Month: March 2020

Failure Codes: Standardizing Asset Failure Documentation with a CMMS (Part 1 of 3)

Posted: 3/30/2020

Young male technician inspecting a piece of equipment to observe it in its failed state for the purposes of documenting the failure.

This article is part of a series of articles on the topic of equipment failure tracking. Read our other articles on this topic:

What are Failure Codes?

A failure code, sometimes called problem a code, is a value used to uniquely identify a type of failure and is often found in a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) or enterprise asset management (EAM) software. In earlier generations of CMMS software, asset failures were commonly codified using short alphanumeric acronyms or abbreviations. Because modern CMMS solutions are more powerful and can handle much larger amounts of data, failure “codes” are commonly alphanumeric codes supplemented by a longer-form description.

Where are Failure Codes Used?

Failure codes are used in maintenance management and asset management software for asset failure tracking. Technicians apply failure codes to work orders to show that a certain type of failure occurred. This may occur at the time the problem is reported or discovered, or when the work order is closed.

Organizations using a CMMS with a maintenance request portal may include an input field for failure codes on the service request form. Doing so allows requesters to feed failure information to the maintenance team, allowing technicians to plan ahead before going out for a repair.

Why Use CMMS Failure Codes?

There are many reasons organizations use CMMS failure codes.

Standardization of Failure Documentation

Technicians may describe problems inconsistently on work orders. One technician may report a problem as “too hot”. Another might describe it as “overheated”. A third technician might observe the issue as “high temp”. While each of these descriptions might be understood to describe the same problem, there is not common data from which to compile the information. Failure codes standardize data entry and provide a defined set of values on which to search, sort, and filter failure records in a CMMS.

Without the use of failure codes, maintenance managers would need to review all work orders or maintenance records individually in order to identify equipment failure trends. While CMMS software might help parse through some data, results may still be incomplete.

Maintenance Reports

From an asset performance tracking perspective, failure codes provide common data on which to filter data or run CMMS reports. For example, a report might bring attention to how many times a specific type of failure has occurred on a given asset. A Pareto chart report might reveal which asset failures account for the most maintenance work, providing a starting point for reevaluating preventive maintenance schedules.

Compliance with Regulatory Standards

Identifying failure records with failure codes is required by some regulatory standards. For example, organizations in the oil and gas industry following the ISO 14224 standard are required to collect, at a minimum, the following failure data:

  • Unique failure record identification (i.e., a failure code)
  • Equipment identification/location
  • Failure date
  • Failure mode
  • Failure impact on equipment function

This information is collected to improve the safety, reliability, and maintainability of oil and gas assets. However, similar requirements can apply to other industries.

Learn how a CMMS benefits your industry

Implementation of a Failure Analysis-Driven Maintenance Strategy

Failure tracking is a critical component of more advanced failure analysis. For example, industries with rigorous maintenance tracking requirements use failure codes for failure tracking strategies such as:

  • Root Cause Analysis (RCA): the process of identifying the main reason for asset failure and determining an approach to resolve it
  • Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA): the process of identifying potential failures that may exist within the design of an asset or process
  • Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM): the process of analyzing breakdowns to determine the most effective maintenance approach for each asset

While failure tracking is beneficial, tracking failures alone provides limited value. Each of the strategies above involves analyzing asset failures by tracking the failures themselves, reasons why the failure happened, and what was done to resolve the issue. Using failure codes with cause codes and remedy codes paints bigger picture of asset failures. Cause codes and remedy codes are each covered in their own articles in this series.

CMMS Failure Code Construction

The information on which to base failure codes originates from a number of sources. In organizations that do facility or property management, codes may be derived from building automation system (BAS) software with built-in alarm codes. In manufacturing environments, automated machines may have failure codes built into the PLC or HMI system. Standards organizations such as the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) or the American Society for Quality (ASQ) also provide universal standards that include recommendations for failure codes or failure code creation.

Failure Code Design

Failure codes are typically customized to match each organization’s unique assets and operating environment. Custom failure code development should collect input from all stakeholders, including employees who may request assistance, maintenance personnel who perform the work, and operations and engineering staff who need to understand what is happening in the field. The two most common approaches to create failure codes are asset-based failure codes and inspection-based failure codes.

