CMMS Buyer’s Guide

The way your maintenance team works can tell you what to look for in a CMMS.

The requirements are already in the operation.

How work gets requested. How technicians receive it. What they need in the field. What gets recorded. How parts are handled. What managers need to know. How other systems connect.

Follow the operation and you can define what your CMMS needs to support before you evaluate the software.

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Map it. Define it. Prove it.

MAP

Understand the operation.

Understand the assets, work, people, information, decisions, environment and outcomes that make up the maintenance operation.

DEFINE

Turn the operation into requirements.

Translate what you learn into clear, prioritized CMMS requirements.

PROVE

Test the requirements against the software.

Take important requirements into vendor evaluations as real scenarios and ask to see how the software handles them.
Learn how to define your CMMS requirements

Where are you in the buying process?

Browse the complete guide

Complete guide

Practical guidance for every stage of a CMMS purchase.

Start Here

Foundational questions to answer before shopping.

  1. What Is a CMMS?
  2. Do You Actually Need a CMMS?
  3. CMMS vs. Spreadsheets: When Is It Time to Switch?
  4. What Problems Should a CMMS Solve?
  5. What Should You Automate — and What Should Stay Manual?

Understand What You’re Buying

The systems, workflows, and terms behind CMMS software.

  1. Maintenance Work Order Software: What to Look For
  2. Preventive Maintenance Software: What It Does and What to Look For
  3. Equipment Maintenance Software: A Buyer’s Guide
  4. Predictive Maintenance Software: Where It Fits With a CMMS
  5. Maintenance Scheduling Software: What Should It Actually Do?
  6. Maintenance Tracking Software: What Are You Actually Trying to Track?
  7. Reporting and Maintenance KPIs
  8. CMMS Integrations: What Needs to Connect?
  9. CMMS vs EAM: What's the Difference?
  10. CMMS for Manufacturing: What Your Operation Actually Needs
  11. Cloud-Based CMMS: What Buyers Should Understand
  12. Maintenance Planning Software: What It Should Help You Plan
  13. CMMS Inventory Management: Parts, Storerooms and MRO

Figure Out What You Need

Turn operational needs into useful requirements.

  1. How to Build Your CMMS Requirements
  2. Which CMMS Features Actually Matter?
  3. How Much CMMS Do You Really Need?
  4. What Information Should You Gather Before Shopping?
  5. Who Should Be Involved in Selecting a CMMS?

Buying by Role

Decision guidance for each stakeholder.

  1. CMMS Buying Guide for Maintenance Managers
  2. CMMS Buying Guide for Plant Managers
  3. Facility Maintenance Software: A Buyer's Guide
  4. What Operations Should Look For in a CMMS
  5. IT's Role in a CMMS Purchase

Understand the Money

Pricing, total cost, and return on investment.

  1. How CMMS Pricing Works
  2. What Should a CMMS Cost?
  3. Implementation Fees and Other Costs to Watch For
  4. How to Calculate the Cost of Your Current Maintenance Process
  5. How to Think About CMMS ROI
  6. When a CMMS Isn't Worth the Cost

Before You Talk to Vendors

Prepare for productive first conversations.

  1. What to Know Before Your First CMMS Vendor Call
  2. What Information Will a CMMS Vendor Ask You For?
  3. Questions to Ask on the First Discovery Call
  4. Questions the Vendor Should Be Asking You
  5. How to Tell Whether a Vendor Understands Your Maintenance Operation
  6. How Many CMMS Vendors Should You Evaluate?

The Demo

Keep demonstrations grounded in your actual work.

  1. What Should a CMMS Demo Actually Show You?
  2. The CMMS Demo Checklist
  3. Questions to Ask During a CMMS Demo
  4. Don't Let the Vendor Control the Entire Demo
  5. Ask the Vendor to Show Your Workflow
  6. What to Do When a Vendor Says "Yes, We Can Do That"
  7. Red Flags During a CMMS Demo

Use AI to Help You Buy

Use AI to organize research and analysis while applying your own judgment.

  1. How to Use AI to Research CMMS Software
  2. Use AI to Build Your CMMS Requirements
  3. Use AI to Prepare for Vendor Calls
  4. Use AI to Analyze Your Demo Notes
  5. Use AI to Compare CMMS Proposals
  6. Use AI to Analyze Software Contracts
  7. Use AI to Turn Multiple Vendor Demos Into a Useful Comparison

Consultants & Implementation Partners

Understand outside help and its incentives.

  1. Do You Need a CMMS Consultant?
  2. What Does a CMMS Implementation Partner Do?
  3. Should You Use an Independent Consultant?
  4. Who Should Help With CMMS Implementation?
  5. How Consultants and Partners Get Paid
  6. Questions to Ask Anyone Recommending CMMS Software
  7. How to Tell Whether an Advisor Is Truly Independent

Make the Decision

Compare evidence and reach a defensible decision.

  1. How to Build Your CMMS Shortlist
  2. How to Compare CMMS Solutions
  3. How to Score What You Saw
  4. How to Evaluate a CMMS Proposal
  5. CMMS Reference Calls: What to Ask Existing Customers
  6. Security and IT Review
  7. CMMS Contract Questions to Ask
  8. How to Make the Final Decision
  9. The Final CMMS Buying Checklist

Implementation

Prepare for the work that starts after signing.

  1. What Happens After You Sign?
  2. What to Expect During CMMS Implementation
  3. What Can Go Wrong During Implementation?
  4. What Your Team Needs to Provide
  5. Preparing Your Asset Data
  6. Testing Before Go-Live
  7. Training and User Adoption
  8. How to Know Whether Your CMMS Implementation Worked