Don't digitize waste: How to audit your maintenance processes before a digital transformation project

The biggest threat to digital transformation projects isn’t getting the wrong technology, but rather adding broken processes to that technology. This is especially true in maintenance when adopting a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) or when connecting maintenance software to IIoT sensors and other operations and production systems. Without fixing workflow problems first, all you get is more bad data, wrong decisions, and skepticism. The more complex the data and workflows, the worse the consequences. 

This guide walks through how to assess your shop floor readiness, build cultural buy-in before implementing or connecting tools, and run pilots that create demand rather than resistance.

Why digitizing a broken process creates digital chaos

Digital tools amplify whatever you feed them. When you take a broken workflow and add technology, you get a faster broken workflow. Audrey Van de Castle, Senior Director of Operational Excellence Technology at Stanley Black & Decker, explains, "You shouldn’t just slap a digital tool onto your processes if your processes don’t work."

Maintenance software and integrations help you manage workflows, execute SOPs, and analyze data. But if those workflows, SOPs, and data rely on incorrect information, vague details, tribal knowledge, and inconsistent standards, the end result won’t be any different. Look at it this way; you can build the best Formula 1 car, but if you fill it with the wrong gas, fire half your pit crew, and stop servicing it between races, you’re never going to win a race. The same is true with maintenance technology.

The impact of bad processes is amplified when you try to connect different technologies together, like a CMMS and a manufacturing execution system (MES). Because the data, number of actions that rely on the systems, and number of people involved, the potential for errors and missteps multiplies. Rather than fixing or improving your operations, this will push you backwards. As Audrey puts it, “Going digital isn't going to make your problems magically disappear. It can make the issues more visible, but it won’t solve them."

One of the worst consequences of poor processes being reinforced in new technology is that teams lose trust in digital tools. That skepticism becomes a barrier to future adoption, even after you've fixed the underlying issues.

Four signs your shop floor processes are ready for digital tools

Before investing in a CMMS, sensors, or an integration between maintenance software and IIoT technology, check whether your current processes can support them with this readiness framework:

1. Your team can explain why each step exists

A process is ready for digitization when workers understand the purpose behind each task. Audrey describes running Kaizens where teams questioned process steps and asked people why they performed tasks a certain way. Often, no one could explain it beyond "it’s how we've always done it."

2. Accountability already happens without technology

Digital tools make accountability visible, but they can't create it. If people already take ownership and follow through on tasks, technology will enhance that behavior. If accountability is missing, adding a digital layer just creates a more visible record of the same problems.

3. Communication paths are clear and consistent

Before digitizing communication through alerts and notifications, define who receives information, when they receive it, and what they do with it. Audrey notes that an automatic alert when a machine goes down "is probably going to be a lot faster than what you used to do, which might have been someone physically walking to your location." But that speed only matters if the response path is already understood.

4. KPIs are standardized and understood

Your team needs to be aligned on which metrics matter and why before digital dashboards add value. Audrey describes change management conversations around specific KPIs where teams questioned why they were looking at certain measurements. When everyone agrees on what success looks like, digital tools help track progress instead of becoming sources of conflict.

The pre-digitization process assessment checklist

This checklist helps teams check readiness before investing in shop floor data tools.

1. Map current workflows end-to-end

Document the complete process from start to finish, including handoffs between teams and systems. Capture every step, even informal ones, and note where data moves between people or systems. Look at the full workflow rather than just fragments in isolation. Partial views lead to partial solutions.

2. Question every step in the process

Challenge assumptions about why each step exists. Ask "Why is this step here?" for every task and document the answers. Flag responses like "that's how we've always done it" for further review.

3. Identify old practices that no longer apply

Look for processes tied to old supplier setups, redundant verification steps, or workarounds for problems you've already solved. For example, you may still be doing a PM on a piece of equipment every two weeks, but the old component that needed frequent lubrication was swapped out a year ago. The PM continued to be done at the same interval “just in case” but it can likely be done less frequently.

4. Document who owns each decision point

Clarify accountability before digitizing. Know who approves, who acts, and who escalates at each stage. Digital workflows require clear ownership, so establish ownership in the current state first.

5. Validate that frontline workers understand the why

Confirm that the people doing the work can explain the purpose behind their tasks. Teach "the 'why' of practices and behaviors rather than just deploying tools. When workers understand purpose, they can adapt to changing conditions. When they only know mechanics, they can get stuck in the status quo and see change as an obstacle.

How to build cultural readiness before deploying maintenance technology

Because technology and the workforce is evolving quicker and quicker these days, change management has turned from something that happens on a project-by-project basis to an ongoing program embedded in the day-to-day of the maintenance team. These tips will help you implement a culture of continuous improvement that empowers staff to make the most of each new piece of technology and revamped processes.

