform all users of new updates and modifications. It will encourage the rapid adoption of your new solution and increase employee satisfaction rates, thereby ensuring a successful implementation project.

5. Establish Product Champions 

Teams are more likely to use new software products when they have access to trained product experts who can quickly respond to questions and provide instructions on using the new CMMS solution. Therefore, you should choose product experts among your workforce who show interest in your CMMS solution and are prepared to answer inquiries about features and capabilities.

Depending on the size of your workforce, you should select three or more people ready to undergo extensive training during the initial implementation as well as during significant updates and assist their coworkers before, during, and after your implementation project begins.

Select team members who are enthusiastic about the software, eager to learn everything there is to know about your CMMS solution, able to attend regular meetings, and willing to assume the additional duties of acting as product champions to their peers.

6. Maintenance Metrics and KPIs

Your organization should incorporate maintenance metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) into your CMMS and track your daily maintenance activities and schedules. Metrics such as equipment downtime, maintenance costs, and mean time between failures (MTBF) can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your overall maintenance strategy. By tracking these metrics, you can continuously improve your approach and make data-driven decisions to improve equipment performance.

7. Leverage Mobile Capabilities

Leveraging mobile technology with your CMMS implementation is critical in today’s increasingly mobile workforce. This can include accessing and entering data into the system using mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets and enabling real-time communication, updates, and notifications. Mobile technology allows maintenance personnel to access work orders and maintenance schedules from anywhere in the world with an internet connection, significantly increasing productivity and decreasing downtime.

Mobile technology can be used to take photos and videos of equipment and machinery problems, providing insights into ongoing maintenance issues and facilitating faster and more accurate repairs. Incorporating this technology into your operations will improve efficiency and user experience while increasing customer satisfaction.

Implement CMMS Best Practices for Efficiency With LLumin

If not correctly managed before, during, and after implementation, even the most cutting-edge CMMS solutions can pose significant risks and challenges. If you are considering implementing a new CMMS solution, it’s crucial to pick one that offers your organization the capabilities it needs and the support it requires to avoid project implementation hiccups.

LLumin’s CMMS+ software can be a critical tool for facility managers to increase maintenance and operational efficiency—a complete solution for condition-based monitoring. Not only does the CMMS+ software monitor real-time, machine-level data, but it also analyzes trends and outcomes based on machine-learning algorithms. 

The advanced CMMS+ solution provides real-time monitoring and insights into machine status and enables maintenance technicians and managers to stay ahead of machine failures and dramatically reduce unplanned downtime. 

LLumin is different from other CMMS providers. When you choose to work with us, you will have access to excellent customer service throughout the entire implementation process. Your project will be tailored to your company’s unique goals and requirements. We will provide you with a complete implementation plan and support team to accelerate and guide you through your digital transformation.

So if you are looking for a cutting-edge CMMS+ accompanied by a seamless implementation process and an expert customer support staff, then LLumin is a perfect fit. 


Getting Started With LLumin

LLumin develops innovative CMMS software to manage and track assets for industrial plants, municipalities, utilities, fleets, and facilities. If you’d like to learn more about how our team and CMMS best practices can help you improve maintenance and operational efficiency, we encourage you to schedule a free demo or contact the experts at LLumin today.