What is a computerized maintenance management system

(CMMS)?
A computerized maintenance management system or CMMS is software that centralizes
maintenance information and facilitates the processes of maintenance operations. It helps
optimize the utilization and availability of physical equipment like vehicles, machinery,
communications, plant infrastructures and other assets. Also referred to as CMMIS or
computerized maintenance management information system, CMMS systems are found in
manufacturing, oil and gas production, power generation, construction, transportation and other
industries where physical infrastructure is critical.

The core of a CMMS is its database. It has a data model that organizes information about the
assets a maintenance organization is charged with maintaining, as well as the equipment,
materials and other resources to do so.

How does a CMMS work?

The information in a CMMS database supports various functions of the system, which enable the
following capabilities:

Resource and labor management: Track available employees and equipment certifications.
Assign specific tasks and assemble crews. Organize shifts and manage pay rates.

Asset registry: Store, access and share asset information such as:

 Manufacturer, model, serial number and equipment class and type

 Associated costs and codes
 Location and position
 Performance and downtime statistics
 Associated documentation, video and images such as repair manuals, safety procedures and
warranties
 Availability of meters, sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) instrumentation

Work order management: Typically viewed as the main function of CMMS, work order
management includes information such as:

 Work order number

 Description and priority
 Order type (repair, replace, scheduled)
 Cause and remedy codes
 Personnel assigned and materials used

Work order management also includes capabilities to:

 Automate work order generation

  Reserve materials and equipment
 Schedule and assign employees, crews and shifts
 Review status and track downtime
 Record planned and actual costs
 Attach associated documentation, repair and safety media

Preventive maintenance: Automate work order initiation based on time, usage or triggered
events. Use preventive maintenance to organize and associate assets across multiple orders.
Sequence and schedule preventive work orders.

Materials and inventory management: Inventory, distribute and reclaim maintenance and
repair operation (MRO) equipment and materials across storage areas, distribution centers and
facilities. Manage suppliers, track inventory costs and automate resupply.

Reporting, analysis and auditing: Generate reports across maintenance categories such as asset
availability, materials usage, labor and material costs, supplier assessments and more. Analyze
information to understand asset availability, performance trends, MRO inventory optimization
and other information to support business decisions and gather and organize information for
audits.¹

See the IBM Maximo Application Suite

The history of CMMS

Before CMMS, obtaining centralized, dynamic visibility and automated management was
impractical because maintenance information was buried in paper files, and later, scattered
across spreadsheets.

The earliest versions of CMMS appeared in the 1960s and were typically used by large
enterprises. Technicians used punch cards and IBM mainframes to inform computerized records
and track maintenance tasks. In the 1970s, punch cards gave way to checklists fed into CMMS
systems by technicians at the end of their shifts.

CMMS gained greater prevalence with smaller and mid-sized businesses in the 1980s and 90s as
computers became smaller, more affordable, more distributed — and more connected. In the
1990s, CMMS began to share information across local area networks or LANs.

The 2000s saw the emergence of intranets and web-based connectivity that expanded CMMS
capabilities to a range of mobile devices, field applications and operational sites.

The latest generation of CMMS is cloud-based and highly mobile. It offers greater functionality
with faster implementation, easier maintenance and greater data security.²

EAM vs. CMMS: What’s the difference?

The term CMMS is often confused or used interchangeably with EAM or enterprise asset
management. The two share very similar functions and objectives but are essentially different.
To discern key differences between CMMS and EAM, it’s helpful to take a brief look at the
history of CMMS and the relationship between CMMS, EAM and APM.

As CMMS evolved, it established a foundation for EAM. Essentially, EAM contains the
functionality of CMMS,³ and their functions can overlap. What EAM brings to CMMS — thanks
in part to greater connectivity and information sharing — is the ability to span sites, foster
collaboration across departments and provide deeper integration with other systems like
enterprise resource planning (ERP).⁴

These capabilities give EAM solutions a broader business context that considers the overall asset
lifecycle and its impact on financial analysis, procurement, process management, risk and
compliance, asset disposal and more. CMMS solutions tend to focus on fixed asset availability
and uptime by automating work orders and workflows, scheduling labor, managing materials —
and providing reports and audits about those tasks.

Read: Understanding the impact and value of EAM (2.2 MB)

Why is uptime so important?

CMMS — and EAM — are essential because they make it easier and more efficient for
maintenance managers and departments to meet their primary objective: reliable uptime.

The longer assets and physical equipment are kept up and running, the greater the value they
deliver. In her post, "The complete guide to the benefits of CMMS," IBM blogger Sarah Dudley
points out, “The longer we can keep a piece of equipment running without major repair, the more
money we save in the long run.”

Delivering uptime reliably means that businesses can accept and fulfill orders, meet customer
demands, shape customer experiences and confidently make a range of asset-dependent
decisions. IBM reports that a survey of asset managers found that 75% cite system reliability as
the main reason to invest in EAM.

What are the benefits of a CMMS?

The benefits of CMMS include:

Asset visibility: Centralized information in the CMMS database enables maintenance managers
and teams to almost instantly call up when an asset was purchased, when maintenance was
performed, frequency of breakdowns, parts used, efficiency ratings and more.

