Many facility managers rely solely on facility condition assessments (FCAs) to build a capital plan. If FCAs are conducted every three to five years, they can provide a great foundation for the capital plan. D’Angelo says he uses an FCA to identify areas that need attention. Cross-referencing FCA results with CMMS data can help managers set priorities.
For example, an air handler that is in great shape at the time of the FCA might still be high on the list for the capital plan because a manager knows the unit is nickel-and-diming the department in the operating budget with service calls. Or an asset might rank very high on the FCA, but a manager knows the asset is in a “demolition by neglect” program, so it does not matter.
Facility managers do not need to wait for an FCA to prioritize anticipated capital projects. Rimer says managers should do an annual review of assets that are scheduled for replacement in the next five years. By pulling data from the CMMS, managers can determine how the asset is performing and move it higher or lower on the list as needed. Depending on the CMMS, managers can pull a report that is editable in a spreadsheet to change the expected replacement date and quickly import it back in to not go asset by asset in the CMMS.
Another way to look beyond the data in the CMMS is to make the case for additional staffing when new buildings or assets are added to the portfolio, D’Angelo says. Shop supervisors can use corrective and preventive maintenance histories to create mathematical staffing models.
“If the total number of hours required equals a new full-time employee, then that’s your justification,” he says. That data makes it easier for managers to either make the case to hire additional personnel or handle the issue through overtime pay.
As with any database, the CMMS will be useful for capital planning only in so far as the data is clean and robust. This situation will not happen on its own. For managers to succeed in capital planning, Martin says the biggest piece is the “organization, consistency and persistency on gathering the information and data and using your systems and processes very strictly because all the benefits come within the information and data that you collect in that system.”
The diligence required to maintain accurate and reliable data in the CMMS runs through the full chain of command. Frontline technicians might need to be trained and held accountable to take just 30 extra seconds per call to properly document their actions. Shop supervisors need to review the data and make sure it is good so they can use it to make decisions and justify requests.
Rimer says managers should have a system administrator in place to ensure data standards are upheld, which might be easier said than funded. In some facilities, it might be possible to shift an existing service desk employee into more of a strategic business management role once service requests are submitted automatically instead of through emails or phone calls.
“Now they can start being more on top of the quality control and also extracting the data for driving the business processes,” he says.
There are many different CMMS available, and they are evolving and improving. Some are more robust, making them more useful for capital planning than others. It is unlikely a CMMS will offer the same functionality as purpose-built software for capital planning, but it is possible to get well into a capital plan using a trusted CMMS already in place.
It is always better to not let perfection get in the way of progress. Using the CMMS for capital planning can create more nuanced plans and possibly lay the foundation for making a business case for more robust software systems in the future.
Naomi Millán is a former editor with Building Operating Management, now working in marketing and communications in the non-profit sector.
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