CMMS Build and Maintenance

The scale of a CMMS and the number of users can lead to increased workloads, frustration and inadequately maintained equipment if the CMMS is not built and maintained correctly. 

Ensuring the resources required to create and maintain a CMMS are optimal will prevent inaccuracies of information and inappropriate maintenance applications, reducing workload and eliminating frustration.

There are 5 distinctive but inter related sections to a new CMMS build. 

When maintaining an existing CMMS any section can be isolated, then re-introduced seamlessly with minimal operational impact.

The sections are:-

  • Asset Register
  • Maintenance Strategies
  • Maintenance System Build
  • O&M Procedures
  • O&M Spares

The Asset Register is a collation and verification of the tag numbers collected from the engineering documentation available. A hierarchical structure is developed based on the parent and child relationships between equipment.

Maintenance Strategies development begins with a criticality analysis of the equipment. The degrading failure modes and corresponding mitigation tasks are also identified, facilitating the time based component of any maintenance plans.

The Maintenance System build component has the greatest level of interaction. The previously identified mitigating tasks are consolidated to minimise the number of routines generated into the system, ensuring maximum effectiveness of each maintenance intervention.  Maintenance tasks and plans are generated from this.  A key operational step, often missing in established / older builds, is assignment of spares required to carry out the task and the relevant O&M procedures.

Vendors O&M procedures are consulted, collated and risk assessed to determine consequences should their recommended maintenance and operation be varied from. This assures that the correct level of detail and instruction is input to work plans and operating guides.  Such a review also aids in the identification of training and competency standards required to ensure the tasks can be completed correctly, with subsequent feed into training plans a possibility.

A CMMS build is completed by an O&M Spares review and analysis. Vendor recommended spares are catalogued and from these a bill of material (BOM) developed. The analysis is undertaken to determine value and criticality to operations, helping to determine which spares are purchased and held in stock.