What a CMMS manages
CMMS software is the system of record for maintenance. Instead of an asset list in a spreadsheet, requests in a chat and the history in the senior technician’s memory, the team works from one shared database.
It is built around five linked records: a work order points to an asset, uses parts, is done by people and may come from a preventive plan. Those links make the history and the metrics possible.
- Assets: each machine, vehicle, panel or building system, with its code, location, technical data, documents and history.
- Work orders: the unit of work. Each one states what must be done, on which asset, by whom, with what priority and by when.
- Preventive plans: recurring routines that create work orders on a schedule or after a set amount of use.
- Spare parts: stock by location, the parts consumed on each order and the cost they add to the asset.
- People: technicians, supervisors and contractors, with their roles, skills and the time they log on each job.
How a CMMS works day to day
The core loop is the same in a plant, a building or a fleet: a need is reported, it becomes a work order, someone does the work and the order is closed with evidence. Preventive work follows the same loop, except that the plan creates the order.
- Request: an operator, a client or a supervisor reports a problem, ideally already tied to the asset, for example by scanning a QR code on the equipment.
- Work order: a supervisor sets the priority, assigns a technician and attaches the checklist, the parts and any safety permit the job requires.
- Execution: the technician follows the checklist, records readings and photos, notes the parts used and logs the time spent.
- Close-out: the order is closed with the failure cause, the evidence and the signatures. The asset’s history, downtime and cost update from that record.
Types of maintenance a CMMS supports
Most operations mix several strategies depending on how critical each asset is, so a CMMS has to support all of them. Usage-based and condition-based plans also depend on readings: without reliable meter values and measurements, they fall back to fixed calendars.
- Corrective: repairing an asset after it fails or after a defect is found. Some is unavoidable, but if it dominates, the team is reacting instead of planning.
- Preventive by time: routines at fixed intervals, such as a quarterly inspection, whether or not the asset shows symptoms.
- Preventive by usage: routines triggered by running hours, cycles, kilometers or another meter, such as an oil change after a set number of operating hours.
- Predictive or condition-based: work triggered by the measured condition of the asset, for example vibration, temperature or pressure drifting outside its normal range.
Key maintenance metrics and how to calculate them
Three metrics appear in almost every maintenance report. They should come from closed work orders and logged downtime, not from a spreadsheet filled in at month end.
MTBF (mean time between failures) = operating time ÷ number of failures. It tells you how long an asset runs, on average, before it fails. Higher is better. For example, 720 operating hours and 3 failures give an MTBF of 240 h.
MTTR (mean time to repair) = total repair time ÷ number of repairs. It tells you how long, on average, it takes to get the asset running again after a failure. Lower is better. For example, 3 repairs that took 12 hours in total give an MTTR of 4 h.
Availability = MTBF ÷ (MTBF + MTTR). It is the share of time the asset is able to run. With the example figures above, 240 ÷ (240 + 4) gives an availability of about 98%.
Read them alongside preventive plan compliance, backlog and cost per asset: a good MTBF with falling preventive compliance is an early warning, not a success.
Benefits of maintenance software
The benefits come from replacing scattered records with a single shared one, and most show up in daily work first.
- Visibility: anyone with access can see which orders are open, which are late and who has them, without calling the technician.
- Preventive work that gets done: plans create their own work orders, so routines no longer depend on someone checking a calendar.
- History per asset: every repair, reading, photo and part stays on the asset’s record, which supports repair-or-replace decisions.
- Metrics you can trace: each MTBF, MTTR or availability figure leads back to the work orders behind it.
- Controlled spare parts: consumption is tied to an order and an asset, and low stock shows before it becomes a delay.
- Evidence for audits and clients: checklists, signatures, permits and reports are stored with the order they belong to.
Mobile and offline field work
Maintenance happens in machine rooms, basements, rooftops and remote sites. When technicians type in their work later from memory, the data arrives late and incomplete.
A useful field app shows each technician their orders, opens the asset by scanning its QR code, guides the checklist and captures photos, readings, parts, time and signatures where the work happens. Mandatory steps keep an order from closing without the required evidence.
Offline mode matters as much as the features. The app should keep working without a signal, save everything on the device and sync on its own when coverage returns, so nothing is lost or entered twice.
AI in a CMMS
AI helps where the work is repetitive and based on text and history. It reduces the paperwork around each order; it does not replace the team’s judgment.
What matters most is human approval: the AI proposes and shows the data it used, a person accepts or corrects it before any record changes, and every action is logged. Typical uses:
- Intake: reading a free-text request, identifying the asset and the site, and proposing a priority.