Asset-based Failure Codes

With asset-based failure codes, each asset is assigned a set of failure codes relevant to the asset class or unique asset. One advantage to this approach is that, if the CMMS supports it, technicians will only be required to choose from a limited number of failure codes specific to the selected asset. A disadvantage is that those in charge of creating failure codes will need to create them for every asset or asset class.

Asset-based Failure Code List Example

Below is an example of an asset-based failure code list for a valve. Note that this list is not exhaustive of all types of valve failures.

Failure Code Failure Code Description
FTC Failure to close; valve stuck open or fails to close fully
FTO Failure to open; valve stuck closed or fails to open fully
DO Delayed operation; valve opening/closure time different from specification
EL External leakage; medium escapes to environment
IL Internal leakage; internal leak of actuating fluid
LCP Leakage through valve in closed position
PLUG Plugged; Flow fully or partially restricted
ABR Abnormal instrument reading

Inspection-based Failure Codes

Inspection-based failure codes account for possible types of failures based on one’s sensory observations. For example, failure codes may be created for conditions such as noise, visible damage, fluid levels, vibrations, and so on. Unlike asset-based failure codes which are specific to an asset, inspection-based failure codes are broader.

An advantage of inspection-based failure codes is that they are easier to set up than asset-based failure codes, and can be applied universally. However, more supplementary detail must be entered into the CMMS for them to be valuable.

Inspection-based Failure Code List Example

Below is an example of an inspection-based failure code list. Note that this list is not exhaustive of all types of equipment failures.

Failure Code Failure Code Description
ALARM Alarm, sensor problem, display indicator, no reading, etc.
DAMAGE Worn down, broken, fractured, punctured, etc.
DIRT Dirt, debris, or foreign matter
LEAK Fluid leaking, spraying, dripping, etc.
NOISE Abnormal sound, knocking, rubbing, etc.
PRESSURE Over or under pressure
TEMP Abnormal temperature (too high or too low)
VIBRATION Excessive vibration, shaking, wobbling, etc.

CMMS Failure Code Best Practices

The goal of developing failure codes is for CMMS users to be able to easily identify and track asset failures on work orders. Keep the following best practices in mind when constructing failure codes:

  • Consider Team Experience: Seasoned technicians who have a deep knowledge of assets will have an easier time adopting a system of failure codes that is more specific. Technicians with less experience may benefit from generic failure codes.
  • Keep Failure Code List Size Manageable: There should be a balance between failure code lists that are too granular or too broad. Overly-specific failure codes create too many options and are confusing. Overly-broad failure codes may not accurately describe certain problems. Having a limited set of failure codes to select from encourages technicians to document failures consistently.
  • Hold Team Accountable for Use: Failure tracking with failure codes will only be effective if used consistently and correctly. A CMMS allows you to see if failure codes are being used properly, and becomes a reference point for identifying and correcting data entry mistakes.
  • Review and Update the Failure Code List: Failure code lists are not “set and forget”. There are sure to be instances where existing failure codes don’t cover all observed failures or certain codes can be eliminated or combined. Review the failure codes list periodically and update as needed.

Conclusion

Failure codes can add value to your asset management practices. Whether starting small with a basic coding system or using advanced failure analysis, a CMMS makes tracking asset failures easy. FTMaintenance Select is an easy-to-use maintenance management software platform that allows you to closely track asset failures through robust asset tracking tools and maintenance reports. Request a demo today to learn more about FTMaintenance Select.

How to Create Your Own Asset Naming Convention

Posted: 3/24/2020

Asset naming conventions can take many forms. Our previous article, 3 Asset Naming Convention Designs to Consider, provides an overview of possible naming conventions that you could use to name assets in your CMMS. Listed among those options is the opportunity to create your own naming system, which is what will be covered in this article.

This article is part of a series of articles on the topic of asset naming conventions. After reading this article, be sure to check out our other articles on this topic:

How to Create Your Own Asset Naming Convention

Manufacturing facility floor with machinery that can be identified through asset naming conventions.

