When it comes to Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS), simplicity often takes center stage in the pitch. Many providers promote their solutions as “out of the box” or “plug and play,” offering quick setups and predefined workflows. While that may sound appealing, especially for lean teams or those new to digital maintenance tools, this simplicity can be deceptively expensive.
In reality, maintenance operations are rarely one-size-fits-all. Each facility has its own asset types, compliance requirements, reporting structures, and workflows. A rigid CMMS—a system that is highly structured and difficult to customize—that can’t be easily configured to reflect those unique needs often forces teams to compromise. They patch holes with spreadsheets, duplicate data entry across systems, or abandon certain features altogether. Over time, what seemed like a streamlined solution becomes a source of inefficiency, lost insights, low adoption, and even compliance risk.