The ultimate goal of using a computerized maintenance management system is to increase maintenance productivity. Indeed, the investment of time, human resources, and financial considerations associated with implementing CMMS software is significant, so it’s only reasonable to expect returns in the form of increased efficiency.
To a certain degree, the mechanics of measuring and reporting maintenance productivity will vary from system to system, in that the process of creating and running reports will differ. However, there are certain broad-based approaches to measuring and increasing maintenance productivity that will prove valuable, regardless of the computerized maintenance management system selected.
Gather a Wealth of Data
The first key is to remember that every software package is only as good as the data that is entered into it. This seems obvious, but reports cannot be run off of data points that are not captured. Therefore, it is important to gather all data points possible. In relation to the assets themselves, data points to capture include:
- Serial number;
- Model numbers;
- Manufacturer;
- Warranty details; and
- Purchase dates.
However, it is not only assets that can be tracked. Invaluable information can also be gathered regarding your maintenance technicians’ performance. By ensuring that each maintenance task is properly recorded and catalogued in the CMMS system and then implementing a carefully chosen set of key performance indicators (KPIs) based on that data, managers can evaluate the effectiveness and productivity of technicians. KPIs enable managers to measure the efficiency of a department and identify areas for improvement. Benchmarking, or in other words, comparing past performance to current performance or comparing department performance to that of other departments, can help managers improve productivity.
Identify Key Results for Reporting Purposes
Having an exorbitant amount of data at your fingertips is not sufficient – it must be transformed into useful information in the form of graphs and reports. There are several reports that most organizations will find useful that can be provided by computerized maintenance management systems:
- Preventive Maintenance Report – A preventive maintenance report allows you to view all of your preventive maintenance activities and tasks. You can see when preventive maintenance tasks are scheduled, sent, received, and closed. You can also view preventive maintenance tasks by department, location, vendor, and equipment type.
- Total Maintenance Cost by Asset or Asset Class – A key report when it comes time to replace an asset, this report will provide a breakdown of the labor and part costs of a given asset or asset class over any specified period of time. Management will be able to use this report to compare the true costs of related or comparable assets over time.
- Average Time to Completion of a Maintenance Order by Technician – If time to complete a task is captured within the CMMS package, then management can use a report like this to identify the most efficient technicians. It can also be used to confirm assumptions around specialization by comparing average time across different types of assets for a specific employee. As a result, the most efficient technicians can consistently be assigned to particular tasks.
DPSI provides computerized maintenance management systems for the fleet, manufacturing, and facility maintenance industries. Our maintenance software system iMaint comes equipped with over 200 ready-to-run reports as well as custom reporting options, helping managers collect a wealth of information about their maintenance operations. iMaint Dashboard is an optional module for iMaint that provides a visual representation of critical, real-time data, allowing managers to keep a finger on the pulse of their organization. Contact us for more information or request a free trial today.