Workflow visibility: Dashboards and visualizations can be tuned to technician and other roles to
assess status and progress virtually in real time. Maintenance teams can rapidly discover where
an asset is, what it needs, who should work on it and when.
Automation: Automating manual tasks such as ordering parts, replenishing MRO inventory,
scheduling shifts, compiling information for audits and other administrative duties helps save
time, reduce errors, improve productivity and focus teams on maintenance — not administrative
— tasks.

Streamlined processes: Work orders can be viewed and tracked by all parties involved. Details
can be shared across mobile devices to coordinate work in the field with operational centers.
Material and resource distribution and utilization can be prioritized and optimized.

Managing field workforces: Managing internal and external field workforces can be complex
and costly. CMMS and EAM capabilities can unify and cost-effectively deploy internal teams
and external partnerships. The latest EAM solutions offer advances in connectivity, mobility,
augmented reality and blockchain to transform operations in the field.

Preventive maintenance: CMMS data enables maintenance operations to move from a reactive
to a proactive approach, so an advanced asset maintenance strategy can be developed. Data
derived from daily activities as well as sensors, meters and other IoT instrumentation can deliver
insights into processes and assets, inform preventive measures and trigger alerts before assets fail
or underperform.

Consistency and knowledge transfer: Documentation, repair manuals and media capturing
maintenance procedures can be stored in CMMS and associated with corresponding assets.
Capturing and maintaining this knowledge creates consistent procedures and workmanship. It
also preserves that knowledge to be transferred to new technicians, rather than walking out the
door with departing personnel.

Compliance management: Compliance audits can be disruptive to maintenance operations and

asset-intensive businesses as a whole. CMMS data makes an audit exponentially easier by
generating responses and reports tailored to an audit’s demands.

Health, safety and environment: In line with compliance management, CMMS and EAM offer
central reporting for safety, health and environmental concerns. The objectives are to reduce risk
and maintain a safe operating environment. CMMS and EAM can provide investigations to
analyze recurring incidents or defects, incident and corrective action traceability, and process
change management.

Infographic: IBM Maximo helps optimize assets and operations (1.3 MB)

Considerations when selecting CMMS software

Selecting and implementing an effective CMMS requires consideration of functional and
technological factors. Providers and adopters may use the terms CMMS and EAM
interchangeably in this context, which is acceptable because of the overlap in their capabilities.

One of the central functional considerations, according to IT analyst IDC, is handling increasing
amounts of data: “As the number of data sources available to the asset manager continues to
grow (sensors, spatial data, visual data, etc.), managing, merging and analyzing these pools of
data at speed will be a tremendous challenge for EAM professionals over the next five years.”

IDC also points out that aligning staffing and development resources with asset management can
be critical: “The function is often under-resourced in terms of staffing, training and development.
This under-resourcing erodes motivation and creates a counterproductive culture among the
staff.”

Finally, IDC states that modernizing CMMS and EAM functions is important and that “some
organizations have yet to move past legacy systems and spreadsheets for critical EAM functions
like repair order management, work scheduling and replace/repair decisions.”

Definition - What does Computerized Maintenance

Management System (CMMS) mean?
A computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is a software package designed to
maintain a computer database for an organization’s maintenance operations and human resources
functions.

This data is intended to help the effectiveness of maintenance workers, the quality of
management decisions and the verification of regulatory compliance.

CMMS software packages are nearly the same as computer aided facility management packages,
which are also called facility management software.

This term is also known as Enterprise Asset Management and Computerized Maintenance
Management Information System (CMMIS).

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What is CMMS software? Computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) have been
used by organizations since as early as the 70’s. Initially they were used by manufacturers to
monitor equipment, labor, and inventory ensuring that production was optimized and equipment
downtime reduced. Since their introduction, we have seen more industries adopt maintenance
management software. Software has become more user-friendly, versatile and scalable over the
last few decades, making them applicable to hospitals, colleges, office buildings, retailers,
religious institutions and more. Still many maintenance and facility managers have strong
reservations about implementing a CMMS at their company due to negative impressions they
hold. This article sets the record straight by providing support that counters commonly held
myths and misconceptions around the disadvantages of CMMS Software.
Myth #1: CMMS has a high failure rate

Figures on CMMS success rates are not promising. The research on CMMS implementation
varies, with some studies reporting failure rates starting at 40% and others even as high as 80%!
With stats like this, having reservations about implementing maintenance management software
is justified. The truth is there isn’t a lot of research about CMMS systems to go on and what is
available is often outdated. Unfortunately, this short-sited and less than current information
shapes our overall understanding of CMMS success.

In actuality, maintenance software systems are continually improving and more companies in
different sectors are seeking out CMMS software. With technical innovation and significant
growth, an 80% failure rate seems unlikely in today’s market. In the past, CMMS installations
involved significant training, maintenance, and complicated systems that were not easy to learn.

