CMMS/EAM review analyzes available software packages and major trends in detail

As the “Introduction” screen explains, you can use the review to simply browse the results of our verified vendor survey data, compare products and find further information on particular packages and vendors. Or, you can have the system rank packages according your customized and advanced criteria. Clicking on “Software Aspects” lets you weight them individually so the comparison engine can calculate scores and present packages according to how well their strengths match your weightings.

Clicking on an individual software aspect in the “Introduction” screen brings you to a “Priorities” screen, which shows the exact survey questions used to establish the package score for that aspect. Exercising your option to rank a question less than “very important” factors its score so it has less weight in the calculated comparison.

You can hand-pick packages and compare them for various aspects, or enter weightings and priorities and click “Calculate” to bring you to the comparison screen. Here, you’ll see a side-by-side comparison detailing the level of functionality for each capability.

The site also offers articles, white papers and resources to help you increase your familiarity with CMMS/EAM software, solve problems and get the most from your existing or future implementation.

CMMS improvements are partly attributable to the advances made in software and hardware architecture. Some notable examples include the introduction of Windows and related products, LAN, WAN and client server technologies. 

The Web continues to be a significant market driver. Users want access to their CMMS application and data from any type of computer or handheld device, running any operating system, using only a browser, from any location in the world.  Users expect the same performance, functionality, look and feel whether that application is running as a standalone on a desktop or as a client on a server. This represents a cost-effective, enterprise-wide solution for them.

In some cases, companies are opting to have the application hosted by the CMMS vendor or a third-party application service provider.  Some large companies are outsourcing the management of the CMMS application in this manner.  Smaller companies have found that hosting provides access to top-ranked software without a large initial investment.

Integration

For many years, CMMS vendors have worked closely with providers of related hardware and software.  This collaboration is being further stimulated by the use of open architecture. Some of the most popular software applications integrated with the CMMS include programmable controllers, condition monitoring, e-procurement and wireless- and handheld-based applications.

Vertical specialization

As software functionality and user needs have become more sophisticated, CMMS vendors are developing niche features, modules or product lines that cater to a specific industry.  For some industries, such as nuclear and pharmaceutical, the driver is compliance with regulatory requirements.  For others, such as transportation, municipalities or contract maintenance providers, it’s the unique requirements of the business.

User-centered design

Often referred to as usability, user-centered design has always been and continues to be a critical differentiator among CMMS packages. Users are tired of plowing through screen after screen to locate information.  The expectation is that the package be designed around user needs rather than having the user conform to the package’s design. Thus, the better packages are easy to learn, simple to navigate and flexible enough to accommodate each user’s specific requirements for data entry, analysis and reporting.

Workflow and notification

We often forget that the CMMS is a tool to support maintenance operations. It should therefore facilitate world class workflow at each step of the process.  Workflow engines capture the process flow using customizable business rules that allow users to see graphically what the flow looks like and to determine the status of items moving through it. Workflow engines also enable automation of approvals and notification.  The latter refers to the routing of critical data to a person’s e-mail, pager, telephone or handheld device.

Condition monitoring

One of the most visible improvements of the past few years is the increased emphasis on reliability features.  Operations, maintenance and engineering departments are using condition monitoring to minimize the variability in the product, process, environment and equipment operation. The more sophisticated CMMS packages provide trend analysis, as well as alarm users, schedule preventive routines or take corrective actions automatically.

Supply chain management

Since the dotcom collapse, CMMS vendors have been quietly building e-related functionality into their software.  E-commerce, e-procurement and the e-marketplace will eventually reduce costs by automating supply chain functions.  

E-related features include standardized electronic catalogues, portals into supplier Web sites, electronic quotations and purchase orders, and electronic marketplaces.  Furthermore, some CMMS vendors offer sophisticated features to better manage spare parts inventory, including ABC analysis, economic order quantities, service level/inventory cost ratios and supplier performance analysis.

Asset management

Ever since the introduction of CMMS software, there’s been a steady improvement in asset management features and functions. This should come as no surprise because the CMMS is a tool to improve asset reliability, use, performance and operability, while minimizing labor and material costs. Current CMMS packages record reliability-centered maintenance data, build a troubleshooting database and  manage contract labor and materials.

Business intelligence

One of the most exciting developments is the improvement of analysis and reporting tools.  After all, management and workers cannot be expected to meet performance targets without timely and accurate feedback.  Business intelligence brings an effective means of presenting and probing results. 

A personalized home page can display on a real-time basis, items such as key performance indicators, balanced scorecard results, condition monitoring trends, cost summaries and status statistics.  Data can be displayed as dashboards, stoplights, graphs, charts, meters and tables. By double-clicking on any object, users can continuously drill down to greater detail.

Pricing

Although recent economic conditions have ensured there remains a healthy level of competition at every price point, from under $1,000 to several million, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for users to shop prices. This is, in part, because of the open architecture described earlier. Comparison shopping is further complicated by the fact that vendors bundle and define their options and features differently.

Survey methodology

To prepare this special 38-pg. Maintenance Management Software Review, a 92-question survey was mailed to maintenance management software providers last fall. Completed surveys were reviewed, audited and verified by Contributing Editor David Berger during a hands-on demonstration.

David Berger is a Contributing Editor of Plant Services and a principal with Western Management Consultants in Toronto, Canada. He is a certified Management Consultant and a registered Professional Engineer. He is Founding President of the Plant Engineering & Maintenance Association of Canada, past President of the Toronto Chapter of the Canadian Society for Industrial Engineering, and past Vice President of the Institute of Industrial Engineers. For questions about this review, please contact Mr. Berger at [email protected].