How can a plant find duplicate or missing assets in its CMMS?
Compare the CMMS against field tags, approved drawings and operational knowledge, beginning with a limited critical system.
What to consider
Look for repeated identifiers, similar descriptions at the same location, records with no recognizable physical asset and equipment in the field that lacks a usable record. A possible duplicate is a finding for review, not permission to delete a record: each entry may contain work history or represent a different maintainable item.
Practical steps
- Agree on the system boundary and the identifiers used in the comparison.
- Generate candidate exceptions and validate them with technicians and operations.
- Document decisions about merges, retirements or new records through the site process.
- Preserve relevant history and update related references under approved controls.
A practical example
A CMMS contains two records for the same fan, while a field walk reveals a separate fan with no record. The team compares tags, drawings, locations and work history before proposing corrections. It preserves useful history and obtains the data owner's approval before merging or retiring a duplicate. The missing fan is added using the site naming rules, then verified in the field.
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