Partner with CI and operations teams to lead the why

Don't have technologists explain manufacturing practices. Let the teams who wrote the standards and work in the plants lead training.

The Black & Decker team partners with centers of excellence (COEs) to "change the hearts and the minds" of people before introducing tools. 

"You could have my team of technologists training people about why we're going digital with your tier meetings," Audrey explains, "or you could have the team that actually wrote the standard and truly understands the manufacturing doing the training alongside us."

Continuous improvement (CI) teams understand the manufacturing context better than IT. Standards carry more weight when explained by people who live with them daily.

Use real examples and pain points to win people over

Abstract benefits don't convince people. Show specific problems that digital tools can solve, ensuring that they map to the challenges and goals that the team has previously expressed.

Audrey emphasizes that "finding those real pain points and real examples can help win people over." Share stories of reduced tedious work, faster problem solving, and better visibility from sites that have already adopted.

Establish a winning format before adding digital layers

Define what success looks like in analog form first. A good tier meeting structure works on paper before moving to screens. Teach the practice, then digitize it, not the reverse.

How to run pilots that create momentum with digital transformation

You can call it a pilot, a test, or a little-by-little approach, but the goal is the same—get started with digital transformation while keeping the work and risk as small as possible. Pilots are how you make progress and show value without the red tape of large projects. These best practices will help you run a successful pilot so you can adopt new maintenance technology with fewer challenges.

Selecting early adopter sites

Choose sites that trust you and are ahead of the curve for initial rollouts. Look for sites with strong continuous improvement culture already. Avoid sites with major process problems, as those issues will undermine the pilot and create negative views of the tools.

Documenting wins to share across shifts or sites

Capture and share successes from pilot sites to build interest elsewhere. Collect specific examples of time saved, faster problem identification, or better decisions. Documented wins become your most powerful change management tool for future rollouts.

Using FOMO to drive a demand for change

When other sites hear about successes, they want in. "Hearing that other people are doing it within your organization, that fear of missing out, or FOMO, is a real thing to leverage," says Audrey.

This shifts the conversation from convincing resistant teams to responding to organic demand. "It turns it from 'I have to sell it' to ‘I want to make you aware of these awesome things that are happening,” says Audrey. “I know that as soon as you're aware of it, it's going to solve problems that you have."

The goal is to have sites asking "When can I have it?" instead of "Why would I use this?"

Device access and infrastructure planning for new maintenance technology

Teams often overlook physical access to digital tools when implementing new maintenance technology. Plan how frontline workers will interact with systems before deployment.

What happens when your frontline workers don’t have a digital identity?

Many hourly workers don't have corporate digital identities. Plan how they'll access systems securely before deployment. Van de Castle notes that when she entered this space, no one was thinking about solving for access to these solutions for this population, especially hourly staff, like those on a line or running a machine.

How much should you be investing in mobile vs. stationary hardware?

Match device strategy to how work actually happens on your floor. For example, Audrey’s team at Black & Decker typically provides iPads because they can be both mobile and stationary. For visualizing data, her team also uses large TV screens hooked up to computers that show dashboards and reports on the plant floor.

How do you align device strategy with cybersecurity requirements

Any device connecting to your network must meet security standards. Work with IT to make sure devices meet cybersecurity policies before ordering hardware. Working together prevents delays during deployment.

How to audit and improve your maintenance data before implementing new maintenance technology

Wrong or incomplete data makes dashboards misleading and decisions worse, not better. Mixed data entry practices create unreliable reports while missing context makes numbers meaningless. Audrey extends this principle to AI, "Trash data into AI, trash answers out of AI. Companies need to take a real careful look at their data before they start implementing AI on the plant floor."

Preparing maintenance data for AI and predictive applications

AI tools for maintenance require clean, consistent historical data, especially work order notes and technician records.

"If you have historic written or verbatim work orders, or notes from a technician, that's a goldmine for AI,” says Audrey. “You’re able to offer better solutions, coupled with the manual from the manufacturer or the maintenance schedule suggested by the manufacturer."

Audrey also points out that AI accelerates knowledge transfer, which helps a lot with something like troubleshooting. "I would always hear from maintenance, ‘How do I train people on troubleshooting?' explains Audrey. “That’s a real question and a tough thing to train on. But if you put enough quality data into an AI, it can make some sense of it and help with something as complex as troubleshooting."

Build the foundation of maintenance processes before you add new maintenance tools

Digital transformation works best when it builds on processes your team already understands, trusts, and follows. Before you connect a CMMS, IIoT sensors, AI tools, or plant-floor dashboards, take time to audit the workflows, data, ownership, and access points that will feed those systems.

That work may feel slower at first, but it prevents bigger problems later: bad data, low adoption, unclear accountability, and tools your team doesn’t trust. Start with one process, one site, or one pilot. Fix what’s broken, prove the value, and use early wins to build momentum for the next step.