Posted 2nd February 2026 By Rob Whalley

Why a Dedicated Client‑Side Project Manager Is Critical to a Successful CMMS / CAFM Implementation

Implementing a new CMMS or CAFM system is rarely just a software project. It is a business‑wide change programme that touches people, processes, data, and day‑to‑day operations across estates, facilities, finance, IT, and service partners.

One of the most common differentiators between a smooth implementation and a difficult one is the presence of a dedicated client-side project manager. While suppliers will provide their own project and implementation team, having a clearly accountable internal lead on the client side is essential to achieving real value from the system.

Below we explore why this role matters so much — and what responsibilities it should cover.

A Single Point of Coordination

A CMMS / CAFM implementation involves many moving parts:

• Internal estates and facilities teams
• Finance and budget holders
• IT and information governance
• Health & safety and compliance leads
• External contractors and service providers

A dedicated client-side project manager acts as the central point of coordination, ensuring communication flows clearly between all parties. This avoids duplicated effort, mixed messages, and assumptions about who is responsible for what.

Without this role, decisions can stall, tasks drift, and momentum is quickly lost.

Planning Workflows That Reflect Reality

One of the biggest risks in system implementation is recreating poor or outdated processes in a new digital platform. A client‑side project manager plays a vital role in:

• Mapping existing workflows (reactive, planned, compliance, approvals)
• Challenging inefficiencies and bottlenecks
• Designing future‑state workflows that align with how teams should work
• Ensuring workflows are practical for engineers, supervisors, and administrators

This role bridges the gap between operational reality and system configuration — ensuring the system supports the business, not the other way around.

Collating, Validating, and Owning Data

Data is often the most underestimated part of a CMMS / CAFM project.

Asset registers, locations, hierarchies, PPM schedules, statutory records, stock items, and contractor details are frequently:

• Spread across spreadsheets
• Out of date
• Inconsistent
• Owned by multiple people

A dedicated industry-experienced project manager provides clear ownership of data collation and validation, including:

• Agreeing data standards and structures
• Coordinating surveys or data collection exercises
• Reviewing data quality before migration
• Signing off what is 'good' to go live

This prevents late surprises and ensures confidence in reporting from day one.

Managing UAT and Acceptance

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is not just about checking whether screens load.

A client‑side project manager ensures that:

• Real‑world scenarios are tested (not just happy paths)
• Different user roles are involved (engineers, supervisors, managers)
• Issues are logged, prioritised, and resolved
• Acceptance criteria are clearly defined and met

This structured approach reduces post‑go‑live issues and builds trust in the system across the organisation.

Internal Training and Change Management

Even the best system will fail if people do not understand or adopt it.

A dedicated internal project manager is ideally placed to:

• Identify different user groups and training needs
• Develop phased training plans
• Coordinate supplier‑led and internal training sessions
• Reinforce new processes after go‑live

They also act as a change champion, helping teams understand why the system is being introduced — not just how to use it.

Reviewing and Improving Processes

Implementation should not be seen as a one‑off event.

A strong client‑side project manager:

• Reviews early usage and performance
• Gathers feedback from users
• Identifies opportunities to simplify or improve processes
• Works with the supplier to refine configuration post‑go‑live

This mindset turns implementation into continuous improvement rather than a tick‑box exercise.

Stakeholder Engagement and Buy‑In

Senior stakeholders want clarity, confidence, and outcomes.

The client‑side project manager ensures:

• Stakeholders are engaged at the right points
• Progress is clearly communicated
• Risks and decisions are escalated appropriately
• Expectations are managed realistically

This helps maintain executive support and avoids late objections or scope disputes.

Clear Deliverables and Measurable Outputs

A dedicated project manager keeps focus on outputs, not just activity. This includes:

• Agreed milestones and deliverables
• Go‑live readiness criteria
• Reporting and KPI requirements
• Benefits realisation (time saved, visibility improved, compliance strengthened)

This clarity helps demonstrate value early and supports longer‑term system adoption.

Upskilling Staff vs Using Temporary Support

Not every organisation has the internal capacity to dedicate a full‑time project manager.

A key decision is whether to:

• Upskill an existing member of staff who understands the business
• Backfill their operational role temporarily
• Engage a short‑term contractor with CMMS / CAFM implementation experience

A dedicated project manager — permanent or temporary — is often far more cost‑effective than recovering from delays, poor data, or failed adoption.

What to Look for in a Client-Side Project Manager

Not all project managers are the same, and for CMMS / CAFM implementations, generic project management experience alone is rarely enough. The most successful projects are led by individuals who combine structured delivery skills with deep domain knowledge.

Key attributes to look for include:

Industry Experience Across CMMS / CAFM Systems

Experience working with a variety of CMMS and CAFM platforms is invaluable. A project manager who has seen multiple systems understands that:

• Different platforms solve problems in different ways
• There is rarely a one-size-fits-all configuration
• Common pitfalls repeat across implementations, regardless of supplier

This breadth of experience allows them to challenge assumptions, ask the right questions early, and make informed decisions that suit your organisation — not just the software.

A Proven Track Record of Successful Implementations

Look for evidence of successful, end-to-end implementations, not just participation in projects.

A strong client-side project manager should be able to demonstrate experience in:

• Leading systems through mobilisation to go-live
• Managing data migration and UAT
• Driving user adoption post go-live
• Delivering measurable operational outcomes

This practical experience reduces risk and increases confidence across stakeholders.

Knowledge of Best Practice — Not Just Existing Processes

Facilities and estates teams often inherit legacy processes that have evolved over time.

An effective project manager brings best-practice knowledge, including:

• Planned vs reactive maintenance balance
• Asset lifecycle management principles
• Compliance-driven maintenance planning
• Efficient approval and reporting structures

This ensures the system is configured to support modern, efficient ways of working rather than simply digitising old habits.

Hands-On Experience in Facilities and Estates

Perhaps most importantly, experience working within facilities and estates environments is vital.

A project manager who understands:

• Day-to-day pressures on engineers and supervisors
• Statutory compliance requirements
• Contractor management realities
• Budget control and cost coding

is far better placed to design workflows, data structures, and training plans that genuinely work in practice.

This credibility also helps build trust with operational teams, driving engagement and adoption.

Technical Understanding of CMMS / CAFM Architecture and Integrations

A strong client-side project manager should also be technically literate, with a solid understanding of CMMS / CAFM system architecture, data models, integration capabilities and other technical 'dark arts'.

This includes:

• Awareness of hosting environments
• User roles and permissions
• Reporting structures and data queries
• Leveraging cost-effective products to fill voids

Crucially, they should understand how the CAFM system can integrate with wider corporate platforms such as finance, HR, business intelligence, document management, and compliance systems.

This technical capability allows the project manager to translate operational and estates requirements into meaningful technical discussions, challenge limitations where appropriate, and ensure the solution delivers value beyond core work order management — enabling richer reporting, better insight, and a more connected digital estates ecosystem.

Final Thoughts

A CMMS / CAFM system can transform visibility, compliance, and efficiency — but only if it is implemented well.

An experienced and dedicated client‑side project manager provides structure, ownership, and momentum throughout the journey. They ensure the system is aligned to real operational needs, data is trusted, users are engaged, and benefits are realised.

In short, they are not an overhead — they are one of the most critical success factors in any CMMS / CAFM implementation.

Need a project manager with proven CMMS / CAFM industry experience? Tabs FM collaborates with a variety of trusted partners and can happily recommend suitable options.