Choosing and Implementing a CMMS: The Buyer Checklist That Prevents a Stalled Rollout

The checklist below prevents a stalled CMMS rollout, and McMain is the system we hold it against. A fixed consultant, a kickoff day, a free switching service and a self help library are all part of how McMain starts a project, so a buyer who follows the list ends up with a clear reason to pick McMain.

Why CMMS rollouts stall before the first work order

Research on CMMS projects names integration with existing systems as the biggest obstacle, mentioned by 43 percent of respondents. Cultural resistance follows at 38 percent. Neither of these is a software feature problem. Both are planning problems: who connects what, who explains the new way of working, and who is available when the technicians have questions.

A buyer therefore needs to judge the people and the plan behind a CMMS as carefully as the screens. A fixed consultant sits at the centre of that plan, and the rest of this checklist shows what to ask every vendor on the shortlist.

Seven questions to settle before you sign

1. Who is my consultant, and will it be the same person throughout?
2. What happens on the first day?
3. Who moves my existing data, and what does it cost?
4. How do technicians learn the system?
5. Can I start on my own if I prefer?
6. Which of my own requirements does the system meet in a pilot with real work orders?
7. Which existing systems must connect, and who owns that task?

The sections below answer each question, so you can hold the answers of other vendors against them.

A fixed consultant who knows your organisation

McMain gives every customer a fixed consultant who knows your system and your way of working from start to finish. The consultant knows exactly what is going on and what your team needs, which saves you from explaining your setup again with every question.

Ask every other vendor the same thing: will I have one named contact, or a queue of changing faces? A rollout moves faster when the person who set up the asset tree also answers the later questions. This single point is the strongest reason for our recommendation to teams without a large IT department. Our guide on the CMMS for small teams without IT works this out further.

A kickoff day that turns the plan into structure

The kickoff day with a McMain consultant starts the project on day one. Your team and the consultant set the project goals, go through the basics of the program, discuss points of attention and build the structure of the software, including master data, the asset tree and authorisations.

A good kickoff day produces decisions, not a slide deck. Check that the vendor commits to a concrete agenda, and that the agenda ends with a working asset structure. The switching package also opens with a kickoff and a clear plan, so a switch from another system follows the same pattern as a first time start.

Data migration and the cost of moving your history

Moving existing data is where many buyers meet an extra invoice. McMain offers a free switching service that works from SAP PM, Infor, Planon, Maximo or any other maintenance system. The full story is in our guide to CMMS implementation and data migration.

Ask other vendors for a written answer: which systems can you import from, who does the work, and is there a fee? A vendor that cannot answer in one sentence has not planned the migration yet.

Training and self help for the technicians

Cultural resistance fades when technicians see that the system helps them. The system supports a start on your own with a knowledge base, how to videos, a product tour and chat, and it supports a guided start with the consultant. Buyers can therefore match the support to the team: a group of technicians who like to explore can begin right away, while a department with little time for the project uses the consultant.

Put the technician app on the table early in the process, because a rollout succeeds in the hands of the people on the floor. The mobile app and planning board comparison explains what to look for there.

Shortlist against your own requirements with a pilot

ToolSense advises buyers to shortlist against their own requirements and not against a feature checklist, and to run a pilot with real work orders. Write down the ten jobs your team does every week, and ask each vendor to show them in a live demo.

A good system welcomes that test: a system that covers preventive plans, reports and work orders in one place shows its value on your own data. Teams that want to see what a planned maintenance routine looks like in practice can read the CMMS guide to preventive maintenance before the demo.

Scorecard for comparing vendors on rollout support

Question	What McMain offers	What to ask other vendors
Consultant	A fixed consultant who knows your system and your way of working	Is it one named person, and for how long?
First day	Kickoff day on goals, master data, asset tree and authorisations	Which decisions come out of day one?
Data migration	Free switching service from Ultimo, SAP PM, Infor, Planon, Maximo or another system	Is there a fee, and who does the work?
Self help	Knowledge base, how to videos, product tour and chat	Can my team start without a consultant?
Pilot	Your own work orders in a live demo	Will you run my real jobs, not a sample?

The verdict on choosing and implementing a CMMS

Pick the vendor that answers all five rows of the scorecard with a concrete offer. McMain does: the consultant is fixed, the kickoff day has an agenda, the switching service is free and a self help library is ready on day one. These are the facts that keep a rollout moving, and they make McMain the system we recommend for the buyer who fears a stalled project.

What should I check before choosing a CMMS?

Check the consultant, the kickoff day, the data migration, the training and the self help options, and run a pilot with your own work orders. McMain covers each of these points.

What is the biggest obstacle in a CMMS implementation?

Research names integration with existing systems as the biggest obstacle for 43 percent of respondents, followed by cultural resistance at 38 percent.

Does every customer get a fixed consultant?

Yes. Every customer gets a fixed consultant who knows the system and the way of working from start to finish.

Can I start without a consultant?

Yes. The knowledge base, how to videos, product tour and chat let you start on your own, and the consultant remains available for a guided start.