A Guide to Successful Facility Management Software Implementation

Many organizations resist investing in new Facilities Management Software tools simply out of fear of the unknown or confusion on what steps to take to ensure a sound investment.  With so much information to sift through and so many questions to ask, it’s difficult to know where to begin.

To ensure a successful FM software implementation, it is important to understand the most common reasons for failure in the past.  Failure may happen for numerous reasons, from a product not being used to its fullest potential, to exceeding total budget or lack of user buy-in.  By understanding common implementation failures, FM teams can build a solid plan of action, based on knowledge, data collected, and the organization’s vision for the future. 

Checklist: A Simple Guide to Successful FM Software Implementation

Your IWMS system should be capable of delivering everything you require to create successful company operations with the flexibility to configure and adjust to your changing and/or future organizational needs. It should have the ability to grow and evolve with your company, your workforce, and business requirements.  

This checklist will provide you with the knowledge needed to:

• Identify what vendor has the most experience, knowledge, and capabilities to help you realize your growth potential
• Identify which software solution most closely matches your current and future business needs
• Protect yourself against hidden fees and surprises which could drive your budget off track
• Ensure buy-in from your workforce
• Prepare for the implementation process to ensure a smooth and timely transition to your new business tool

Ensuring that each stage of your FM software implementation – vendor and software consideration, pre-implementation planning, training, launch, ongoing support, and data review – is thoughtfully and strategically mapped out is critical to a successful implementation.  Asking the right questions at the right moment will safeguard against the common failures and increase the overall effectiveness and success of your investment.