Are you aware of all the Power Features?

Note: This post is referencing Maximo software and assumes reader has general familiarity with Maximo.

Power Feature Categories

Power Features can be categorized as Obvious, Should be Obvious, and Clever Design. As to what a “power feature” is and how clever it is, depends a lot on the user community and CMMS maturity.??For example, I have encountered user communities with 5-10 years’ experience but were not aware of the "obvious" categories. It could be as an end-user they were never fully trained on the complete product.?

The definition of a power feature is to add efficiency in terms of data input/output; involve creation of new features to produce enhanced functionality; or, it may provide valuable information for decision making not previously available.?Sometimes these innovative creations can become trade secrets (or even a U.S. Patent).??

Here's what we do know:

• Users hate to enter the same data twice, i.e. to multiple systems.?
• They also dislike functionality which involves too many clicks to perform a basic operation.
• They may not always know exactly what they want, but they quickly recognize features that add value.

Expanding the Categories

Obvious: I would list Start Center design, Application Designer, Database Configuration, table domains, electronic work flow, integration framework, automation scripts, Adhoc reporting, and the single-click download to Excel.?

Should be Obvious: This is out of the box functionality that adds significant value -- if used. In most cases, the data must be populated along with minor configuration. Lastly, some of the listed features are already present in industry solutions as an add-on.

1. SR-to-WO conversion via Escalation-Action (minor configuration required)
2. Standard Modifier Dictionary (enhances keyword search, and adds clarity to purchasing process) (data setup required)
3. Auto Spare Part Capture (automatically inserts record upon actual part issue)
4. Inventory Auto Reorder (creating a PR/PO record)
5. Escalation-Notification (send auto email upon field change) (data setup required)
6. PM-WO auto generation (based on time or usage)
7. Condition Monitoring auto inspection WO?(based on gage reading)
8. Asset Condition capture (captured through use of Characteristic meter)
9. Asset Template for Global Updates (or new asset inserts)
10. Budget Application (able to store budget and quickly sweep up actuals)
11. Linking outgoing Email to WO (any comm template used under WOTRACK gets permanently linked to WO)
12. Asset under Warranty warning (this can save organizations money)
13. Duplicate WO Warning (it helps to know if a WO has already been submitted)

Clever Design: (all of these are "field-built" solutions - except for Type-Ahead Buffer feature)

14. Vendor Performance application (allows warehouse, buyer and accounts payable to enter comments)

15. Work Order Feedback. The working level has substantial information regarding asset health, performance, and suggestions for improvement. An enhanced failure reporting tab could be used to capture safety, maintainability, and energy issues, plus possible design flaws.

16. Asset Offender Report (Pareto-style asset offender report using different selection groups to find Top-10 and drilldown on failed component)

17. Type-Ahead Buffer [standard Maximo configuration] (but not everyone is aware of this or when to use it)

18. Asset Criticality Formal Ranking (a new tab can be added on Asset main which allows formal risk-based prioritization of an asset, considering things such as Safety, Environmental impact; Process and single point failure impact; Functional Failure frequency; Likelihood of failure; PM+CM cost; longest part lead time.

19. Priority-Risk Matrix auto update WO Ranking (formal matrix, user defined, from which, the entire open backlog can be populated with top down ranking); not this starts out as an application.

20. RCM Analysis Results Application (by storing RCM Analysis results directly inside the EAM, any new WO can be immediately compared against). Typically RCM Facilitators store their final analysis inside an Excel spreadsheet. I would upload this to a new power application for immediate access (and on-going refinement).

21. Automatic “rough estimate” of craft hours (some organizations do not have time to create a rough estimate (or Planner); this feature will allow management to extract a work order backlog chart by craft hours at any moment in life cycle)

22. Dynamic PM Staffing Tool based on Asset Criticality (imagine being able to move a scroll bar and watch staffing levels change based on asset criticality)

23. Functional Failure Flag on work order main. (configuration required). Functional failure indicates when an asset can not meet 100% of stated performance specification, however it may still be running. Either way, a checked box means failure coding is now mandatory. This check box is also useful for calculating MTBF values as opposed to selecting every CM worktype.

24. Defect Tracking Application. (new power application) This new screen can be used to facilitate in defect elimination by tracking records outside of work order. It can also be used to track Deferred Maintenance which has a cost or other constraint pushing scope into future.

25. 3-Part Failure Mode design. (configuration required) Per RCM standard, a failure mode equals failed component, component problem and cause code. This advanced design is described in the book, Failure Modes to Failure Codes.

I would imagine the above "clever design list" could be greatly expanded.