The debate about choosing between a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) and an Integrated Workplace Management System (IWMS) is one that you will often come across in facility management circles and it’s not hard to see why this issue often crops up. For one thing, both software are extremely beneficial for today’s building managers. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that facility management software is an indispensable tool for remaining competitive and for benchmarking FM best practices today.
Another thing is that both of them serve very similar functions, and at a glance, they sound almost interchangeable. Facility managers typically have so much to handle that automating their maintenance management through CMMS or IWMS will make it easier to hit their performance goals.
However, we want to look at the CMMS vs IWMS debate from a different angle – instead of comparing and contrasting them all the time, what if we considered how they can work together?
Let’s explore this topic together and touch on some interesting situations where they can work together.
The Basics of IWMS
An IWMS is a platform that empowers facility managers to oversee and manage vital operational activities such as real estate management, space management, maintenance, and capital projects management.
IWMS software is designed to cover operations across all of an organization’s real estate-related departments on a single system.
Who Should Use IWMS Software?
Although IWMS offers a comprehensive suite of operational functions for different kinds of organizations, it may be better suited for larger enterprises that already have the experience of deploying facility management software and have gathered a considerable portfolio of assets to manage.
IWMS is most often used by:
- Commercial property managers
- Facility managers (commercial and residential)
- Residential property managers
- Maintenance managers
- Businesses and commercial tenants
- Environmental energy or sustainability managers
Just to mention a few.
The Basics of CMMS
A computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is intended primarily for managing buildings, equipment, for planning and scheduling the maintenance activities for each asset.
Who Should Use CMMS Software?
Any facility manager or maintenance leader can use a CMMS. The best CMMS today offers astounding simplicity, flexibility, and scalability. Especially for:
- Reducing Equipment Downtime
- Work Order Management
- Report Generating
- Document Management
- Asset Tracking
- Mobile CMMS
- Inventory Management
- Preventive Maintenance Management.
- Automating Preventive Maintenance Management.
- Reducing Overall Maintenance Costs
And so on.
That takes us back to our discussion; how can CMMS and IWMS work together? That depends on where you are currently as an organization.
Imagine that you run an organization with large property and asset holdings across several locations as well as a workforce distributed across these locations. Generally, there would be a head or Executive property manager (or some other title) that oversees the properties and receives updates from individual facility management or maintenance teams.
The facility maintenance teams and their leaders are directly responsible for maintenance, therefore, they need to focus on details like servicing, repais, maintenance schedules, preventive maintenance, service requests, etc. A CMMS is designed for this and suits their needs perfectly. While the facility executive or head in this same organization will be more concerned about “the bigger picture” of occupancy rates, major capital projects, lease management, etc, which an IWMS is perfect for.
CMMS and IWMS can work together in the same organization at different levels but still allow employees to collaborate and share information when required. They allow organizations to make comprehensive decisions and they both deliver multiple benefits no matter your industry.
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Axxerion offers you a wide range of facility management software including CMMS, EAM, IWMS, and more. Our professional and friendly team is available to work with you and find the right fit for your organization. Just schedule a demo and let us do the rest!
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