As the industry evolved we learned a few lessons along the way. There are many factors that are
necessary for implementation to succeed;

 Understanding the scope of the project

 Understanding of CMMS expectations
 Management commitment
 Having staff prepared for change
 Good collection of data and data entry
 Training and vendor support
 Today, we see CMMS vendors offering buyers many ways to get acquainted with new
software before purchasing including free trials and live demos. These programs allows
buyers to test drive the software without committing and allows users to compare
different software systems against one another.
 We know more about CMMS than we did 20 years ago. It’s important to conduct
thorough research before acquiring a CMMS and make sure you dedicate time to
planning and implementing your system from the beginning. This includes getting buy-in
from your maintenance team and receiving adequate training to optimize your system’s
features. For more information on proper CMMS software implementation, read our
post here.
 Myth #2: CMMS is too expensive for our organization
 In the past, maintenance software was very costly to implement. At their onset, CMMS
were deployed on-site and involved a lot of customization, configuration, training and
support. As with most technology, costs decrease over time. CMMS vendors have
become more efficient with development and deployment, and increased competition has
brought prices down significantly.
 25 years ago companies could easily pay $50,000 to implement a facility management
software at their facility. There were fees for on-site installation, customization and
configuration, consultation, training and individual user licenses. In addition, companies
expected to pay additional ongoing fees for software updates and technical support. The
CMMS market has seen some significant changes that resulted in bringing costs down.
  There are currently well over 200 different CMMS software options available. Increased
competition has driven down price.
 Vendors offer SaaS (software as a service) deployment which has almost completely
eliminated high start-up costs. With web-based CMMS software updates and
maintenance are bundled together. Ongoing technical support is included as well.
 Unlimited user subscriptions are available from some vendors, allowing companies more
flexibility and avoid paying high fees for multiple users.
 With mobile and web-based technology there is less reliance on hardware and more on
software.
 Myth #3: CMMS users need to be tech-savvy
 When CMMS systems first hit the scene high computer literacy was a must if you were
going to use them. Using computers, their operating systems and database management
required significant training and knowledge. There was a lot of emphasis on hardware as
well. The computer know how exceeded what typical maintenance employees (and most
people altogther) were equipped with. 
 Today we see a completely different CMMS. Software developers have access to tools
that allow them to design software so it is easy to learn. Further, with web-based
deployment, IT departments are not required to maintain the system. Updates are
automatic, and there are plenty of training and support instruments available to end users.
Today’s maintenance software is accessible anywhere there is an internet connection, has
built in training video
 libraries, live chat with technical support and on demand training through screen sharing
technology like GotoMeeting.
 Today’s CMMS has well designed user interface, dashboards, easy to use report
generators, flexible user options, and mobile access.
 Myth #4: CMMS does not apply to small businesses
 If you were exposed to maintenance management software early on, no doubt you would
think that they are not suitable for small businesses (under 100 employees). This view
stems from the fact that CMMS systems were expensive, required a lot of time and
resources to implement and were very complex, involving functionality and features
geared towards large operations.

tracking maintenance using paper or spreadsheets. Once managers feel they have outgrown these
methods they look to maintenance management software. Today’s applications are more scalable than
what we saw 25 years ago. Legacy computerized maintenance management systems had the one size
fits all approach, high start-up costs, and a lot of time required for installations made them inaccessible
to small companies. Buyers today can opt out of modules they don’t require and scale up when the time
is right. We commonly see small companies using CMMS for preventive maintenance only, while others
use the corrective maintenance and inventory management modules. The flexibility we see with today’s
software has made it accessible to small, medium and large organizations alike. Even better is a modern
CMMS’ ability to scale with your business size, allowing your CMMS to continuously grow with you as
you do. By mixing and matching important CMMS modules, we’ve finally put to rest the idea that
“CMMS is more than we need right now.”

Myth #5: Web-based CMMS has high risks

The biggest fear of using web-based CMMS software directly relates to one of its biggest
benefits - outsourcing the IT burden to a specialized provider. This is seen by most as a huge
plus, but if you are handling sensitive customer data, security becomes an issue.

Security risk is minimized if you do your due diligence. CMMS software vendors offering SaaS
deployment are ready to answer and provide any security questions you can throw at them.  The
fact is software providers store customer data in state of the art data centers where every
precaution is taken in order to abate security threats. At the end of the day you need to weigh the
benefits against the costs. And the benefits are many; no hardware costs, back up and disaster
recovery, low maintenance, and mobility.

If your organization maintains top secret military facilities and equipment, web-based
maintenance software might not be an option, but for other organizations with less “sensitive”
data, it’s definitely worth considering.

Maintenance management software systems have quickly evolved over recent decades. Prices are
significantly reduced and systems have become more accessible for the average technical user.
Systems are no longer limited to large enterprises with huge maintenance departments, rather any
organization small or large can benefit from a streamlined maintenance department. We are
hearing  more success stories than failures.  And we are seeing that cloud computing is an
incredibly secure software delivery method. As more and more companies opt for a CMMS
system, maintenance departments of all sizes are seeing significant cost savings in maintenance
repair resulting in an overall competitive advantage from their CMMS. To learn more about the
benefits of CMMS software, read our article here.