Modern water utility control room with CMMS displays

Streamline Your Operations: A Comprehensive Guide to CMMS Selection

Elliot Brynn in Tech & Innovation December 2025 • 4 min read.

"Discover how to choose the right Computerized Maintenance Management System to optimize your utility's resources, engage your team, and improve decision-making."

Water utilities recognize the importance of a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) as a foundation for effective asset management. A valuable element of any CMMS is the work-order management module, which meticulously documents and reports on the daily activities performed by operations and maintenance (O&M) crews on vital infrastructure assets.

The accuracy and reliability of CMMS information can be instrumental in optimizing O&M activities and feeding into a risk-based capital improvement planning process, enabling utilities to make informed decisions about resource allocation and infrastructure investments.

This article delves into a comprehensive approach to CMMS selection, drawing insights from a real-world case study conducted by the Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility (LRWWU). Learn how LRWWU identified its unique needs, engaged key users, and evaluated a range of CMMS products to enhance its operational efficiency and asset management capabilities.

Identifying Your Utility's Core Needs and Requirements

Modern water utility control room with CMMS displays

The first step toward selecting the right CMMS involves a thorough assessment of your utility's specific business needs. Engage key stakeholders from various departments to gather diverse perspectives and ensure that the chosen system addresses the most critical challenges.

LRWWU began its CMMS selection process by identifying its primary business needs through workshops with engineering and O&M department representatives. Each staff member was asked to identify and rank the utility's three most important business needs, which formed the basis for defining key functional and technical requirements.

Reporting historical and real-time maintenance data for improved decision-making.
Developing a comprehensive work-order management system.
Creating a centralized repository for maintenance data.
Managing assets to extend their life cycles.
Tracking key performance indicators, such as scheduled vs. unplanned maintenance.

Based on these identified needs, LRWWU defined a set of functional and technical requirements, which were further refined and weighted by workshop attendees. Functional requirements focused on CMMS software capabilities, such as work-order management, asset management, GIS integration, and financial planning. Technical requirements covered aspects like company services, product interface, deployment options, IT infrastructure, and integration capabilities.

Key Lessons Learned for Successful CMMS Implementation

Selecting and implementing a CMMS is a significant undertaking, and several key lessons can be learned from LRWWU's experience. A phased approach is highly recommended, especially if scalability to other departments is a long-term goal.

Securing staff buy-in is crucial, as the selected CMMS must be user-friendly for all end-users. Involving the right team of implementers and in-house staff in the evaluation process is also essential to ensure a successful outcome.

By following a structured approach to CMMS selection, utilities can find a system that aligns with their needs and budget, ultimately enhancing their operational efficiency and asset management capabilities. Recognizing the importance of data collection and management is the first step toward optimizing O&M activities and improving decision-making across the organization.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1002/opfl.1066, Alternate LINK

Title: Take A Comprehensive Approach To Cmms Selection

Subject: General Medicine

Journal: Opflow

Publisher: Wiley

Authors: Michael Stuer, Evan Walsh, Aditya Ramamurthy, Charles Wilson

Published: 2018-08-31

Everything You Need To Know

What foundational role does a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) play in water utility operations?

A Computerized Maintenance Management System, or CMMS, serves as the cornerstone for efficient asset management in water utilities. It's particularly valuable for its work-order management module. This module provides detailed documentation and reporting on the routine tasks performed by operations and maintenance (O&M) teams, directly impacting the upkeep of critical infrastructure assets.

Why is the accuracy of data within a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) so crucial?

The accuracy of data within a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) is vital. Accurate CMMS information is critical for optimizing operations and maintenance (O&M) activities. This data also drives a risk-based capital improvement planning process, enabling utilities to strategically allocate resources and make informed decisions about infrastructure investments.

How did Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility (LRWWU) approach the selection process for a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS)?

When selecting a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility (LRWWU) adopted a structured approach. This approach began with workshops involving representatives from engineering and operations and maintenance (O&M) departments. Participants identified and ranked the utility's most pressing business needs, which then guided the definition of key functional and technical requirements for the CMMS. By identifying business needs, defining requirements, and prioritizing needs, the LRWWU was able to clarify goals of a new CMMS.

What specific functional and technical requirements did Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility (LRWWU) identify for their Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS)?

Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility (LRWWU) identified a range of key requirements for their Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS). Functional requirements focused on software capabilities like work-order management, asset management, Geographic Information System (GIS) integration, and financial planning. Technical requirements covered company services, product interface, deployment options, IT infrastructure, and integration capabilities. Identifying these needs in advance of reviewing any CMMS software helped ensure the best solution was selected.

What key lessons were learned from Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility (LRWWU)'s Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) implementation, and what related integrations should be considered?

Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility (LRWWU)'s experience highlights the value of a phased implementation when adopting a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), particularly when the long-term goal is scalability across multiple departments. While not specifically discussed, consider the implications of integrating other systems like SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) or integrating with financial software for comprehensive resource planning. Addressing these considerations early can further enhance operational efficiency and asset lifecycle management.