See a CMMS dashboard in action: real-time asset monitoring, KPI tracking, automated reporting, and IoT integration for smarter maintenance management.

A state-of-the-art CMMS does more than record work orders, it turns daily maintenance work into strategic business advantage. Dynamic dashboards and automated reporting move teams from reactive repairs to proactive, data-driven maintenance. They give visibility into what needs to be done and when, helping eliminate waste and improve asset reliability.

Explore dashboard examples and KPI setup best practices in our comprehensive buying guide to CMMS maintenance software.

What a Good Maintenance Dashboard Shows

Maintenance dashboards gather the most important statistics in one place so operators and managers can grasp operational health at a glance. They answer the critical questions: Are we getting better? Where are the choke points? Can we depend on our assets?

Essential metrics every maintenance leader should track

• Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF): Average operational time between failures — a rising MTBF signals improving reliability.
• Mean Time to Repair (MTTR): Average time to repair — lower MTTR indicates faster diagnostics and logistics.
• Uptime: Percentage of time an asset is available — directly tied to production capacity.
• Maintenance Backlog: Total planned + unplanned work outstanding — helps balance resources.
• Work Order Ageing: How long work orders remain open — highlights parts shortages, labour constraints, or scheduling issues.

Dashboard Design Best Practices

Role-Based Views

One size doesn’t fit all. Tailor dashboards to roles:

• Maintenance Manager: Work order completion, wrench time, backlog.
• Reliability Engineer: MTBF, failure trend analysis, asset cost tracking.
• Operations Director: OEE, plantwide uptime, maintenance cost vs budget.

Drilldowns

High-level KPIs are useful, drilldowns make them actionable. Clicking a metric should reveal the underlying facilities, work orders, failure types, and timestamps.

Visual Alerts

Use colour coding, trend arrows, and clear thresholds so critical issues pop out immediately.

Reporting Automation

Automate recurring reports to free teams from manual compilation and ensure decisions use the most current data.

Scheduled Reports & Exports

Schedule PDFs or CSVs to be sent automatically to stakeholders daily/weekly/monthly so everyone stays aligned.

Compliance Packs

Preconfigured audit packs (time-stamped orders, parts logs, technician signatures) make regulated audits fast and reliable.

Alerts, Thresholds & Automations

Data becomes powerful when it triggers action. Set KPI thresholds to create automated workflows — e.g., generate an inspection work order when a vibration reading exceeds a safety limit. This reduces the time between detection and action and prevents failures.

Integrating Telemetry & IoT

Connect sensors, SCADA, and IoT to move from time-based preventive maintenance toward condition-based strategies. Telemetry enables real-time asset health visualisation and early anomaly detection so teams can act before downtime occurs.

CMMS Demo Checklist: Dashboard Tour

When evaluating a CMMS dashboard in a demo, test these:

• Customisation: Can you create and assign role-based dashboards easily?
• Drilldown: How deep can you go from a KPI?
• Real-time data: Is there a lag?
• Report scheduling: Can you set and send automated reports?
• Alerts & triggers: Demonstrate a threshold that creates a work order.
• Integration: Show a dashboard with IoT/SCADA data if relevant.

Why reporting matters now

Imagine driving with a blacked-out windshield and using only the rearview mirror. Many maintenance teams operate that way — looking backwards at spreadsheets rather than managing today’s priorities. Modern reporting shifts decision-making from hindsight to daily, operational control.

When teams have clear, role-based data, PM compliance improves, bottlenecks are found early, and “visibility gaps” (undocumented assets, forgotten WOs) shrink.

CMMS reporting vs generic BI tools

CMMS reporting translates work orders, PM schedules, asset history, and parts usage into shop-floor actions. Generic BI tools are great for corporate strategy, but often miss the immediacy and operational context the shop floor needs. A CMMS dashboard tells you what to do now (e.g., “Three critical PMs are overdue and you’re out of filter stock”) rather than simply reporting a quarterly cost increase.

Core components of a high-quality CMMS reporting system

• Real-time operational dashboards: Open WOs, overdue PMs, technician load, parts availability.
• Role-based dashboards: Managers, technicians, and execs see tailored KPIs.
• Preventive maintenance dashboards: Calendar views, PM adherence, checklist states.
• Work order performance analytics: Completion rates, average closure time, SLA adherence.
• Asset health & lifecycle reports: Failure logs, cost trends, service intervals.
• Parts & inventory analytics: Consumption per PM, reorder links to scheduled tasks.
• Compliance & audit dashboards: Quick access to inspection records and evidence.
• Mobile dashboards: On-the-go views for field technicians.

What “Good” vs “Great” looks like

Common gaps in traditional systems

• Static reporting that requires exports to spreadsheets.
• One dashboard for all roles, creating clutter.
• Lack of mobile access for technicians.
• Poor filtering and no parts forecasting — leads to stockouts and missed PMs.

Real-world wins

• Use case: A food plant raised PM compliance from 55% → 92% by showing a compliance dashboard on a break-room TV.
• Use case: Role-based dashboards balanced technician workloads and improved morale.
• Use case: Parts forecasting eliminated critical stockouts over 12 months.
• Use case: PM load balancing reduced emergency overtime by smoothing peak weeks.

How Makula CMMS Excels in Reporting & Dashboards

Modern CMMS reporting principles are only valuable if they are applied correctly. Below is how Makula turns real-time dashboards and maintenance data into daily preventive action.

Operational Command Centre

Central hub combining live PM calendar, multi-site visibility, and real-time asset conditions.

PM compliance & scheduling insights

Clear views of completion rates and workloads to make overdue tasks visible and manageable.

AI Maintenance Copilot (Non-Predictive)

Automated weekly maintenance summaries, suggested PM scheduling improvements based on historical workload, and smart grouping of work orders to reduce technician travel time.

Custom role-based dashboards

Tailored KPIs and widgets for technicians, supervisors, managers, and executives.

Inventory & cost dashboards

Parts usage analysis per asset and forecasting linked to scheduled PMs to avoid stockouts and control costs.

Exportable & auto-scheduled reports

Automate report distribution to keep stakeholders informed without manual effort.

Case Study: Improving PM Compliance with Makula CMMS

A mid-sized manufacturer focused on preventive metrics and dashboards. After six months:

• 30% reduction in overdue PMs
• 20% faster work order closures (mobile access)
• Improved uptime through better scheduling and resource allocation

Next steps — upgrade your reporting

If your reporting relies on spreadsheets or static PDFs, upgrade to a CMMS that provides real-time dashboards, role-based views, and automated reporting so you can act daily rather than react monthly.

Watch the 3 Min Product Tour — see Makula’s preventive-focused dashboards in action