MaintenanceMax performance support software: FAQs

MaintenanceMax® is a performance support system for maintenance personnel. What are performance support systems?

Performance support systems are software applications that improve both the quality and the speed of work by providing workers with actionable, context-specific knowledge and guidance on demand, right at the point of work, in real time.

Performance support systems improve work performance by integrating multiple forms of technical data such as procedures, equipment diagrams, instructional animation or computer-based training (CBT) clips, digital forms, tips from experienced subject matter experts, and other information resources in one portable, mobile, paperless job aid.

Multimedia such as refresher training clips are delivered in job-specific, "task-based" clusters that follow specific job sequences. Performance support systems are similar to Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMs) but provide workers with richer information resources tailored to specific tasks and job roles.

What experience does REI have with performance support technology?

Founded in 1989, REI specializes in web-enabled, database-driven knowledge management and performance support solutions for both government and commercial sectors.

REI staff possess a combined 10 years of experience in developing, designing, fielding, and testing performance support systems within maintenance environments.

Performance support systems for maintenance personnel were developed, fielded, and tested by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences in the 1990s, and REI's MaintenanceMax® Program Manager was the Program Manager for the OSD Maintenance Mentoring System program from 1997 to 2002. During that time, the deployed performance support system was proven to slash labor times by one-third or more while simultaneously increasing maintenance quality, workplace safety, and overall productivity.

What are the key features of MaintenanceMax®?

MaintenanceMax® features include (but are not limited to):

Step-by-step, task-based maintenance procedures
Component location diagrams or digital photos of components
Animated schematics
Parts and inventory data
Brief computer-based training (CBT) or video clips
Interfaces to Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) or Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) programs
A "Make-a-Note" annotation feature
WYSIWYG content authoring tools
Automatic collection of system usage statistics

Customized features may also be developed to meet special customer requirements. MaintenanceMax may be enhanced by utilizing mobile or wearable computing devices equipped with handwriting recognition, speech interaction, or other interface options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions frequently asked about MaintenanceMax® are displayed in the left column (you can navigate up, down, and to the top of the column using the scrolling tools). Click on a question of interest and the answer will be shown below.

What other performance support system or MaintenanceMax® services does REI offer?

REI provides full life-cycle support for MaintenanceMax®: process modeling and system engineering services, legacy data conversion and migration, customized graphic design services (including 3D animation development), content hosting and deployment, content update services, hardware selection and procurement, technical and help desk support, and end user training. REI provides its customers with the total solution for performance support system technical data management.

For more information, please contact us or see the MaintenanceMax Services page.

What happens to MaintenanceMax® and my data if REI goes out of business?

REI was established in 1989 and our business is strong, so we do not anticipate that REI will ever go out of business. We understand this potential issue might still cause our customers concern, so we have developed several mechanisms to ensure that MaintenanceMax® is as risk-free as possible. Any customized code developed for your organization will be stored in a software escrow account monitored and administered by an independent third party. In the unlikely event that something happens to REI, this code will be released to become the property of your organization. Your organization will still have complete access and control over both its proprietary content and MaintenanceMax. Also, if at any time your organization wishes to discontinue its relationship with REI, all of your data will be returned to you in industry-standard XML format.

Can I still access my data if I do not have an Internet connection or if my Internet connection is intermittent?

Yes. MaintenanceMax® may be deployed over an Intranet or via browser-based files saved on a computer's hard drive. For users who experience intermittent Internet access, a variety of methods may be used to ensure that data is always up-to-date, including periodic visits to docking stations for system synchronization, automated routines that save and then send encrypted data each time the Internet connection is restored, etc.

How can I be sure the data in MaintenanceMax® are accurate?

MaintenanceMax® reuses legacy data and content as much as possible. Legacy content is material that your company has already developed, validated, and approved. When data migrates from its legacy format into MaintenanceMax format, all content is preserved. REI does not develop new technical content or alter existing technical content unless REI is contracted to do so at the explicit request of a customer.

What security mechanisms protect my MaintenanceMax® data?

REI follows a detailed security plan to guide every aspect of MaintenanceMax® operations. Data encryption, role-based log-on schemes, user identification codes, and passwords are all used to protect your critical data.

Who owns the data in MaintenanceMax®?

You do. Your organization always maintains control over its own data and retains all associated legal rights to the data. Please contact an REI representative to discuss Internet security measures that can be used to protect any proprietary information you may wish to deliver via MaintenanceMax. If at any time you must discontinue your relationship with REI, your data will be returned to you in industry-standard XML format immediately.

Can REI help me select and purchase hardware solutions for deploying MaintenanceMax®?

Yes. REI personnel possess extensive experience using, engineering, and recommending portable computing options for mobile workers, including special ruggedized and wearable computing technologies. REI enjoys special partnerships with hardware vendors that allow REI to supply our customers with the latest and greatest hardware solutions available on the market today.

What technical support services does REI offer for MaintenanceMax®?

REI offers its customers an online Help Desk and technical support service plus a toll-free technical support hotline.

REI also offers its customers end user training sessions that will educate your workforce on how to use MaintenanceMax. These training sessions are usually an hour or less in duration due to the user friendly, intuitive design of MaintenanceMax.

Do I have to pay for MaintenanceMax® in one large, upfront lump sum?

No. REI and your organization will work together to develop a mutually acceptable schedule of affordable, periodic payments for MaintenanceMax®. These payments will be tied to performance goals that ensure REI and MaintenanceMax meet your organization's standards for quality and excellence.

How much does MaintenanceMax® cost?

