We studied 50 public-sector CMMS and asset-management purchases.

What did we find?

1. 01

   The software price isn't the whole cost.

   The records showed costs for software, implementation, moving information into the new system, support, renewals, upgrades and other work.

   What this means for you: Compare everything you're likely to pay for—not just the software price.

   Check your CMMS costs →
2. 02

   Your information may need work before the CMMS can use it.

   Some buyers had to create, check, clean up or move information about their equipment and facilities. In some purchases, that work became part of the implementation.

   What this means for you: Before buying, find out what information you already have, what's missing, and what will have to be cleaned up or moved.

3. 03

   A good demo doesn't prove the software will work for you.

   In one purchase we studied, the buyer went from written proposals to demonstrations and then to hands-on testing using its own work. Problems appeared during that deeper testing, and the buyer rejected every proposal.

   What this means for you: Give vendors examples of work your people need to do and have them show you how their system handles it.

   See the evidence →
4. 04

   “It integrates” doesn't tell you what the integration will do.

   The records showed buyers working through what information moves between systems, which direction it moves, when it moves and which system is responsible for it.

   What this means for you: Ask what information moves, where it goes, when it moves, and what happens if something goes wrong.

   See the evidence →
5. 05

   Going live doesn't mean the implementation is finished.

   In the records we studied, turning the system on could be followed by more testing, fixing problems and checking that the system worked as promised.

   What this means for you: Before implementation starts, decide what has to work before you consider the project finished.

   See the evidence →
6. 06

   Before replacing your CMMS, make sure the CMMS is the problem.

   Problems can come from the software. They can also come from missing or inaccurate information, how the system was set up, training, the way work is done, or parts of the system that were never fully put to use.

   What this means for you: Separate problems with the software from problems with how it was set up and used.

   See the evidence →
7. 07

   Before you buy, find out how you'll get your information out later.

   Some buyers dealt with this before signing by requiring ways to export their information and rules for what happens to that information when they stop using the system.

   What this means for you: Ask what information you can take with you, what format you'll get it in, what it will cost, and whether another system will be able to use it.

   See the evidence →