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Although a successful CMMS implementation can revolutionize a company’s maintenance efficiency, the sad reality is that many organizations often get this critical step wrong.

Any business owner that decides to adopt a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) has most likely researched the many benefits that their company will gain from using the software. Therefore, it would be quite disappointing if their CMMS implementation project fails. Again, considering the time, labor, and expenses that they devoted to the project would make it all the more frustrating.

In such situations, the company would have to spend more money and time trying to rectify the problems, or even start looking for another CMMS brand all over again.

It doesn’t have to be that way!

The disadvantages of a failed CMMS implementation are so many that it’s necessary to stress the importance of getting implementation right from the very first attempt.

Why CMMS Implementations Fail

Here are 3 of the most common ways that CMMS implementations fail and what you can do to avoid these situations.

1. Poor Preparation

Failing to plan is a recipe for failure. Sometimes, an organization will underestimate what is involved in CMMS implementation so they don’t critically plot their goals and objectives for buying the software. Other mistakes they make are poor change management and not getting employee buy-in before kicking off the process. These are all critical mistakes. For instance, if staff don’t understand why they are being asked to move from paper records to a digital platform, it will cause a host of problems later.

Remember that a CMMS is not a silver bullet that will suddenly come on board and resolve all your company’s maintenance issues. Therefore, to succeed at the pre-implementation stage, consider the following:

What are your goals for this software?

What is your budget and have you allocated the required funds and labor for the duration of implementation?

Who is accountable for the progress of the implementation?

Do you have accurate records (equipment history) available?

A CMMS comes with tons of features, which of the functionalities do you need?

So far, is the CMMS vendor responsive to your questions and concerns?

Are all the relevant departments aware of the changes to come?

2. Haphazard Implementation

A lot of things can go wrong at this stage but one of the best things you can do is to ensure that there is an in-house implementation team to oversee the process and update the rest of the company at intervals.

All factors such as communication between departments, testing, and interaction with the vendor must be clear at this stage. Any lapses here will likely linger and cause more problems later.

3. Poor Training

The importance of training for a successful CMMS implementation and deployment cannot be overemphasized.

CMMS dashboards and the many modules should be easily accessible to everyone that will be using the system. Note that training should be a continuous process, not a one-time event.

Free Demo

Are you currently in the market for a CMMS solution? At Axxerion, we have seen over and over again the kind of problems that poor and careless implementation projects can cause. Our experience positions us to guide our clients carefully through the entire process. Request a demo today. Let’s help you implement with fewer challenges and more results.

Would you like to find out more about our many CMMS features? Our friendly and professional team will be happy to hear from you. So don’t hesitate to reach us and request a demo today.

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