Asset naming conventions help identify assets throughout your facility.

The following information can assist you in developing your own asset naming convention for your organization. Keep in mind that there is no single, best way to do this, as each organization has different needs. At the very least, we can offer some food for thought and best practices to help you create an effective asset naming convention.

Asset Naming Convention Components

Asset naming conventions consist of two components: 1) a unique asset number and 2) a descriptive name. The asset number is a way to uniquely identify an asset within a CMMS or other computerized maintenance tracking system. Numbers must be unique so that duplicate records do not exist and that maintenance activities can be traced back to specific individual assets. A descriptive name further helps identify assets and ensures that all stakeholders are speaking in common terms when discussing maintenance needs.

Naming Assets

Organizations that create their own asset naming convention should decide what components work best for their stakeholders. For example, organizations that do fleet maintenance may embed manufacturer – but not location information – into the asset name, as vehicles are constantly on the move. Facilities management organizations may use location information, such as an address, as a part of the asset name. Below is a list of potential components that you may embed in your asset number:

  • Asset Type: Motor, HVAC unit, press, boiler, etc.
  • Characteristic: Make, manufacturer, model, revision, color, size, etc.
  • Location: Country, state, site, address, building, floor, room, factory line number, etc.
  • Numbers: Manufacturer serial number, VIN number, equipment code, etc.

Describing Assets

As for the descriptive asset name, that part is up to you. It is recommended that you only include enough information as necessary. In fact, a CMMS may limit you as to how many characters (i.e., letters and numbers) can be stored within a field. Asset descriptions may include:

  • The asset type
  • A description of the sub-type of that asset
  • A defining characteristic

For example, a light bulb may be described as “Lamp, Fluorescent, 40 Watt.”

Asset Naming Convention Examples

The following are two examples intended to help you visualize how an asset naming convention might be structured.

Scenario 1

An organization operates out of a single building with a moderate number of assets. A possible naming convention may look something like AAA-###, where:

  • AAA represents a three-character code identifying the type of asset (e.g. AHU = “Air Handling Unit”, Chiller = “CHL”, CNC lathe = “CNC”, etc.)
  • ### represents the unique identifier, such as a number (e.g., 001, 002, 100, etc.)

Example: CNC-001.

This example refers to one of the CNC lathes located at the facility. The description might be “CNC, 2-Axis, 4500 RPM”.

Scenario 2

An organization has plants in multiple locations across the United States. Each plant has multiple buildings that house several assets of the same type, such as air handling units. The asset naming convention for this organization may be of a form AA-BB-CCC-###, where:

  • AA represents the state postal code abbreviation (e.g., AZ, CA, WI, etc.)
  • BB represents the building number (e.g., B1, B2, B3, etc.)
  • CCC represents a three-character code identifying the type of asset (e.g. AHU = “Air Handling Unit”, Chiller = “CHL”, CNC lathe = “CNC”, etc.)
  • ### represents the unique identifier, such as a number (e.g., 001, 002, 100, etc.)

Example: WI-B2-AHU-003.

This example refers to one of the air handling units in building 2 at a Wisconsin-based facility. The description might be “Chiller, Reciprocating, 150 TR”.

Of course, the examples in this article represent naming conventions with varying degrees of depth and do not represent all possible naming structures. It is up to your organization to determine the format, structure, and depth of your naming convention.

Asset Naming Best Practices

Asset naming conventions do not need to be complex in order to be effective. The goal of developing a standardized naming system is for users of your CMMS and other employees to be able to recognize an asset, its location, or its purpose at-a-glance. Keep the following best practices in mind when crafting your asset naming convention:

