January 15, 2025

Leadership Strategies for Maintenance Managers: How CMMS Enhances Maintenance Management

Whether you call them managers or supervisors, the head of the maintenance team plays the role of leader. Responsibilities include hiring a quality team, providing training opportunities, and striving for maintenance management success.

Other roles include:

• Scheduler
• Budgeting
• Implementing maintenance operations

They set goals of:

• Reduced downtime
• Reduced safety measuresv
• Regulatory compliance
• Cost-effectiveness
• Increased worker productivity

In this article, we’ll discuss the leadership qualities a maintenance manager should have. Also, we’ll see how a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) enhances that leadership.

Key Leadership Roles for Maintenance Managers

Managers and leaders wear multiple hats. They take on many roles within an organization.

One of the challenges faced: Which hat(s) to wear at which time? All of them? Could a time come when the leader removes a hat?

Actually, the leaders play all the roles at the same time. One or more may be more dominant at times. Quality leaders learn to understand when to use one more than another.

Let’s look at ten aspects you’ll find in a leader. Of course, I could list more, but these give you a good starting point.

1. Communications. It all starts with this. You must develop excellent communication skills. This means verbal, written, body language, and listening. This provides the foundation for any relationship, personal or work.
2. Networking. Part of communications. You develop contacts and relationships with business associates. This could mean vendors from whom you purchase inventory. This could mean seeking communications with maintenance associates. You never know where your next team member might come from.
3. Trainer. You have technical and mechanical knowledge. You hire quality team members. Even experienced maintenance technicians require training. Do you train them? Do you set up training sessions? Do you encourage your team to up their skills?
4. Delegator. Part of a great manager is…to manage. That means assigning work orders to the skilled individuals and crews. When you delegate wisely, you help people enhance their experience.
5. Strategist. You and your team discuss operations, goals, and short-term steps to progress. You want always to ask, "What’s next?" and "How can we improve?"
6. Role Model. Your team needs to look at you as an example of how to behave, act, and work. If they see great life skills such as dedication, perseverance, and integrity, they’ll want to emulate those. You must set an example for your team. This means getting your hands dirty if needed. This means making wise decisions, as you’ll read later. This means playing fair but showing discipline.
7. Problem solver. When obstacles appear, you must break through them. Preparation and anticipation of possible problems before you start a project help. Gather the relevant information, judge the many options, and make wise decisions.
8. Motivator. This comes in many forms. Your setting an example motivates others to improve. Acknowledge a job well done. Hand out awards for special jobs.
9. Time manager. You have to understand time. The length of maintenance jobs. The length of the shift. Priorities. Deadlines. How you organize those can determine success or show where you need improvements.
10. Learner. You can exhibit the above skills by always learning. You ask questions, offer and accept feedback, and learn from suggestions on how to improve operations. You learn new skills.

Discover how streamlined maintenance processes can elevate production. Learn more.

How a CMMS Enhances Maintenance Management and Leadership

Now, let’s delve into five ways a CMMS benefits managers and help bring out leadership qualities.

Improving Maintenance Management Organization with CMMS

Organization. Remember CMMS software won’t create your maintenance program. It will help you improve it. As you’ll read, you have better oversight over assets, inventory, preventive maintenance (PM), and work orders.

Organization shows off your leadership skills. You don’t act confused or wonder what comes next. With records in order and easily accessible, you lead better.

Reduction of paperwork. With automated processes, you don’t have to rely on spreadsheets or handwritten assignments.

Asset Management Made Simple for Maintenance Managers

Asset management. You have a list of your assets with all the relevant information. This includes:

• Location
• Costs
• Associated PMs
• Associated inventory
• Equipment readings
• Vendor
• Manufacturer regulations

You have easy access to all of these and more. You view the maintenance history for each asset for future decisions.

One aspect that you’ll enjoy is depreciation tracking. One of the goals you’ve set seeks to extend the life of the asset. However, over the years, equipment ages. At some point, maintenance costs exceed the expense of a replacement. A CMMS can track several types of depreciation values.

With all this asset knowledge, can you see how you exhibit your leadership qualities in numerous ways?

Ready to revolutionize your maintenance department? Schedule a live demo today.

Effective Inventory Management for Maintenance Success

Inventory Management. Maintenance requires parts. As a supervisor, you have to organize the stockroom. This means:

• Assigning a specific spot for each part and supply.
• Knowing quantities.
• Knowing critical spare parts.
• Knowing the optimal quantity to have. You don’t want to over or understock.
• Establishing an issue/return system.
• Assigning specific parts to assets.

With a CMMS, you can do all of the above. With the software on a mobile device, you can check inventory from anywhere. Having successful inventory operations, technicians get to jobs faster. They see what you have done as a leader and seek to improve their own efforts.

Preventative Maintenance and Work Order Management

Preventive Maintenance and Work Order Management. Like assets and inventory, you create a list of PMs in your CMMS. You set their cycles.

Establishing PMs exhibits leadership through caring about assets. With work orders, you demonstrate leadership qualities in many of the aspects discussed above.

• Better communications through detailed and standardized work orders. Attachment of inventory and safety protocols to those work orders.
• Time management through scheduling and assigning work orders. You understand your team and keep everyone productive.
• Decisions. When technicians offer feedback, you analyze the discussions and form better decisions for future jobs.

Data-Driven Leadership: Leveraging CMMS Reports for Maintenance Management

Reports. A CMMS offers numerous reports on all your operations.

• Assets
• Inventory
• PMs
• Work orders
• Worker attainment
• Key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Equipment maintenance history
• Top failures
• …and so many more.

How does this show leadership? By letting you be on top of everything. You see both the big picture and the individual components. You pinpoint weaknesses and resolve them.

You use communication skills to discuss challenges and changes.

Ensuring Compliance: Documentation for Maintenance Managers

Regulatory Compliance and Documentation. Beyond your KPIs and reports, you have documentation for regulators and auditors. A leader performs quality reviews and prepares documents.

Achieving Maintenance Management Success with Mapcon Technologies

Time, effort, determination, and dedication. You need all of these to face diverse and challenging responsibilities as a maintenance leader. CMMS software gives you that extra edge needed to have maintenance management success.

Mapcon Technologies offers a superior CMMS. 800-922-4336 Call today for the best "tool" you’ll use tomorrow.