Computerized Maintenance Management Systems Essay, Research Paper
INTRODUCTION
Facilities departments are under tremendous pressure to provide more information faster, and at a lower cost to the company. At the same time many companies have reduce staff to the bare minimum. Maintenance professional are presented with more difficult challenges today than at any previous point. The biggest obstacle of all confronting maintenance professionals is being forced to do more with fewer resources. Maintenance departments must deliver superior service, comply with regulatory requirements and provided detail financial accountably all within the confines of limited and/or reduce budgets. In order to meet these challenges, maintenance professionals are arming themselves with economical computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS). In recent years flexible, dependable and economical computerized maintenance management systems have become available to help fight the never-ending struggle to operate and maintain the built environment.
But what are computerized maintenance management systems? They are management information systems that utilize the technologies of computers, telecommunications, etc. to executed the maintenance management processes and provide management with information for decisions making process.
Figure # 1 – Maintenance Management Process
Work Identification Work Planning Work Scheduling
Analysis History Recording Work Execution
Like any other computerize information system it is made up of the following:
a. hardware
b. software
c. data bases
d. peripherals equipments
e. train staff members
We need to acknowledge at the outset that CMMS are not for every organization and that current research shows that as much as fifty percent of all CMMS start up have failed to pay back a meaningful return on investment after two years of operations. That is to say in many cases the heavy investment in CMMS information technologies have failed to live up to the much publicized benefits of automation and have delivered some disappointed results. So we do not want to give the impression that CMMS in themselves will cure all the ills of the profession and to advice against walking into the same technology trap that are endemic to the business community at large. In a rush to automate every job function that affects organizational efficiency and bottom line profits, many managers are overlooking important caveats inherent in all information technology implementations. This highlights the point that an organization needs to know how to find the right CMMS and how to implement and maintain the system. The decreasing costs of computer hardware, and the emerging power of microcomputers and software technologies, have disguised the question of feasibility. Many maintenance professionals, in their haste to keep up with contemporary information management technologies, unwittingly, neglected to evaluate these important questions before automating:
1. Do we have an information management problem, or a business management problem?
2. Have we thoroughly evaluated the real benefits and cost of a CMMS implementation?
3. Do we have the internal knowledge and commitment to complete the CMMS effort?
If an information system already exists in the organization then the concerns of integrating a new system could also be look at.
Finding the right CMMS
The purpose of a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) seems to change constantly. The software initially was designed to assign maintenance tasks to the staff within a company in a more organized manner than the” paper” method. More recently, it purpose has expanded to include assuring the higher quality of equipment and facility condition and out put, as well as assisting administration and management in increasing production and overall efficiency.
To deliver maximum benefit to a facility, a CMMS has to be efficient, address a wide range of demands and be able to expand with evolving needs. With technology exploding throughout the CMMS market, planning that maximizes your system is essential.
The decision-making process managers go through in selecting an ideal computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is often formal and logical. The process includes a needs analysis relative to the CMMS architecture. A resource analysis is also required for the introduction, startup and continued support of the system.
The best way to find the right (CMMS) is to look at your current situation. Consider the following area:
Organization. An excellent system run by poorly trained or under-motivated people will be adequate at best, but well-trained people with positive attitudes can make an excellent system world class. You will need to know how many people are requesting maintenance services, who the most frequent requesters are, what there needs are, and how many and what kinds of maintenance people you have.
Equipment. Maintenance workload is determined by equipments and facilities. Find out about the numbers and kinds of equipment. Find out from client what their top 10 equipment or facility problems are. Operation people will tell you what equipment problems they have, and maintenance people will know the most frequent building system problems.
Work orders. You need to know how many work orders you generate each week. A rule of thumb is that the average work order takes an hour. From this and the number of workers, you can estimate the number of work orders per week.
After you have determined your current status and needs for computerization, you can start specifying CMMS that can deliver these benefits.
Software
The proliferation of software targeting commercial and institutional facilities maintenance continues with no visible signs of letting up. New application and upgrades of existing CMMS appears regularly, and each new generation offers more in the way of flexibility, power and user friendliness.
