A CMMS (computerized maintenance management system) is software that organizes maintenance: an asset register, preventive maintenance schedules, work orders, parts and inventory, technician assignments, and maintenance history. It is built for the engineering team and the equipment. Tenant-facing request platforms sit beside it, taking requests from occupants and routing them to the people the CMMS schedules.
Every building with mechanical systems has maintenance to plan, and a CMMS is the software that plans it. The general description at Wikipedia and vendor explainers such as Facilio's agree on the core: assets, schedules, work orders, and history.
What a CMMS holds
| Module | Content |
|---|---|
| Assets | Equipment register with location, model, warranty, documents |
| Preventive maintenance | Schedules by calendar or meter, with task lists and generated work orders |
| Work orders | Reactive and planned work, assignment, status, completion notes |
| Parts and inventory | Stock, reorder points, cost per job |
| Labour | Technician time, skills, availability |
| Reporting | Backlog, preventive compliance, mean time to repair, cost by asset |
CMMS versus tenant request platform
The two overlap on the work order and differ on everything around it. A CMMS is asset-centred and engineer-facing. A tenant request platform is request-centred and occupant-facing, with portals, tenant chargebacks, and response-time reporting. Corrigo, positioned by JLL as an enterprise facilities CMMS, sits between the two for multi-site operators.
The gap a CMMS does not fill
A CMMS assumes someone has already decided that a request is a work order, what priority it carries, and who should get it. In a commercial building that decision is made in an inbox or on a phone, by a coordinator, dozens of times a day. When that layer is understaffed, the CMMS is accurate about work that never got entered. The article on tenant request management with audit logs and routing covers what the layer above the CMMS should do.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
What are the core functions of a CMMS?
An asset and equipment register with locations and documentation; preventive maintenance schedules by time or meter; work order creation, assignment, and closure; parts and inventory; labour and cost tracking; and reporting on backlog, preventive compliance, and asset history. Mobile apps for technicians are standard.
What is the difference between a CMMS and work order software for commercial buildings?
A CMMS starts from the asset and the maintenance plan. Commercial work order platforms such as Building Engines Prism or MRI Angus start from the tenant's request and add portals, tenant billing, and response reporting. Large buildings often run both, integrated, or a platform that covers both.
Which CMMS products are common?
General CMMS products include UpKeep, MaintainX, eMaint, Fiix, and Facilio. Corrigo, from JLL, is positioned as an enterprise facilities CMMS. Property-specific platforms add tenant portals, chargebacks, and response-time reporting on top.
Does a CMMS handle tenant communication?
Not as a rule. It records the work and the asset; it does not read the tenant's email, decide the priority, or tell the tenant what happened. That layer is either a tenant-facing platform or an operations team, which is why a CMMS alone does not fix slow response times.