Last week’s blog focused on how organizations can find themselves in a situation where they feel that their CMMS is the wrong software for them and their specific needs.  Today, we are gong to shift our focus on what to do to get your organization out of that tough spot.  

So what should you do if you find yourself locked into a license for a CMMS system that ends up seeming like a square peg when you have a round hole?  In my opinion, before you decide to change to a new CMMS and definitely before you make a decision on which new system to use, make sure you do a deep dive into developing the specifications for what you want from the software as well as have a framework for the data that you want to store and manage.  You need to understand deeply what success looks like for the change, including what data you need, which systems it needs to integrate with, which modules are needed, etc. 

Changing CMMS systems can be very disruptive to an organization, assuming it is using its current system effectively.  Unless you are really unhappy with your current vendor, I would recommend taking your newly developed spec sheet and giving it to them to see if their system can do what you want.  It may be a matter of an upgrade to a new version or customization.  Yes, there will be a fee.  However, if you can avoid the disruption of a change over to a new system, it would be worth considering in many cases.  

If you cannot get what you need from your current vendor, then it is time to go to market and see what else is out there.  Remember, all of the work that you did to articulate your needs will be foundational for making sure you do get the best system for your organization through the procurement process. 

With proper planning and forethought, any organization can get amazing value out of its CMMS system.  Getting the right system for your organization and getting it setup to help you achieve your goals is foundational to that success.  It is a real shame that in my experience, most don’t.  The good news is that it isn’t too late.  You just have to put in the work to figure out exactly what you want your CMMS to be. 

More to come on how to get the most out of your CMMS system!