  • Be Logical: Maintenance technicians should be able to draw meaning from asset names. Do not label boilers as “XYZ.” Instead, use a more logical code such as “BOIL” or “BLR”.
  • Be Consistent: Terminology, abbreviations, and numbering schemes should not vary. For example, all chillers could be abbreviated as “CHLR”. All numbering should use the same number of digits. For example, the first record created under a number scheme that uses three digits will be “001” instead of “1” or “01”.
  • Be Unique: Each asset name should be unique to prevent confusion.
  • Avoid Duplicate Data: Asset names do not need to include information that is defined elsewhere (although, they can). Search capabilities in a CMMS make this information easy to find.
  • Leave Room for Growth: Naming conventions should leave room to easily add new asset records – which may be subsets of existing records. For example, separate asset numbers by 100, 500, or 1,000 for major subgroups.
  • Prioritize the Use of Letters: Numbers, when used alone, hold little meaning. Letters can be much more informative and make asset names easier for employees to interpret.
  • Use a “Drill Down” Approach: Employ a hierarchical structure that allows users to “drill down” to relevant, granular data.

Set Yourself Up for Success with FasTrak Consulting Services

Creating an asset naming convention can be a challenge for first-time CMMS users. At FasTrak, we offer CMMS consulting services that will help you and your team maximize your use of FTMaintenance. An FTMaintenance consultant will work with you to understand your current asset environment and develop an effective asset naming convention for your organization. Contact us today to learn more about FasTrak’s FTMaintenance consulting services.

Asset Naming Convention Designs: Best Practices for CMMS Implementation

Posted: 3/24/2020

A line of industrial pump stations that can be better identified with an asset naming convention.

This article is part of a series of articles on the topic of asset naming conventions. After reading this article, be sure to check out our other articles on this topic:

Why Create an Asset Naming Convention?

Naming is a key component of managing assets in a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS). Using consistent asset names in a CMMS, you can identify assets more easily, search and query data more effectively, and make valuable data more readily available.

However, CMMS software limits the number of characters allowed in a given data field, making it necessary to rethink how assets will be named in the system. Now, you may be asking what the best way is to design your naming scheme. In truth, you can format asset names any way you wish…although there are some generally accepted best practices which we encourage you to follow. These practices are outlined in our article, How to Create Your Own Asset Naming Convention.

Asset naming conventions vary from organization to organization. The naming scheme your company uses is entirely up to you! The purpose of this article is to provide you with a few options to consider when crafting your asset naming convention: 1) using an existing internal naming convention, 2) using a tried-and-true system, and 3) creating your own naming convention.

3 Asset Naming Convention Designs to Consider

Follow an Existing Internal Asset Naming Convention

Remember, it is not only the maintenance team that needs to track maintenance assets. The accounting department is also responsible for tracking all assets and their costs, such as original purchase price, depreciation, and maintenance expenses. It should be no surprise that the accounting team also values a good naming convention.

Making use of an existing internal naming convention can be beneficial, as it allows for better cross-department communication about maintenance assets. Look to see how your organization’s accounting department names assets and consider if it will work for you. If you are unsatisfied with their naming system, you should still track the number in your CMMS. Doing so ensures that both departments have a common reference when referring to the same asset.

Below are some advantages and disadvantages of this asset naming convention option:

Advantages:

  • Easy to Implement or Adopt: Asset names and numbers have already been assigned by an internal resource. All you must do is match names and numbers to the asset records in your CMMS.
  • Improved Communication: A single naming system leads to better cross-departmental communication between maintenance, accounting, purchasing, and others.

Disadvantages:

  • May Not Meet Requirements: The naming convention may not meet your maintenance management requirements if it was developed with a different purpose in mind.
  • Possibility of Change: It is possible that the base naming convention may change, creating a mismatch between your asset records and data in other systems.

Rely on Tried-and-True Asset Naming Systems

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. There are already a number of tried-and-true naming conventions out there. For instance, your vendors may already use a naming system that you can easily adopt. Employees may also offer ideas of what worked well based on their previous work experience.

A well-vetted, proven asset naming system is the United States Department of Defense’s National Stock Number (NSN) system. Regarded as the gold standard in asset naming, domestic and foreign governments across the world use the NSN system because it provides a standardized asset naming system for a large number of items – as many as 6 million items (and counting)!

A diagram showing the meaning coding system used for each National Stock Number (NSN).component.

National Stock Number Anatomy. Image derived from Wikipedia – click image to visit page.

