Month: October 2019

Humans are creatures of habit. That is to say, we are naturally resistant to change, even if we are motivated and there are clear benefits for changing our behavior. For example, can you recall your last New Year’s resolution? Did you accomplish your goal or did you eventually give up and revert to how things used to be?

The introduction of computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software is a big change for those who currently use manual methods for tracking and managing maintenance. In fact, a common reason why CMMS implementations fail is the lack of user adoption. In this article, we’ll discuss strategies for increasing CMMS user adoption in order to achieve a successful implementation.

What is User Adoption?

CMMS user adoption is the process of end users starting to use a new software system. Obviously, your implementation will not be successful unless you and your team use the CMMS. In order to transition away from the old system, your team must “adopt” and accept the new system. While that sounds like common sense, gaining buy-in from employees can be easier said than done.

CMMS User Adoption Challenges

A CMMS promises to make life easier for the maintenance team, so it can come as a surprise when the software is met with resistance. Here are some of the most common contributors to poor CMMS user adoption.

Fear of Replacement

Technicians may fear that CMMS software may one day replace them. This stems from the concern that if all of their knowledge, gained over years of experience, is entered into a computerized system, they will no longer be valuable to the organization. Therefore, employees may withhold information from the software or refuse to use it altogether.

Lack of Experience with Technology

Organizations that currently rely on paper-based maintenance management may have employees that are uncomfortable using new technology. After all, making the transition from pen and paper to a fully computerized system is a big leap. Though as a society we are becoming more technologically savvy, there is still a significant part of the population that lacks basic computing skills.

Maintaining the Status Quo

Maintaining the status quo is best explained with the proverb, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Staff may be satisfied with the way things are working right now and see no reason for a change. Somewhat connected to this idea is a sense of tradition or that the way things are done now are the way things have always been done. In either case, workers are more prone to wanting to do things the same way as before.

Selecting a User Adoption Strategy

The level of user adoption can depend on how the software is implemented. User adoption strategies can range from an instant switch, to parallel use where the old and new system are used simultaneously for a period of time, to a phased approach where employees begin to use the system little by little over time. Ultimately, the best user adoption strategy will depend on your organization.

Based on his experience providing CMMS consulting and implementation services, Dave Dulak, an FTMaintenance Product Expert at FasTrak SoftWorks, recommends a phased user adoption strategy.

“I’ve always been a proponent of implementing a system in the simplest form with the easiest processes possible.”

He advises that organizations should take “baby steps” when integrating the CMMS into their processes. Once the low-level, simple goals have been achieved, more advanced use can be introduced.

Tips to Increase CMMS User Adoption

Dave also offers the following suggestions for increasing CMMS user adoption.

Communicate the Benefits

Inevitably, employees will have some grievances with the current system. When switching to a new system, your staff will want to know, “What’s in it for me?” Maintenance managers should focus on communicating the ways in which the CMMS will address their team’s pains, make life easier, or give them something that they didn’t have before. Doing so should create some enthusiasm for the new CMMS.

Involve Employees in the Selection Process

As part of the CMMS selection process, the software evaluation team should gather feedback from all stakeholders. The needs of executives will differ from those of maintenance technicians, who are the primary users of the software. If any stakeholder is left out of the process, they are less likely to feel like the CMMS will meet their needs and they will be less willing to embrace the system. Therefore, including maintenance technicians in demos and asking for their opinions on different software will make them feel like their voice was heard and increase adoption of the system.

Read Blog Post: What to Expect from a CMMS Software Demonstration

Amp up Training

CMMS training provides a boost in user adoption. Vendor-led, in-person training provides technicians with valuable face time with a knowledgeable, experienced software trainer. Employees can acclimate themselves with the software and practice using it in a friendly, no-risk environment. Online videos provide on-demand learning opportunities that teach users how to use system features. Live, web-based training allows users to follow along with an instructor from the comfort of their own facility.

Training can come from your internal team as well. Tech savvy employees can serve as an internal support network for others. Power users and system administrators can also make themselves available to answer questions, share tips via email, or hold lunch-and-learn sessions, if appropriate.

Increase User Adoption with FTMaintenance

At FasTrak, we understand that CMMS implementation can be tricky. We spend every day helping clients overcome implementation challenges including user adoption. FTMaintenance is an easy-to-use, easy-to-learn CMMS solution that allows you to be up and running with minimal training. We also provide complimentary implementation services and superior CMMS support to help make your entire implementation a success. Request a demo today.

Implementing a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is more likely to be a success when using a systematic approach. However, the urgency of putting a system in place now often forces buyers to take shortcuts, potentially putting successful implementation at risk.

Although CMMS implementation can be a long process, it is worthwhile if it creates operational improvements and makes maintenance management easier. Our eBook, The Definitive Guide to CMMS Acquisition and Implementation, provides first-time buyers with a systematic implementation plan.

