**1. Introduction**

Maintenance operations have over time continued to evolve and, in the digital age, are maximising the opportunities offered through the application of information and communication technology. 'Information systems that support maintenance functions are referred to as Computerised Maintenance Management Systems (CMMSs)' ([1], p. 269). Some of the objectives of a 'CMMS are effective maintenance of machines, rational asset management, and consequently higher productivity of a company' ([2], p. 277). The application of CMMSs in maintenance management allows the effective documentation of maintenance operations, planning

and execution of maintenance operations, communication of periodic reports to stakeholders, analysis of operational history and the development of performance improvement strategies. Typical CMMS software contains different modules, which enable the maintenance operatives to execute different activities. Some of the operational modules include asset management, work order management, preventive maintenance management and inventory control and report management [1]. Others include service management, contract management, materials management and procurement management [2]. Any or multiple modules can be activated, depending on the quality of the human capacity of each organisation. They can be used for the planning and execution of scheduled operations and the development of functional periodic reports. It can also be used for the analysis of the operational history and for the development of performance improvement strategies. Therefore, the continuous explorative use of the content of a CMMS tool in maintenance operations enables the maintenance unit to achieve the 'just-in-time' (JIT) response to a maintenance request, address the problem and restore the facility or machine to functional use [3]. Achieving JIT facilitates a reduction in the cost of maintenance, a reduced duration in repair time and consequently the length of downtime, achieves improved customer satisfaction and improvements in production. Improvements in JIT require the deliberate action of collecting and analysing the data of maintenance operational history and the subsequent development of performance improvement strategies. This cycle of operations is in tandem with the requirements of smart maintenance [4].

The focus of this chapter is to explore the vast potential of typical CMMS software and to show that this vast potential can be harnessed in each module. The use of CMMSs in three maintenance units serves as an illustration of how the potential of CMMSs is being harnessed or neglected. The chapter covers the literature review in Section 2, which highlights the use and potential of a typical CMMS, and progresses to Section 3, which explores the place of the case study research strategy in qualitative research. Section 4 provides information on the research findings and their discussion, while Section 5 provides the synthesis of the content of the chapter in the form of conclusions and recommendations.
