Maintenance at Oklahoma Baptist University

Oklahoma Baptist University is an independent university in Shawnee, Oklahoma, about thirty miles east of Oklahoma City. With twenty-five major buildings and just under 2000 students, OBU offers courses in arts and science as well as business, nursing, and other fields of study.

Maintenance is provided through the Physical Plant Services department, where Dave Gilmore is Facilities Supervisor. He works with a maintenance team of about 40 people: electricians, plumbers, and other skilled technicians, as well as several office workers. For the past four years, the department has used MainBoss Maintenance Software to manage its operations.

Before MainBoss, the department had different maintenance management software, but they found it too complicated to use effectively. While struggling to make the system work, Mr. Gilmore submitted a number of questions to online forums at FacilitiesNet. Someone suggested he try MainBoss; he was told it was much easier to use. Mr. Gilmore obtained a copy and was soon using it for a number of small-scale projects within the department. Shortly after that, the entire facility switched to MainBoss.

Like many organizations, OBU is computerizing its operation through a gradual phase-in process. Phase one: work orders and preventive maintenance. By using MainBoss to track work orders, the department can make sure nothing falls between the cracks. Mr. Gilmore cites a problem that is surely familiar to any maintenance department: a worker runs into difficulties on a particular job and takes longer than expected to get things finished. Other jobs scheduled for the day don't get done...and by the time the worker gets back to the dispatching office, everyone's gone home. Managers don't hear that some of the jobs got skipped, and lines of communication get crossed.

But MainBoss makes it easy to pick up the ball again. Managers can ask MainBoss for an Overdue Work Order report to see what jobs have missed their scheduled completion dates. "Out of sight, out of mind" doesn't apply. Even if there's been a breakdown of communication, managers can find out what hasn't been done and put jobs back onto the schedule.

MainBoss has provided more benefits than just keeping better track of repair jobs. It's also helped reduce the need for repairs in the first place. With their previous software, OBU never managed to establish a comprehensive preventive maintenance program; with MainBoss, they've succeeded. Mr. Gilmore says "Trouble calls are down by thirty to forty percent...and I've got the statistics to prove it."

When asked to justify his budget, he can tell his superiors, "Here's what we did three years ago. Here's what we do now." He has documentation to show how operations have improved—less downtime, fewer problems, lower costs. The OBU campus runs more smoothly, and the maintenance department can prove why.

Now, Mr. Gilmore and his department have moved to a new phase of computerization: asset management. They're recording information about their equipment, including manufacturer's specs, warranty info, and more. By using MainBoss as a repository for information about each piece of equipment being serviced, workers will find it easier to prepare before going out on a job. They can make sure they're carrying the right tools and spare parts when they leave the office, so they can avoid frustrating (and time-wasting) trips back and forth to get what they need.

The next step will be inventory control: using MainBoss to keep track of spare parts and other materials used on the job. Entering information about every bit of inventory in every storeroom is a big job...but once it's finished, workers can quickly determine the best place to obtain a spare part, and management can get complete reports on what materials need to be reordered.

Mr. Gilmore says he and his people are still investigating the best way to put inventory control into practice. In the meantime, they're delighted with how they've improved operations over the past four years...and MainBoss is a significant part of that story.