Implementation covers events that happen both leading up to and following the purchase of a CMMS. This article describes implementation planning activities – activities that occur before software has been purchased. Our second article in this series, So You Purchased a CMMS – Now What?, covers post-purchase CMMS implementation activities.

CMMS Implementation Planning Activities

In most cases, purchasing a CMMS is not a unilateral, one-sided decision. Although the software will be used primarily by the maintenance department, its use affects the entire organization. Therefore, being methodical in your approach to CMMS implementation will ensure that the chosen solution addresses everyone’s needs.

The first step for any business improvement project is to get buy-in from upper management. While there may be implied support for the project, management must first be presented with a project plan before any action is taken. The following sections help you develop the contents of the project plan.

Determine Ballpark Project Costs

Estimating, or “ballparking,” project costs for budgetary purposes may take place early or late in the implementation process. Management will likely have a ballpark number in mind for what they think the project will cost, which they may share with you. Otherwise, you may need to do a little research to get a sense of what the project might cost.

Generally speaking, you should consider the costs of software licenses, setup and installation fees, and training in your a rough estimate. Be sure to also provide an estimate of how long you expect the project to take.

Identify Stakeholders

Stakeholders are the people within your organization who will be impacted by the CMMS. Each CMMS stakeholder has different needs and a different amount of influence over the project. Therefore, you must be aware of how the CMMS is likely to affect each person’s daily work and responsibilities. Your communication of the benefits the CMMS will bring will differ when discussing the project with upper management versus technicians.

Create the Evaluation Team

As mentioned previously, CMMS implementation is not a solo effort. Successful implementations are supported by a team of internal system advocates and cheerleaders. Let’s discuss who to include on your implementation team.

One person that every implementation team should include is a project champion, whether that person is you or someone else from the facility or maintenance management team. The project champion acts as the project manager and is involved in every stage of the implementation process. This person helps identify the project goals, keep things moving, and ensure that all stakeholders are satisfied. Depending on the size of your organization, multiple other stakeholders may be involved, including:

• Corporate management responsible for overseeing maintenance
• A technical expert, typically IT staff, to provide internal technical support
• Power users and system administrators who will be advising others on system use and maintaining the system
• End users who will use the CMMS on a day-to-day basis
• Management from departments impacted by maintenance, such as production, quality, and operations

Identify Maintenance Management Needs

The success of your CMMS will depend on how well it meets your maintenance management needs. You must first identify exactly what it is that you are looking for a CMMS to do. For example, are you responsible for maintaining a fleet of vehicles, permanent assets, or buildings? Will you be tracking inventory on work orders or through an existing system? Do you require mobile access to maintenance data?

Knowing your maintenance needs up front allows you to more easily identify viable CMMS solutions during your research. Be careful to distinguish between your needs and your wants. Needs must be addressed for your CMMS solution to be a success. This needs-identification exercise is typically done as part of a request for proposal (RFP), but can be done absent of a formal process as well.

Read On: How to Write an RFP for CMMS Software

Identify Maintenance Management Goals

Your maintenance goals should reflect your vision of how you want to improve your operations in order to satisfy your maintenance management goals.  Perhaps you are looking to minimize inventory costs, improve maintenance responsiveness, or process more work orders per month.

Setting specific goals and metrics to measure against will help you determine whether or not the CMMS is making a difference. Let’s look at a quick example:

Your goal might sound something like this: “Lower MRO inventory costs”. Note that this goal is quite broad and there can be many ways to accomplish it. Each goal needs to be more specific so that a detailed plan can be created to meet the goal and the results can be measured against the original goal.

Here’s a revised version of the goal: MRO inventory costs will be lowered by reducing the costs associated with emergency inventory purchases. With this more specific goal identified, now determine a way to measure progress. Using a CMMS, you can track dollars spent on rush orders, the number of emergency purchases, and the frequency of those purchases.

Identify CMMS Features

With your maintenance management needs and goals identified, you should be able to determine what CMMS features match your needs. Your use of the system will be based on your goals. Refer back to the goal outlined in the previous section.

The CMMS will need to be able to track inventory purchases if their costs are to be lowered. Additionally, you will want to see how costs change over time, so maintenance inventory reports will also be required. There are other, non-feature-related qualities to consider also, such as ease of use, system customization options, and scalability.

Make a Decision and Purchase a CMMS

Through your research, you and your evaluation team should identify at least 2-3 CMMS systems that will meet your requirements, fit your project budget, and can be implemented according to your deadline. After some deliberation, you should be able to make a recommendation to upper management. Make sure to note your preferred choice, along with any viable alternatives. The vendor selection process is covered in our article, How to Create a Vendor List for CMMS Research.

FTMaintenance Makes Maintenance Management Easy

FTMaintenance is a fully-featured CMMS that solves many challenges facing today’s maintenance teams. With solutions for work order management, asset management, inventory management, preventive and corrective maintenance, and more, FTMaintenance is the perfect fit for any-sized maintenance team. Read a CMMS case study to learn how our customers benefit from using FTMaintenance and schedule your demo today!