Maintenance guide
CMMS vs spreadsheets for maintenance planning
Spreadsheets are not wrong. For a very small operation they can be enough. This is an honest look at where Excel works for maintenance planning, where it starts to cost you, and the signs that it is time to move to a CMMS.
Where spreadsheets are fine
- A handful of machines and one person maintaining the list.
- No need to see work from a phone or share it with a team.
- Nobody needs to know what is overdue without opening the file.
Where spreadsheets start to cost you
| Need | Spreadsheet | CMMS |
|---|---|---|
| Next due date after a task is done | Update by hand | Calculated automatically |
| See what is overdue | Filter or colour by hand | Shown on the dashboard |
| Weekly plan against team hours | Separate calculation | Built into the plan |
| Technician reports from the floor | Paper, then retyped | Phone, with notes and photos |
| History of what was done | Scattered across files | Recorded per task |
| Several people editing | Version conflicts | One shared system |
Signs it is time to switch
- You find out about missed PMs after a breakdown, not before.
- Only one person understands the file.
- Planning the week takes hours of manual work.
- You cannot say how many hours of maintenance are due next week.
- Auditors or customers ask for maintenance records and you have to assemble them.
The switching cost is lower than it looks
The usual objection is the effort of moving the data. That is real with most systems, but not with all of them. With Riffhelm you send the spreadsheets you already have, we set up your system, and you review and approve it. The free trial (30 days, no credit card) starts only after you approve.
Skip the data entry
Send us the files you already have. We set up your machines and maintenance tasks, you review and approve, and your 30-day free trial starts only then. No credit card.
Get your system set up free