The drafting of a CMMS specifications is an essential but tedious stage of any project of implementation of a maintenance software. To facilitate the work of the maintenance professionals and to make them save time, Mobility Work provides you with a model of CMMS specifications to be downloaded free of charge, which you can use as it is or by personalizing it!
Download our CMMS specifications template
Why a CMMS specification?
Of course, the choice of a CMMS primarily concerns the maintenance department. But it also has an impact on the whole company: the adoption of a CMMS software implies the computerization of all the activities related to maintenance: spare parts inventory management, production, purchasing… The implementation of this tool will undoubtedly be an opportunity for you to examine the global organization of maintenance within your company, in order to optimize human and material resources, improve processes and thus gain in responsiveness and productivity.
It is therefore important to take the time to study the different solutions available to you, by drafting and completing a CMMS specification in connection with all the departments of the company that will be concerned.
Key steps in the implementation of a CMMS
For the implementation of a CMMS to be both quick and successful, it is best to follow certain key steps:
- preliminary study ;
- specific developments ;
- user tests;
- data integration;
- user training, if necessary;
- the implementation.
Who should be involved in writing the CMMS specifications?
The keystone of the implementation of a CMMS is the project manager. Possibly surrounded by the team that he will have set up to carry it out, he will have to centralize the needs, lead the meetings and write the specifications.
The future users of the maintenance management software must of course be involved in the project: in a structured context, they must be questioned and their needs must be gathered in order to take into account the difficulties they encounter in the field and their requests for improvement.
The other departments of the company related to maintenance, such as production, accounting or purchasing, must also be consulted, in order to take into account all the needs in the choice of the software.
It is imperative that the management fully approves the project: in addition to the financial aspect, its support will promote the involvement of all teams in the implementation of the new tool.
Finally, the IT department must absolutely be involved in the project: it can integrate the company’s software security requirements into the CMMS specifications.
The essentials of a specification
If you are not sure where to start or what your priorities are, focus on two key elements: the functional scope and the processes.
The functional scope
To determine the functional scope of your future CMMS, be careful not to get lost in the details and do not try to make an exhaustive list of all the functionalities that could be used. Focus on the essentials by prioritizing the needs of each department. Don’t forget that these needs will evolve over time, just like the solution you choose.
Also, don’t hesitate to listen to the advice of CMMS software providers and discuss it within your company.
Maintenance processes: the heart of a CMMS
The number one advantage of a CMMS is to simplify and streamline all processes involving the maintenance department. So list about ten important processes that you will manage in the software you choose. These could be, for example:
- intervention requests: who creates them? how? who receives them?
- planning of interventions: who takes care of it? who is concerned?
- stock management
- parts purchases: will they be managed in the CMMS?
5 tips for writing CMMS specifications
- clearly express your goals;
- be precise and synthetic: a too detailed specification causes more problems than it brings solutions;
- work collectively to write a specification that will be agreed upon by all future users and listen to your collaborators;
- don’t be too ambitious: focus on the features that will really be used without trying to have everything;
- beware of spectacular offers that do not correspond to your needs.
