CMMS Platform Implementation

The Challenge

The University of Denver needed to centralize facilities management operations across 300+ properties serving 12,000+ campus users (students, staff, faculty). The existing system had corrupt data, zero process visibility, and misaligned configurations for trade user groups.

The constraints:

• Zero centralized documentation
• Three departments (IT, Facilities, Finance) with conflicting requirements
• Distributed data ownership (no single team had decision authority)
• Legacy workflows based on paper processes
• 14 distinct user groups with different technical proficiency levels

My Role

Platform Implementation & Data Operations Analyst responsible for leading cross-functional CMMS rollout.

Key Responsibilities:

• Requirements gathering across 15+ departments
• Platform configuration and workflow design
• API integration coordination (CMMS, ServiceNow, identity management)
• Data governance framework development
• User training and adoption programs
• Dashboard design and analytics

Approach

Discovery & Requirements (Months 1-2):

• Conducted 40+ stakeholder discovery sessions
• Identified hidden requirements not surfacing in formal meetings
• Translated ambiguous requests into actionable specifications
• Mapped existing workflows (most were undocumented paper processes)

When leadership asked for “better reporting,” discovery revealed they actually needed:

1. 1. Prioritized error queues (Remediation dashboards guiding managers step-by-step)
   2. Role-specific dashboards (Repairs Vs Preventive maintenance Vs Scheduled Event Services)
   3. Automated alerts for SLA violations (Reduce response time)

Platform Configuration (Months 2-4):

• Designed 14 role-based workflow configurations
• Built custom dashboards for each trade team
• Configured API integrations between CMMS, ServiceNow, and identity systems (Okta, Ping)
• Navigated technical constraints (legacy authentication couldn’t support modern SSO)

Data Governance & Quality Control (Months 3-6):

• Discovered 70% error rate in existing work order data (141 errors in 202 orders)
• Built automated error detection reducing response time from 90+ days to 1-2 days
• Created Tableau dashboards revealing 2,000+ hidden process errors
• Established validation rules preventing errors at point of entry

Training, Adoption & Optimization (Months 4-8):

• Developed 50+ screencapture training videos
• Created role-based workflow diagrams
• Built troubleshooting guides and knowledge base (MS Teams)
• Enabled 90% of leadership to self-resolve technical issues

The Results

Dashboard & Data Quality:

• Increased operational dashboard reliability 1,200% in first month
• Reduced error response time 97% (from 90+ days to 1-2 days)
• Surfaced 2,000+ hidden process errors across systems
• Remediated $67,000 in stalled work orders within one week

User Adoption:

• Improved workflow adoption from <30% to 70%+ in first year
• Reduced support ticket volume 60%
• Enabled self-service of remediatio efforts for 90% of leadership

Operational Impact:

• Established data governance framework supporting $30M+ operating budgets & regulatory data
• Validated 10,000+ asset records using SQL/Oracle queries, Tableau & Excel Workbooks
• Achieved 70% alignment between system iterations and operational needs

Solutions to Key Challenges

Cross-Departmental Distributed Decision-Making

No single department had authority over configuration decisions. IT controlled infrastructure, Facilities owned workflows, Finance needed budget visibility.

Solution: Facilitated bi-weekly working group meetings to review roadmap and verify decisions with leadership. Managed cross-departmental requirements and requests while coordinating iterative updates.

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Invisible Process & Bad Data

Existing work order data was 70% corrupt due to unaligned workflows with how trades actually operate.

Solution: Conducted qualitative analysis to understand root causes. Redesigned data capture with 80+ validated data points and queries to align each trade’s unique workflow. Built prioritized dashboards showing exactly what to fix and in what order, and remediated 70% Error Rate.

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Incontinuity among User Group Configurations

Each trade needed different workflows, permissions, and reporting structures.

Solution: Designed modular, role-based configurations. HVAC techs got mobile access for mechanical rooms; custodial teams got square footage tracking; electricians got preventive maintenance schedules tied to equipment age.

Tools & Methods

• Platform: TMA CMMS, ServiceNow, Okta, Ping Identity
• Analytics: Tableau, SQL, Oracle, Excel
• Collaboration: MS Teams, JIRA (for UAT tracking)
• Methodologies: Agile/Scrum, Requirements Gathering, UAT, Gap Analysis

What I Learned

The biggest barrier to adoption wasn’t technical complexity—it was TRUST. Teams didn’t trust the data because previous systems had been wrong for so long. Fixing data quality issues FIRST (before adding new features) was essential to building confidence in the platform.