The National Stock Number itself is made up of smaller subgroups, each with their own coding system. The 4-digit Federal Supply Classification Group (FSCG) number is comprised of the Federal Supply Group (FSG) and Federal Supply Class (FSC) numbers.

The next portion is the 9-digit National Item Identification Number (NIIN). The first two digits are the National Codification Bureau (NCB) number, a “country code” or “nation code” that represents the nation assigning the item number. For example, the United States is represented by “00” or “01”; Canada’s code is “20” or “21”. The remaining 7 digits are sequentially assigned, unique numbers.

Aside from the asset number itself, the NSN system also seeks to establish a simple, common description for each tracked asset. For example, a CNC lathe might be described as “CNC, 4-axis, 3000 RPM.” This link provides a thorough explanation of the National Stock Number (NSN) system and can be a good research document for those interested in studying further.

Of course, even widely used naming systems aren’t “one size fits all” solutions. Just because you are basing your asset naming convention on a tried-and-true system doesn’t mean that you can’t make changes. You can take the elements that apply most and modify it for what makes the most sense for your organization.

Below are some advantages and disadvantages of this asset naming convention option:

Advantages:

  • Trustworthy: Other organizations have used the naming system with great success, giving you the confidence that your asset naming convention will also be successful.
  • Easy to Use: Well-established naming systems provide a template from which you can easily assign names and numbers to your assets.
  • Best Practices: Tried-and-true naming conventions are regarded as best practice, which may not necessarily be true with internal or custom naming systems.

Disadvantages:

  • Complexity: Some naming conventions consist of many separate coding systems, making it tedious to follow or apply.
  • Too Large of a Scope: Naming systems such as the NSN tracks millions of assets. You may not require the same level of detail if managing a small number of assets. A simpler naming strategy may be more appropriate.

Create Your Own Asset Naming Convention

While it is convenient to base your asset naming convention off of an existing one, other schemes are not always easily adapted to your needs. Instead, you can create your own naming system. Custom-made naming systems provide the flexibility to make asset numbers and names more meaningful for your team.

For example, you can build meaning into asset numbers by incorporating information such as asset type, manufacturer, model, building number, and more. For more detail, read our article How to Create Your Own Asset Naming Convention. Below are some advantages and disadvantages of this asset naming convention option:

Advantages:

  • Flexibility: Since you are not locked in to a previously-defined set of naming rules, you can incorporate any information of your choosing to make names and numbers more meaningful to your team.
  • Meets Your Specific Requirements: You know your maintenance needs the best. A custom naming convention gives you the exact information your organization requires.

Disadvantages:

  • Time to Develop: It takes careful planning, time, and effort to devise the rules and requirements that must be adhered to when naming assets.
  • Longevity: Custom naming conventions that aren’t built with enough flexibility break down over time, creating the need to change the system.

Manage Your Assets with FTMaintenance

FTMaintenance asset management software allows organizations of all sizes to effectively track their maintenance assets. To help you use FTMaintenance most efficiently, we offer CMMS consulting services that can be used to help your team evaluate and develop asset naming conventions. We draw on over 30 years of experience in industrial automation to make maintenance management easy for our customers. Contact us to learn more about FasTrak’s FTMaintenance consulting services.

Best Practices for Preparing Maintenance Data Before CMMS Migration

Posted: 3/16/2020

Overhead view of employee viewing graphical CMMS data on a laptop computer.

A computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is only as good as the data in it. Bad maintenance data can disrupt operations and lead to costly mistakes, but even the best CMMS cannot fix underlying data management issues. To prevent data quality issues, it is critical to closely vet any maintenance data prior to importing it into the CMMS.

This article covers how to clean, prepare, and migrate data from its original source into the CMMS, ensuring accuracy from day one.

