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CMMS Glossary
Essential Maintenance Management Terminology
Understanding CMMS terminology is crucial for effective maintenance management. This glossary covers core concepts, metrics, strategies, and technologies used in modern maintenance operations.
Core Terms
CMMS
Computerized Maintenance Management System used to plan, execute and analyze maintenance.
EAM
Enterprise Asset Management – broader processes and tools around asset lifecycle beyond maintenance.
Asset
Equipment, line, building or component managed throughout its lifecycle.
Work Order (WO)
Task with scope, priority, assignee, due date and completion record.
Work Request
Structured input for a maintenance need that can be approved and converted to a work order.
Wrench Time
Percentage of a technician’s shift spent on actual hands-on work (excludes travel, waiting, admin).
Reliability Metrics
MTTR
Mean Time To Repair – average time to restore a failed asset.
MTBF
Mean Time Between Failures – average time between two failures.
MTTF
Mean Time To Failure – average time to the first failure (non-repairable items).
Availability
Uptime as a percentage of total time (can be planned or unplanned).
OEE
Overall Equipment Effectiveness = Availability × Performance × Quality.
Backlog
Sum of outstanding maintenance work (often measured in labor hours or weeks).
Work Management
Preventive Maintenance (PM)
Planned maintenance based on time, meter or condition.
Corrective Maintenance
Work performed to restore functionality after a failure.
Predictive Maintenance (PdM)
Data-driven maintenance using condition monitoring (vibration, thermography, oil, etc.).
RCM
Reliability-Centered Maintenance – method for defining the optimal maintenance strategy by function and failure mode.
FMEA
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis – systematic analysis of failure modes and their impact.
RCA
Root Cause Analysis – method to identify underlying causes of problems and prevent recurrence.
Inventory & Parts
Spare Parts
Items kept in stock for maintenance interventions.
BOM
Bill of Materials – list of parts for an asset.
Reorder Point (ROP)
Stock level at which a replenishment is triggered.
Cycle Count
Ongoing inventory verification by counting subsets of stock on a schedule.
Issue/Receipt
Movement of parts out of/into stores for maintenance jobs.
Compliance & Safety
SOP
Standard Operating Procedure – documented process for consistent execution.
LOTO
Lockout/Tagout – safety procedure to ensure equipment is properly shut off.
Calibration
Adjustment and verification of measuring instruments.
HACCP
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points – food safety management.
GxP
Good practice quality guidelines and regulations (e.g., GMP, GLP) in life sciences.
Integrations & Security
SSO
Single Sign-On – centralized authentication across systems.
Active Directory / Entra ID
Enterprise identity provider for users and groups.
API & Webhooks
Interfaces to integrate ERP, inventory, BI and more.
Barcode/QR
Codes used for rapid identification of assets and parts.
Excel Import
Bulk import tool for assets, parts, stores and suppliers (e.g., MMCImportFromExcel).
Maintenance Strategy
TPM
Total Productive Maintenance - A holistic approach to equipment maintenance that strives to achieve perfect production.
RBI
Risk-Based Inspection - Inspection planning based on risk assessment of equipment failure.
CBM
Condition-Based Maintenance - Maintenance performed based on the actual condition of the asset.
Run-to-Failure
Deliberate strategy of allowing equipment to operate until it fails.
Performance Metrics
Uptime
The time period when equipment is operational and available for use.
Downtime
Period when equipment is not operational due to failure or maintenance.
Schedule Compliance
Percentage of scheduled maintenance completed on time.
First-Time Fix Rate
Percentage of maintenance tasks completed successfully on the first attempt.
Digital Transformation
IoT
Internet of Things - Network of sensors and devices collecting equipment data.
Digital Twin
Virtual representation of physical assets for simulation and analysis.
AI/ML
Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning for predictive maintenance.
Industry 4.0
Fourth industrial revolution integrating digital technologies in manufacturing.
Why MaintMan®
it-neX is committed to developing innovative and customized maintenance programs that revolutionize our customers' maintenance processes. By combining technical expertise, extensive industry knowledge and a clear focus on customer satisfaction, we have been setting new standards in the maintenance industry for more than 35 years.