The Cost of a CMMS
When you want to determine the cost of a particular CMMS package, you have to look beyond the basic sticker price; try to consider all the costs associated with putting in the software. These costs include:
- The actual price of the software
- The price of any hardware upgrades you may have to make to run the software
- The price of any software upgrades you may have to make to run the software (e.g. some packages only run on the most up-to-date version of Windows, so if you're running an older version, you have to upgrade your system before you can put in the CMMS)
- The price of support for the CMMS
- The cost of training for the CMMS (remember that training may be needed for management, maintenance personnel, and/or non-maintenance personnel)
- The cost of implementation (which includes any costs in time that your personnel spend setting up the CMMS rather than doing their usual jobs)
- The cost of the learning curve—any slow-downs that might occur while people are getting used to working with the CMMS
This may seem like a big list...but it's important to be realistic when you're planning to get started with a CMMS. Your plan has to cover all the bases. If you ignore possible costs, you'll be in for unpleasant surprises later on.