This article is part of a series of articles related to maintenance management best practices. Read our other best practice articles:

How to Clean Up and Prepare Data Before CMMS Migration

The eagerness or urgency to implement a CMMS often causes organizations to overlook critical data preparation. Skipping these steps can result in incomplete, duplicate, or incorrect records that undermine the system’s effectiveness. To avoid these problems, it’s important to follow a structured approach to cleaning and preparing your maintenance data before migration. The steps to migrate maintenance data to a CMMS typically involve:

  1. Determining what data to collect
  2. Selecting the data collection tool
  3. Prioritizing and collecting the key information
  4. Cleaning your maintenance data
  5. Preparing your data importation file
  6. Establishing good data entry practices

Following these steps ensures your maintenance data is accurate, consistent, and reliable, helping your team make better decisions and avoid costly mistakes.

Step 1: Determine What Maintenance Data to Collect

Maintenance data exists in various formats and locations, ranging from hand-written notes on a desk to paper work orders in a file cabinet, to data stored in spreadsheets or other computerized systems. The goal of data collection is to gather all relevant maintenance data and format it so that it can be easily organized, edited, and formatted for later importation.

Depending on your goals for the CMMS, not all maintenance data will or should be imported. Having too little information available will hamper use of the system, but too much data can be overwhelming. Think about your maintenance management goals and what information is required to achieve them.

For example, some organizations choose not to track MRO inventory, so information about parts can be omitted. There will be a minimum amount of data required for effective maintenance tracking, but not all information will be relevant. Collecting only the data you need will be a big timesaver.

Types of CMMS Data

CMMS software allows you to manage several types of maintenance data, each playing a role in effective maintenance management. Understanding what maintenance data you already have – and what data the CMMS allows – can help you determine what kinds of information to collect. The primary types of CMMS data are as follows.

Asset Data

Asset data refers to information about your physical assets and equipment. Asset records typically include the following data:

  • Asset identification numbers: Unique identifiers that are used to track assets.
  • Current condition: The asset’s operational status and overall health.
  • Location: Where the asset is physically located within the organization.
  • Operating specifications: Operating parameters, such as capacity, power requirements, safety standards, and other performance requirements.
  • Downtime, meter readings, and other performance data: Relevant metrics related to the asset’s availability and reliability.
Work Order Data

Work order data captures the performance of maintenance activities, including what was done, who did it, and what resources were used, among other information. Work order data typically includes:

  • Details: Essential data about the work order such as its unique number, completion status, priority, assignment, and relevant life cycle dates.
  • Tasks: The specific actions taken to perform the work outlined by the work order.
  • Parts and tools: The materials and supplies, and quantities of such, required to carry out the maintenance tasks.
  • Labor resources: The people or organizations that performed the work and their labor hours.
MRO Inventory Data

MRO inventory data is the information related to your inventoried assets and consumables. Inventory data can include:

  • Inventory identification numbers: Unique identifiers used to track MRO items.
  • Stocking location: The exact location within a stockroom or other inventory location where parts are stored.
  • Quantities: The level of stock on hand, allocated to work orders, and available to use.
  • Procurement information: Information related to replenishing stock, such as reorder point, economic order quantity, and supplier information.
Labor Resource Data

Labor resources are parties that provide labor for an organization, whether it is an employee, vendor, contractor, or other service provider. Examples of labor data include:

  • Labor resource information: The names of the labor resources.
  • Role and skills: The job title, department, labor craft, type of services provided, and other applicable skill information.
  • Certifications: Documentation of any formal training or certifications held by the labor resource.
  • Labor costs: The hourly rate for work performed by a labor resource.
Maintenance History

Maintenance history is a record of all past maintenance activities. CMMS solutions automatically create a maintenance history using closed work order records. Some systems allow you to directly import historical work orders or use attachments to maintain history records.

Other Management Data

Management data provides essential insights that help maintenance managers and other decision-makers assess performance, control costs, and optimize operations. This data includes:

  • Key performance indicators (KPIs): Measures of performance. Common KPIs include Mean Time to Repair (MTTR), Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), and maintenance backlog.
  • Cost information: Information related to the overall expenses incurred by the maintenance team. For example, costs related to labor, parts and materials, and operations.
  • Scheduling data: Information that outlines planned maintenance activities including task frequency, labor availability, and stock replenishment.

