Steps to better data collection for maintenance tracking and facility management performance .
Facilities maintenance creates vast amounts of data. Without a solid strategy for gathering, organizing, and understanding it, you’re squandering one of your most valuable resources.
Step 2: Determine what data to collect – start small
It can be pretty overwhelming to set up tracking around multiple data points all at once. So start small. Select one or two of your most important data needs and establish a KPI around it that you can begin measuring.
Reactive vs. preventive maintenance
If you’re like most teams, you’re probably still relatively reactive when it comes to maintenance. And you’re not alone. Solid Rock State of Facility Management report revealed that only 18% of respondents felt strongly that their teams were more proactive than reactive.
Preventive maintenance increases the longevity of your assets, reduces costs over time, and improves the occupant experience.
The ultimate goal of any data-driven operation is to transition to more preventive and less reactive maintenance. This is typically measured as a ratio. For example, world-class organizations aim for a 90% preventive and 10% reactive maintenance work order ratio.
Step 3: Equip your team with the right tools to gather data
You’ve laid out your current maintenance data situation. You’ve identified one or two KPIs to begin tracking. Now you need the right tools to get it done.
If you’re serious about collecting and analyzing data, technology is your friend. This is the perfect catalyst for getting away from paper and moving your maintenance program into a purpose-built software solution.
Step 4: Create a culture around the collection and importance of data
At the end of the day, if your team doesn’t buy into the need for better data, all of your efforts will fall flat. It all starts with and must be driven by the people who input the data.
Train your team on the importance of entering correct data. Explain how it can help prove the need for additional resources and show the impact of their work. Adopt good habits such as logging every work order and inputting the time it takes to complete each task.
Investing time and effort into building this sort of culture will continue to pay off as you start tracking more and more types of data.
YOU DESERVE BETTER DATA
Without accurate data you can trust, you’re blind to what’s actually happening within your facilities and forced to rely on guesses when making decisions. Revamping how your team gathers and organizes maintenance information can lead to better quality data.
Good data can do so much more than help you measure a KPI:
