Numbers Matter: Discover How CMMS Software Helps You Make Data-Driven Decisions

You’ve heard it before; good data drives good decisions. But, even this extremely relevant statement isn’t comprised of words that are easy to follow. Mostly likely you’ve had days where you feel like you’re drowning in numbers—after all, facility managers have a lot of data to analyze. From the number of hours your team of technicians worked last week to the number of work orders you have pending, everything you do revolves around numbers. Love them or hate them, it’s all of the numbers in all of the data you’ve collected that helps you make informed, data-driven decisions that keep your organization running smoothly. As soon as you realize how important those numbers are, your job becomes a lot less stressful.

Why Data-Driven Decisions Are Important

As a facility manager, you have numerous decisions to make on a daily basis. In addition, you also have meetings to attend where you’re required to explain why you felt your decision was the best option. When you use your own intuition to make an important decision you can’t guarantee you’re making the right choice. However, when you make a data-driven decision, you’re analyzing various options, costs, and outcomes to ensure you’re choice it the best option. And, your data backs up your decision.

Imagine a cable salesman came to your door and told you that he could save you money if you switched cable providers, but he didn’t give you a dollar amount. If you accepted his offer, you’re taking the risk. You might save money or you might not. But, if that salesman came to your door with a cost-comparison between companies that outlined various service packages, reviewed the information with you, and explained that you would save $50 per month by switching service, he’s backing up his claim with numbers. The fact is, you don’t want to walk into an important meeting without the data to back up your decisions.

What Kind of Data Does CMMS Software Store?

CMMS data, like BMSI’s webDPW, stores all of the important data pertaining to the day-to-day operation of your organization, as well as historic data. The software stores the details of all of your organization’s assets so that you can view things like routine maintenance schedules, past work orders, standard operating procedures, warranties, and owner’s manuals. It even figures in the depreciation of your organization’s assets. All of the data that’s input into the system is used to create a wide variety detailed reports, including:

• Risk management
• Maintenance costs for specific times of the year
• Asset value
• Maintenance history for specific assets

You can use the reports generated by your facility management software to see how well your organization is doing, what areas need improvement, and monitor your budget.

What Kind of Information Can Your CMMS System Provide?

When you’re using a CMMS system, it’s important to remember that you get out of the system what you put into it. Your reports are only as good as the data you’ve input over time. By getting into the habit of entering all of the information that pertains to your job, you can analyze just about anything. In fact, even small inputs—like work orders—make a huge difference. Just by entering your work order information you can see what type of maintenance your organization spends the most money on and compare your maintenance costs from year to year. When you input asset information you can use that in conjunction with your maintenance data to determine things like whether it would cost more money in the long run to keep repairing an asset or it would be cheaper to replace it.

The fact is, your facility management system puts all of the data you need at your fingertips. It not only saves your organization time and money, but helps you make accurate decisions. When you’re ready for your quote contact BMSI.