Step 2: Select the Data Collection Tool

Your maintenance data will ultimately need to be formatted according to the CMMS’s importation requirements. Most systems allow you to migrate maintenance data from spreadsheets to the CMMS or import flat file formats like CSV (comma-separated values) or text files (.txt files). Most organizations use Microsoft Excel® for data collection, though other tools may be used.

Step 3: Determine How Much Data to Collect

Collecting data on tens, hundreds, or even thousands of assets all at once is a painstaking effort. Instead, prioritize which assets will be imported first and what data should be recorded for each asset.

To reduce the burden of data entry, start by collecting key maintenance data on the most critical assets to business operations. Non-essential, “nice to have” information can be added at a later time.

Once critical assets are entered in the system, repeat the process for less-critical assets. Supplementary data can be entered manually, or updated via additional imports if the CMMS allows it.

Step 4: Clean Your Maintenance Data

As the saying goes, “garbage in, garbage out.” What this translates to is that if poor-quality maintenance data is entered into a system, expect poor-quality results. Your maintenance data is a valuable asset, so it’s important to ensure that the data is “clean” and error free.

Data cleaning, also referred to as data scrubbing or data cleansing, is the process of ensuring data is correct, consistent, and usable by fixing or removing data that is inaccurate, corrupted, incorrectly formatted, duplicated, or incomplete. After your data has been collected, use the following guidelines to clean up and prepare your data for CMMS migration:

  • Remove any obsolete, outdated, or unused information
  • Rename any records to follow a standardized numbering scheme
  • Eliminate duplicated information
  • Standardize record IDs according to a naming convention
  • Remove extra blank spaces or special characters that may cause improper sorting
  • Check spelling, correct typos, and ensure consistent capitalization
  • Fill in missing data
  • Verify that data, such as numbers and dates, are in the correct format as required by the CMMS
  • Verify that data meets character limits

Step 5: Expand Your Dataset

During the data cleaning process, you may encounter gaps in your maintenance data. Now is a good time to add any extra data to the dataset. If you discover missing information after data importation, it can be entered manually. If your implementation timeline allows, you may also wish to collect data for non-critical assets as well.

Step 6: Prepare Your Data Import File

By now, your maintenance data is almost ready for migration. First, you will need to map your maintenance data to the appropriate fields in the CMMS database. Your CMMS vendor will provide with premade data import templates or instructions for formatting your data file.

Each CMMS has its own data file requirements regarding what data is required, data formats, and file formats. Work with your CMMS vendor if you have any confusion about terminology, file structure, or other formatting requirements.

Before you import data, take one last opportunity to review your data for any errors or inaccuracies. Once maintenance data is in the system, it may not be easy or quick to clear out. Minor errors can be corrected after importation, however.

Step 7: Establish Good Data Entry Practices

Your data preparation and cleaning efforts will all be for naught unless you establish good data entry practices to safeguard the integrity of your maintenance data. The last thing you want is for bad maintenance data to infiltrate your CMMS.

The data migration step of CMMS implementation is the perfect opportunity to review – or establish – data entry standards. Documenting and training users on these rules will help prevent inaccurate or incomplete data from making its way into the system.

One common way to standardize data entry is to develop an asset naming convention that sets rules for how records should be uniquely tracked in the CMMS. Using a defined set of rules to identify records makes them simple to interpret, easier to sort and search, and provides a consistent way to name new records.

Configuration options, such as the ability to set required data entry fields, helps avoid incomplete records from being created. In some systems, administrators can even control what type of data a field will accept. Discuss configuration options with the vendor during product setup.

Finally, train your employees on any new policies or procedures for using the system. If bad habits aren’t broken, you’ll be back to square one in no time.

Migrate Your Maintenance Data to FTMaintenance Select

Data quality issues can lead to far-reaching and costly consequences if not addressed before migration. By following the best practices in this article, you can feel confident that your maintenance data is accurate, complete, and ready to import.

FasTrak offers a range of data importation and entry services to make the transition to FTMaintenance Select seamless, helping your team get on track with trustworthy data and start realizing the benefits of your CMMS from day one. Request a demo of FTMaintenance Select today to learn more.