John Q. Todd

Sr. Business Consultant, PMP

Fuel, air, spark – no matter how sophisticated the engine is, its functionality requires these basic elements. If any of these is not managed the engine does not run well, if at all. (Ok, some would add compression to the list, but now we are already way off topic!)

For those of you in support of Maximo at your organization, how engaged are you with your user communities? Are you a key player towards the goal of wringing out the maximum value of Maximo applications for your business?

So here is the first big question… How accepting are your users of Maximo?

Let’s assume that during the initial implementation your users were deeply involved in the requirements gathering, design, testing, and go-live… they were, right?

Have you asked recently, “How goes it?” This can be as formal or as informal as you wish, but is a must do if you truly want to know. Are you asking questions such as:

• How much does Maximo play a role in your daily business processes? Is it central to daily life or just the occasional annoyance?
• Do you consider yourself a power user of Maximo or do you avoid using it?
• What Maximo applications/functions do you spend the most time with?
• Are you easily able to find the information you are looking for, or the work you need to do within Maximo?
• Does Maximo seem to be performing well or are there delays?
• What really trips you up when interacting with Maximo?

If you make it past the first few questions unscathed, you will already have a sense of how your users view the tool(s). You may be surprised in either direction with their responses. Here are some more to weave into the conversation:

• Is Maximo a tool that helps you do your job, or are you, “feeding the beast,” only when you are forced to?
• Do you have access to too many/too few applications, tabs, actions?
• Do you have a “map” of how/where Maximo fits into your business processes?
• Do you know how to find functional help – either by yourself or via the Help Desk?
• Do you have published, easily accessible, and updated job aids?
• Is there continual effort in your department to wring out maximum value from Maximo? (Process and application function review)

It also helps to have a few, “show me,” sessions with users at their desks. You would be shocked how different people operate their PC (browser choice, degree of desk-top organization, sticky notes process reminders, etc.). You will only know if you go and observe.

Back to the question, phrased a little differently this time: Is the organization fostering the use of Maximo, to its benefit, by way of engaging the user communities, not only for the short-term, but also for the long-term return on investment? Regular training, business process review, and ad-hoc Maximo demos across the organization go a long way towards user adoption. If they are engaged in the use and future of the tool, they will learn and become very capable with it. They will also begin to suggest ways of integrating Maximo more so into their daily lives, providing even more value for the organization.

All you have to do is ask… and provide donuts… remember the fuel element.

Contact TRM today for a health check of your Maximo system and how to improve user adoption!