When evaluating CMMS software there are eight major factors that should be considered. These factors are:
1. Comprehensive maintenance management functionality
2. Management reporting capabilities
3. PM Procedure Library
4. Support regulator compliance
5. Multiple system interfaces
6. Reliability centered maintenance integration
7. Harness the power of Microsoft windows
8. Proven expertise and on-going support
Comprehensive Maintenance Management Functionality
The main factor to consider when selecting a CMMS is the “core” product. It should be made up of three major elements: Work Management, Physical Asset Management and Resource Management. The Work Management component of the CMMS optimizes day –to- day operations, manages corrective work orders and supports a preventative maintenance program. In addition, some CMMS’s offer and added feature for detailed management of short duration on-demand work.
The Physical Asset Management component acts as the “filing cabinet” of the CMM, providing quick and easy retrieval of important information, warranty and service contracts, nameplate data, scanned documents, libraries of CAD drawing and complete descriptive information. After all, what good is all of the extensive information if you cannot access it easily?
The Resources Management component of a CMMS supports a full inventory and purchasing system. Furthermore, it tracks in-house labour and contracted service costs. Premier CMMS suppliers have field proven experience in data transfer of inventory, purchasing, and time card information to external financial systems.
Management Reporting Capabilities
A CMMS is only as good as the information that can be retrieved from it. CMMS’s provide extensive management reporting capabilities that include detailed and summary report, graphical reports, and easy to use report writing tools that do not require programming knowledge.
PM Procedure Library
We will want to select a system pre-loaded with mechanical and building PM procedures. This PM procedure library will minimize the start up necessary to establish and implement your PM program and provide conformance to generally accepted PM inspection schedules.
Support Regulatory Compliance
We should select a CMMS with tools that will assist in achieving compliance with an array of regulatory standards. To achieve compliance, premier maintenance management systems support the work flow process necessary to record, assign and account for both the work and the measures taken to correct and/or prevent maintenance related problems. Look for quick one button access to equipment histories and a flexible, detailed, and graphical reporting mechanism for problem and resolution trending (quality assurance) analysis
Multiple System Interfaces
The type of CMMS we should be looking for should be capable of working together effectively and transparently with multiple systems. Direct interface between the CMMS and other diagnostic and monitoring systems such as building automation, predictive maintenance, etc can assist greatly in streamlining the maintenance process, by allowing maintenance personnel to respond to early warning signals before they escalate into critical repair problems. CMMS build upon these types of interfaces to automatically create work orders and update facilities histories based on alarms and test result received through these interfaces. CMMS’s are also capable of interfacing with other technologies such as bar coding for quick and accurate data entry.
Reliability Centered Maintenance Integration
Select a CMMS system that fully integrates and takes advantages of Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM). RCM uses the full capabilities of the modern PC and Microsoft Windows software development environment to provide an interactive method for problem resolution. RCM provides maintenance professional with: (1) an easy –to-use library of possible problems for major capital expenditure assets, (2) problem diagnostic techniques and (3) a recommendation to repair the cause of the problem and avoid wasting money fixing its symptoms.
Harness The Power of Microsoft Window
Select a PC based CMMS solution that is compatible with Microsoft Window. Look for a CMMS design that is founded on an industry standard programming architecture like Microsoft Visual Basic, Microsoft Access, and SQL.
Today’s CMMS objectives are fully realizable using the Microsoft Windows environment. User-friendly, yet powerful features such as: one button access to history, pending work orders, future PMs, electronics file folders for organization information, and notification of duplicate work orders, now allows the maintenance professional to maximize time and effort.
Proven Expertise And On-Going Support
Rounding out the eight factors for CMMS success is the expertise and support of the CMMS suppliers. The supplier of choice should be that has field proven longevity and offers a complete suite of services to complement the software system. Services to expect include: engineering consulting, data collection, data entry, training, implementation and post implementation support.
We have highlighted the eight factors we should evaluated in choose the right CMMS but before we can leave this topic we need also to briefly look at what are called “Target Software Solution”. These are software application targeted to very specific functions within the scope of the maintenance management process. Such task-specific application offers maintenance professional the power to address and successfully manage these often complex and involved tasks. Among the operation targeted by such software are regulatory compliance, roof inspection, space management and key-and-lock management. Task-specific software application address a range of pressing needs within facility maintenance departments, and since they focus only on one issue, the tend to do so effectively and efficiently.