The cost of MaintenanceMax® is determined by a combination of factors, including the number of features or options selected, the number of units purchased, the quantity of legacy data to be converted into performance support format, the format of the legacy data, and other parameters. Due to the combination of factors that impact price, it is impossible to state one simple price that will suit all customer organizations.

Please contact an REI representative to discuss your organization's needs and to obtain a price quote that is tailored to your organization's requirements.

We already have a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) or other legacy applications. How will MaintenanceMax® fit into our environment?

If your organization already has, or plans to have, an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) or Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), MaintenanceMax® will be a valuable complement. MaintenanceMax supports EAM/CMMS back-ends by automating and standardizing maintenance, repair, and operations activities and collecting accurate data at the point of work. Data captured by MaintenanceMax will be complete and correct, ensuring that your EAM/CMMS can accurately track work orders, scheduling, equipment history, and parts and inventory.

A superior benefit of MaintenanceMax deployment is the presentation of a consistent interface to the maintainer. MaintenanceMax utilizes XML and the Microsoft® .NET platform to ensure that its open architecture design is interoperable, scalable, and flexible. MaintenanceMax can be your maintainer's sole link to not only MaintenanceMax content but also legacy applications and backend systems. Maintainers need learn only how to navigate within MaintenanceMax, and it will connect them to whatever enterprise applications are required for completion of maintenance tasks.

Will MaintenanceMax® interface with the testing equipment and handheld devices that our maintainers currently use on the job?

Yes. MaintenanceMax® is hardware neutral and can be deployed on the hardware your organization prefers. In addition, due to its open architecture design, MaintenanceMax can interface with your testing and monitoring gear and other peripherals as required.

How can my organization introduce this new technology?

However daunting it may seem, introducing MaintenanceMax® to your work environment is truly a straightforward and painless process (and REI does the difficult work for you). REI analysts will develop a logical, intuitive data delivery architecture that meets all of your performance support requirements and helps you modernize labor practices, increase equipment availability, and reduce maintenance costs.

If necessary, REI can modify your organization's existing IT infrastructure, or create a new IT infrastructure, with the equipment and software necessary to successfully deploy MaintenanceMax. REI analysts will ensure that MaintenanceMax operates properly in conjunction with any existing systems (such as Computerized Maintenance Management Systems or Enterprise Asset Management programs) or hardware. MaintenanceMax's open, XML-based Microsoft® .NET architecture guarantees a scalable, extensible system that will be interoperable with your existing enterprise applications.

MaintenanceMax is typically deployed using a phased approach that minimizes risk and disruption for your organization. A cost-effective, phased rollout plan will be designed to slowly introduce MaintenanceMax to your maintenance organization. A small-scale initial introduction will allow maintainers and managers to refine data delivery, data collection, and reporting requirements and to collect sample data for return on investment (ROI) analysis before proceeding with full-scale MaintenanceMax implementation.

For more information, please see the Road Map to MaintenanceMax Implementation white paper.

What is the .NET architecture and what does it mean for MaintenanceMax®?

Microsoft® .NET is next-generation technology built on web services with a language-neutral framework and an XML-based environment. What that means is easy and secure data exchange, accessible and reusable information, rapid development, easy deployment, high scalability, and guaranteed interoperability.

MaintenanceMax® is built on the .NET platform to ensure that its open architecture design is scalable, flexible, and able to interface with legacy systems, new Internet-based applications, and various test equipment and peripherals.

Key characteristics of MaintenanceMax architecture include:
Modular object-oriented system design
Industry-standard XML formats and metadata conventions
Strict protocols for building and managing information security
Seamless data exchange, compatibility, and system integration

What benefits and features make MaintenanceMax® a superior option to other performance support systems on the market?

REI's performance support solution is truly "next-generation" in design because it is developed using XML and Microsoft® .NET architecture for web services, something that no other performance support system has ever done before.

The .NET platform allows MaintenanceMax® data to be deployed online anywhere and anytime using a standard web browser. This flexible .NET design ensures that the data in MaintenanceMax is always fresh and up-to-date. Customers no longer have to worry about software upgrades because the latest version of MaintenanceMax is always available online. Content updates and software configuration control are both easier and cheaper, and your organization's workforce can always access its mission-critical data around the clock via the Internet.

How will MaintenanceMax® benefit my organization?

Developed, fielded, and tested by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, performance support systems for maintenance slash labor times by one-third or more while simultaneously increasing maintenance quality, workplace safety, and overall productivity.

Maintainers work faster and better with the support of MaintenanceMax®, allowing them to complete more job orders in the same amount of time, which improves overall equipment reliability/availability and shortens equipment downtime.

For detailed information about the benefits of MaintenanceMax, please download REI's informative MaintenanceMax Overview.

How will a performance support system benefit my organization?

Performance support systems such as MaintenanceMax® provide organizations with multiple tangible business benefits such as:
Time savings
Cost savings
Improved productivity
More accurate spares and inventory levels
Better communication across different organizational departments
Increased safety
Increased regulatory compliance
More effective knowledge management
Improved employee morale

For detailed information about the benefits of MaintenanceMax, please download REI's informative MaintenanceMax Overview.

What other information technology services does REI offer?

REI offers a wide range of Internet-based knowledge management and process improvement technologies that automate, streamline, and standardize business processes, particularly processes that are traditionally paper-intensive and involve large numbers of geographically-dispersed, mobile personnel (e.g., grants and proposals management). Please contact us to speak to a consultant who can help match your organization's needs to one of REI's IT solutions, or click here to go to the REI home page for more information.