- Classification: proposing the failure mode, mechanism and cause with a standard taxonomy such as ISO 14224, so failure data stays consistent across technicians and sites.
- Planning: preparing preventive work orders before they are due and suggesting a technician based on skills and availability.
- Reporting: drafting the technical report from the checklist answers, readings and photos of the closed order.
CMMS vs EAM vs spreadsheets
An EAM (enterprise asset management) system covers the whole asset life cycle, including acquisition, capital planning, depreciation and disposal, and usually connects to finance. A CMMS focuses on planning and executing maintenance.
| Aspect | Paper / spreadsheets | CMMS | EAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Recording what was done | Planning and executing maintenance | Managing assets across their life cycle |
| Work orders | Forms or rows edited by hand | Full flow from request to close-out | Included, alongside other modules |
| Preventive plans | A calendar someone has to check | Created by time, usage or readings | Created, plus long-term asset planning |
| Asset history | Scattered across files and people | Orders, parts, downtime and cost per asset | Maintenance plus financial data |
| Metrics | Built by hand at month end | MTBF, MTTR and availability from records | Maintenance and financial indicators |
| Field work | Paper forms and chat messages | Mobile app, ideally with offline mode | Varies, sometimes a separate product |
| Best fit | A few assets and one person | Maintenance teams that need control and data | Large organizations managing capital assets |
How to choose a CMMS
- 01
It fits your workflow
The flow from request to close-out should match your priorities, approvals and statuses.
- 02
Technicians will use the app
Test it on a real phone at a real site. It should be quick and work without a signal.
- 03
Preventive plans by time and usage
Plans should run on calendars, running hours or readings, and apply to one asset or to every asset of a type.
- 04
Metrics come from the records
MTBF, MTTR and availability should be calculated from closed orders and logged downtime, with each figure traceable to its source.
- 05
Safety is part of the order
For risky work, look for permits to work, LOTO procedures and signatures tied to the order, not attached afterwards.
- 06
AI stays under your control
Check what the AI proposes, which data it uses, whether a person approves each suggestion and whether every action is logged.
- 07
Security and access by role
Ask how data is kept separate between companies, how access is limited by role and site, and how you can export your data.
How Mantenix covers it
Mantenix is a CMMS built around the flow described in this guide. Requests arrive by QR code, portal, email or WhatsApp and become work orders. Preventive plans run by calendar, running hours or readings. Technicians work from a field app that works offline, with checklists, photos, parts and signatures, and permits to work and LOTO are part of the order. AI proposes the priority, the ISO 14224 failure classification and the technician, and a person approves. MTBF, MTTR and availability are calculated from closed orders, and spare parts are tracked by warehouse.
Frequently asked questions about CMMS software
What does CMMS stand for?
CMMS stands for computerized maintenance management system: software that keeps a maintenance team’s assets, work orders, preventive plans, spare parts and people in one place. Work is planned, executed and measured from the same records instead of from paper forms, chat messages and spreadsheets.
What is the difference between a CMMS and an EAM?
A CMMS focuses on maintenance: work orders, preventive plans, parts, technicians and maintenance metrics. An EAM covers the whole asset life cycle and adds capital planning, acquisition, depreciation and disposal, usually connected to finance. A CMMS is enough for most maintenance teams; an EAM fits large organizations managing capital assets.
Can a spreadsheet replace CMMS software?
For a few assets and one person, a spreadsheet can work. It starts to fail when several people edit it, when preventive routines depend on someone remembering to check it, and when you need history per asset or metrics such as MTTR. Then keeping it up to date takes time away from maintenance.
How do you calculate MTBF, MTTR and availability?
MTBF is operating time divided by the number of failures; MTTR is total repair time divided by the number of repairs; availability is MTBF divided by the sum of MTBF and MTTR. For example, 720 operating hours with 3 failures give an MTBF of 240 h, and 3 repairs totaling 12 hours give an MTTR of 4 h.
Does a CMMS need to work offline?
If your technicians work in basements, machine rooms or remote sites, yes. Without offline mode, the app fails exactly where the work happens and technicians go back to paper. A good field app saves checklists, photos and signatures on the device and syncs when coverage returns.
Can AI make maintenance decisions on its own?
It should not. In a well-designed CMMS, AI proposes the priority of a request, the failure mode of a closed order, a technician for a job or the next preventive order. A person accepts or corrects each suggestion, and every action is logged with the data it was based on.
See a CMMS working on your own assets.
In the demo we load a few of your real assets and requests and walk through the full flow, from the request to the indicators.
Request a demo