PNNL embarked on a transformation of its enterprise asset management strategy. It has designed and built a new solution that a unified platform for managing approximately 40,000 assets, as well as related processes and policies. This system is built on top of IBM Maximo Asset Management software.
PNNL has enhanced the software’s user interface to deliver an intuitive front-end interface that provides an easy way for users to search, view and manage information.
The lab’s support helpdesk is finding the new PNNL asset management solution particularly useful. In the past, when a user called up with a request, helpdesk agents typically had to access 10 different systems on average to gather background information and work through the issue to resolution.
To solve this problem, PNNL created a new helpdesk interface that pulls in data from multiple enterprise systems and presents all the information to the user in a single view. Instead of having to click through many different applications, helpdesk teams can gather all the information they need and take action directly within the interface.
Additionally, PNNL has established a series of workflows for work and asset management, automating and standardizing the end-to-end work order management lifecycle. Today, when a work team lead or supervisor wants to create or update an order, they simply click a button, select the appropriate option from a drop-down list and the system will take the necessary action, based on pre-established business rules.
The new approach is also helping PNNL to plan work orders for facilities management more effectively. The lab has seven teams who oversee maintenance work, and who meet every morning to plan the day’s work. Previously, this involved compiling work orders in a spreadsheet and prioritizing them, before manually assigning them to relevant team members. PNNL has automated this process, and today the system pulls in all open work orders and sorts them by degree of urgency; the team just has to check the details, then they can approve and allocate all of the orders in the system.