What are the most common failures in CMMS implementation?

CMMS implementation might seem simple on its face, but a staggering 70% of implementations fail (and many of them for the same exact reasons). Organizations feel using new software is easy, so they forego a lot of the critical planning and pre-implementation strategies that make CMMS adoption a success.

There are four really huge ways to mess up a CMMS implementation, and most failed projects suffer from one or more of them.

1. Planning
Planning is a vital step in the process and one that is so often foregone.

A CMMS by itself won't fix maintenance problems that plague a facility. In order to implement a CMMS properly (or to even choose the right software), a facility needs to create an action plan that includes:

• What kinds of data they want to track
• What kind of functionality they need
• What kind of budget they have
• Stakeholder approvals and buy-in

Immediately investing in a CMMS without a plan is a massive mistake that can kill a project on arrival.

2. Implementation
The step with the widest variety of places to fail is probably in the implementation step.

There's more to this than installing the software and starting work orders. Implementation involves tons of critical factors:

• How is data being migrated from previous systems?
• Is there a PM plan designed and ready to be scheduled?
• Has the software been tested in an area before being rolled out to the whole facility?
• Is everyone communicating on when things are rolling out?

At this stage, communication, testing, and planning are still super important parts of the CMMS implementation process.

3. Training
When a new asset comes to a facility, maintenance staff need to be trained on usage and maintenance tasks. The same is true of a CMMS, but facilities still continue to look over this step.

Training should not be a one-time thing either; continuous training is incredibly important, especially if a CMMS receives updates for new features. When an organization skimps on training, maintenance staff won't know how to use the system that's supposed to make their job easier.

Besides, it's proven that training increases adoption - don't let this kill an implementation.

4. Data
Finally, the data collection process can kill a CMMS with ease - if you put in garbage data, you get garbage data out.

Maintenance teams need to understand what kinds of data they need to input. Hands-on training can help with this - if technicians are shown how to populate work orders with useful, quality information, the data you get out will be actionable.