Universities don’t run on buildings alone; they run on everything inside them. Residence hall HVAC, research lab equipment, elevators, classroom tech, and grounds all have to work reliably for thousands of people, every day.
At the same time, facilities teams are juggling aging infrastructure, lean staffing, tighter budgets, and rising expectations for fast, transparent service. When work lives in emails, spreadsheets, or disconnected tools, small issues stay hidden until they become costly disruptions. That’s where operations and maintenance (O&M) software makes the difference.
What is Operations and Maintenance Software?
Operations and maintenance software help manage routine asset functions that don’t require deep technical expertise for every task. It supports work like:
- Cleaning and minor upkeep
- Inspections and lubrication
- Fluid monitoring and minor part replacement
But the biggest value comes from visibility. The software tracks what’s happening across your campus, surfaces trends, and flags problems early, so you prevent outages instead of reacting to them.
And prevention matters. The average cost of an hour of unplanned downtime is about $25,000, and for large organizations, it can exceed $500,000 per hour, according to the 2024 State of Industrial Maintenance Report. Even one avoided failure can protect budgets, SLAs, and campus trust.
If you want to see what proactive O&M looks like in practice, explore AssetWorks Facilities Operations & Maintenance, built to support preventive scheduling, streamlined work orders, and real-time asset visibility.
Why O&M Software is a People Tool, Too
O&M isn’t just about equipment; it’s about the teams keeping equipment running.
Strong O&M platforms help universities manage:
Time, attendance, and labor forecasting
Schedules and work assignments are centralized, so managers can forecast labor needs, reduce overtime surprises, and recover costs with confidence.
Health, safety, and compliance
Training records and certifications stay attached to the workforce, making it easier to assign the right people to the right work, especially for high-risk projects.
Campus-wide communication
Stakeholders don’t have to chase updates. The system shares status automatically, so tenants, departments, and campus customers stay informed without duplicate effort.
Looking for a smoother way for students and staff to submit requests and stay updated automatically? ReADY Request connects your campus community directly to your facilities workflow.
What to Look for When Choosing Operations and Maintenance Software
Step 1: Get clear on your goals
To get the best value from O&M software, you need to know what you’re trying to improve. On a higher-ed campus, ask yourself:
- Which assets matter most to maintain?
Think HVAC, utilities, elevators, IT systems, lab equipment, vehicles, grounds, and more.
- What work do we need to track?
Preventive maintenance (PMs), corrective work orders, seasonal operations, event support, inspections, compliance tasks.
- Do we have the IT capabilities to support it?
Look for compatibility with existing systems or a SaaS deployment, plus strong vendor training for both IT and operations teams.
- What insights do we need?
Some campuses want deep downtime analytics; others need simple dashboards for department leads. Ideally, you get both.
- Any specialist needs?
Fleets, trees, research-critical systems, leased properties, or other unique campus assets.
Once those goals are clear, it’s easier to select features that deliver measurable results.
Step 2: Use today’s performance to guide the fit
Next, look honestly at current operations: where are the gaps that software should solve?
Machinery considerations
Ask:
- Are preventive tasks scheduled consistently?
- Who owns asset histories and warranty compliance?
- How quickly are outages resolved today?
- Are there handoff or communication delays between teams?
A strong platform also prepares you for more advanced maintenance. Deloitte’s 2024 predictive maintenance research, PdM can reduce breakdowns by ~70%, lower maintenance costs by ~25%, and boost productivity by ~25%. You don’t need to start at “full predictive” to benefit, but you do need good O&M foundations to get there.
Asset considerations
Assets aren’t just machinery; they’re anything of value, from furniture to technology to lab instruments. Many campuses don’t maintain a complete inventory, which makes planning and budgeting harder. O&M software is most powerful when asset records are accurate, current, and connected to work history.
Personnel considerations
Clarity on labor isn’t micromanagement; it’s efficiency and fairness. Ask:
- Where is overtime happening, and why?
- What tasks repeatedly back up?
- Are staff skills being used well?
When labor and work data come together, decision-making gets faster, clearer, and easier to defend.
Step 3: Check technical readiness
Finally, validate that the tech works for your campus reality.
- Mobile capability
Staff need tools that work in the field. Confirm that key workflows: work orders, PMs, and inspections are fully mobile and secure.
- Cloud vs. on-prem
Cloud solutions offer flexibility and faster rollout, but make sure cybersecurity and data ownership are transparent.
- Scalability
If your portfolio grows, your system should scale without rebuilding workflows.
How AssetWorks Facilities Supports University Operations (and the Bigger Campus Picture)
Higher-ed facilities leaders aren’t just fighting day-to-day breakdowns; they’re confronting a massive capital backlog. Moody’s 2024 higher-ed sector report estimates U.S. colleges and universities need $750B–$950B over the next decade to address deferred maintenance and renewal needs. That reality makes prioritization, proof of ROI, and proactive planning essential.
That’s where AssetWorks helps. As part of a broader IWMS approach, AiM Operations & Maintenance gives campuses a single system of record to:
- Assign and track work to internal teams
- Reduce call volume and duplication through better communication
- Plan preventive tasks and avoid backlog growth
- Analyze performance trends in real time
- Integrate labor, materials, budgeting, and accounting
Because AiM connects O&M to other facilities functions, it supports more than maintenance alone. If you’re managing owned and leased space, Real Estate & Lease Management ties portfolio decisions directly to operational reality. And for floorplan-accurate space visibility, ReADY Space brings occupancy, space surveys, and planning into the same data ecosystem.
If you’re ready to connect space, leases, assets, and maintenance in one platform, explore the full suite here.
To find out more about our operations and maintenance software packages for universities, contact our team today.
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