Before buying a task-specific program, make sure the desired function doesn’t already exist in your CMMS. Review the manufacture’s manuals and literature and talk with all users of the system in the facility who may be more familiar with the system’s intricacies. Also, consider whether a current function or module in your CMMS can duplicate the function properly and effectively.
We should ensure that the initial design of the system encompassed al the major tasks that we are likely to meet and so dimishes our reliance on theses task-oriented software. They do however have a part to play in the continued evolution of the maintenance management process and technology. We will now look at the selection of the hardware to support the software.
Hardware
When buying a computer system they are four main components you must decide upon: the operating system, the processor, the hard disk and the amount of memory.
Making a decision on these components will be either deceptively easy or nearly impossible. The decision should be guided by the type of software application you wish to use on the system. The following questions might be helpful:
? Will the system be used for one function or many?
? Will the system be a standalone or network?
? If networked, will it be connected to an outside system, i.e. the Internet, CompuServe, a vendor etc.?
? What application might you need in the near future?
? What standard does your company have for hardware?
There are two things to insist on:
1. Adequate hard disk space
2. Adequate memory
They are both like desk space no matter how much you have you will always use and need more.
A CD-ROM is recommended even if your application doesn’t require it. Most software is shipped on a CD-ROM. It is less expensive to obtain it on a CD, and the manufactures usually provide additional utilities or programs on the CD version of the software.
The only way to overcome the rapidly changing, highly technical world of computers is always to get a consensus of opinions. Ask at least three vendors for three recommendations: high end, middle of the road and the least expensive. Ask for the name of the manufacture of the major components, namely:
? The whole system if buying a turnkey system
? CPU
? Hard disk and type of disk controller
? Monitor graphic display card
? Peripherals
The challenge for maintenance professionals is to find a hardware system that meets departments needs and support current and future software as well as possible.
Implementation of a Computerized Maintenance Management System
The Systematic Approach to Computerized Maintenance Management is a practical strategy for designing, developing, and implementing a complete computerized maintenance management system. This comprehensive approach is comprised of two proven implementation methodologies:
1. The System Approach to Maintenance Management (SAMM)
2. The Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) Life Cycle.
These concepts have proven through practical applications in various maintenance environment, to be valuable aids to guide companies through the design and implementation of benefits-producing computerized maintenance management systems.
At the core of both the SAMM and CMMS implementation Life Cycle is the concept of developing a complete system. The SAMM model is used to establish the relationship between the individual elements that comprises the complete maintenance management system. The CMMS Implementation life cycle lay out the process or series of activities to design, develop, implement, and effectively use the system.
The SAMM Model
The system approach to maintenance management (SAMM) reference model was created for two purposes. It primary use is to guide the design and implementation of new maintenance management system. Albeit, it is equally valuable when used as a diagnostic tool to evaluate ineffective, existing, computer assisted maintenance operations. It simplicity has made it a valuable educational aid to help facility manager and maintenance industry professional identify and understand the vital elements of a complete information management system.
The SAMM reference model is centered around the holistic concept of the system. It is based on the relationship between people, process, and technology. Fundamental to this model is the concept of workflow. By definition, work flow applications automate business process that involve people working together and sharing information to accomplish a predefined set of tasks. A computerized maintenance management software program is a work flow application. Therefore, the application of this technology into a maintenance department must include all elements of the system to become an effective tool for management.
The five elements of the SAMM model are the Management Plan, System Resources, Information Technology, Data Medium, and Work Methodology.
The Management Plan establishes the policy to maintain the focus of a complete system. Information Technology are the tools energized by Resources to maintain the global asset Databases. Benefits to the organization includes standardized reporting, operational efficiency and cost savings, are enhanced via the Work Methodologies and processes that facilitate work control and data transfer throughout the maintenance environment.
The Management Plan
The Management Plan is the ubiquitous bonding element of the SAMM model. The plan establishes the vision, business requirements, goals, and successful system use. The plan respect maintenance management fundamentals and project management principles and set the strategy for the design, development, installation, and daily use of the system, to become an effective blueprint, for achieving both short and long term goals of implementation project, the plan must be lead by senior management and endorsed by end-users.