A work management system, also known as a CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) can gather key information in the development of Asset Management Plans and helps to answer the following questions:
- What are the assets in the water and wastewater systems?
- What condition are they in?
- What is the likelihood and consequence of failure?
- How should the assets be maintained?
OCWA’s CMMS will provide a standardized platform for managing water and wastewater assets. It contains a comprehensive history of the work, condition, cost, criticality and life expectancy of the equipment and tracks, schedules and documents all work related to infrastructure operations and maintenance. It will provide WBAFN with the ability to analyze more than just maintenance-related activities but also operational duties, administrative tasks and even project-based activities. Over a period of time, the program will focus on critical assets, analyze how data is collected, assign work orders to prioritized assets and enable better updates for financial forecasting.
It will assist the Band leadership and staff to understand in knowing which assets are under their care and control, and help to ensure that all assets are being maintained in the best possible way.
The goals of a programmed approach for sustainable operations include:
- Operational optimization – timely, cost-effective, reliable
- Infrastructure stability – high service level, low cost, reliable/low risk water delivery
- Measurement and continuous improvement
The CMMS supports operations and maintenance through better equipment data, work order control, preventative maintenance practices and materials control. A CMMS system can help organize work management and trends through planned and unplanned work such as:
- Preventative maintenance
- Corrective maintenance
- Predictive maintenance (PDMs)
- Emergencies (out of service/shutdowns, etc.)
- The use of data from CMMS can be used for Key Performance Indicators and level of service indicators, both important items in the development of asset management plans. There are also significant financial planning benefits that may be developed with the use of CMMS data.
- There are practical operation and maintenances impacts, especially when combined with remote monitoring for a range of issues such as call-out management (when the operator is required to return to the plant)