CMMS Transformation Resets a 19,000-Work-Order Backlog

eXcellerate supported a client in the elimination of 11,000+ legacy work orders, reducing a SAP migration volume by 80% and delivering stable PM and MM adoption

eXcellerate delivered a CMMS and maintenance transformation for a major Australian mining operation migrating from a legacy Oracle ERP to SAP Plant Maintenance (PM) and Materials Management (MM).

The maintenance team was processing around 300 work orders each week. Yet the combination of an ill-suited CMMS, budget pressures and frequent leadership turnover allowed a backlog of approximately 19,000 open work orders to accumulate.

Rather than treating SAP as a technology upgrade, eXcellerate positioned it as a maintenance transformation. The engagement aligned system migration, backlog rationalisation and operational readiness to ensure SAP PM and MM supported the way maintenance teams actually worked on site.

Maintenance Backlog and CMMS Challenges

The legacy Oracle system lacked the visibility and governance needed for a complex mining operation. Over time, critical, duplicated, and obsolete work orders became indistinguishable, turning the backlog into an administrative burden that masked real operational risk.

Without intervention, these historical data issues would transfer directly into SAP, undermining the new CMMS from day one.

Integrated CMMS and Maintenance Transformation Approach

eXcellerate integrated data quality, backlog reduction and SAP transition as a single transformation program:

1. Legacy Work Order Backlog Reduction

Before the migration, eXcellerate improved CMMS data quality through three structured review cycles. Maintenance, engineering and reliability teams jointly assessed each work order against asset condition, statutory requirements, duplication and risk. Only work representing genuine operational risk or value migrated into SAP. All obsolete, duplicated or invalid work orders were closed or archived.

2. Finalisation of Delayed Maintenance Foundations

The team also finalised critical maintenance and CMMS foundations, including work management, planning, inventory interfaces, repairables and warranty management, to provide a solid base for SAP.

3. Mentoring and Capability Uplift of Maintenance Teams

eXcellerate delivered targeted mentoring to maintenance, planning, engineering and warehousing personnel to embed new ways of working during the transition. On‑the‑job application strengthened planner capability, reinforced backlog governance, improved scheduling discipline and increased effective use of SAP PM data post go live.

4. SAP PM and MM Go Live Support

The eXcellerate team supported the client in the SAP PM and MM go live by focusing on maintenance operational readiness. Business continuity plans enabled maintenance and warehousing to continue operating during system cutover with minimal disruptions and full traceability of maintenance and inventory data.

CMMS Transformation Outcomes and Value Delivered

Reduced a legacy backlog of approximately 19,000 work orders, eliminating more than 11,000 duplicate, obsolete and low-value items prior to SAP migration.
Reduced the volume of work orders migrated into SAP by more than 80%, preventing SAP PM from inheriting legacy data quality and backlog issues.
Removed process and governance issues that had previously contributed up to 200 work orders per week returning to backlog, improving planning discipline and scheduling effectiveness
Enabled stable on-time SAP PM and MM adoption without the need for large-scale post-go-live remediation.

The transformation replaced an unmanageable backlog with a credible maintenance baseline, enabling SAP PM and MM to support planning, execution and decision-making from day one.

Facing Similar CMMS and Maintenance Challenges?

eXcellerate works with asset intensive organisations to reset maintenance foundations, improve planning discipline and ensure CMMS platforms that drive performance instead of paperwork.

If your site is struggling with legacy backlog, SAP PM adoption, or CMMS performance, contact us to discuss how a maintenance led CMMS transformation can deliver measurable results.