Facility management is a constantly changing field due to the simple fact that facilities themselves are evolving. With this transformation, facilities management best practices must also grow. Once thought to be a primarily manual profession, it is now becoming increasingly digitized, with a greater emphasis on analytics and data to guide decision-making.

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As a result, facility management has become more integrated, streamlined and customized to each project. There is a more comprehensive, all-encompassing and tailored approach to managing buildings and the systems that govern them.

We recommend you stay up to date on the latest best practices and technology in order to remain competitive. So, to assist you, we have compiled a list of best practices to help better operations and management at your facility. Let’s get started.

What is Facilities Management?

The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) defines facility management as a “profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionality, comfort, safety and efficiency of the built environment by integrating people, place, process and technology.”la

Simply put, facilities management functions include supporting the functionality, safety and sustainability of buildings, grounds, infrastructure, and real estate.

According to a report by MarketsandMarkets, the global facilities management market size is expected to reach $76.3 billion by 2026. Considering this figure, it is obvious that facilities management has evolved from simply a maintenance activity to a full-fledged discipline.

People need to be in buildings that are safe, welcoming and efficient in order to do their best job and feel engaged in their surroundings. Facilities management is involved in everything that happens in and around the buildings and grounds. Good facilities management can improve the short- and long-term value of your company’s property, buildings and equipment, resulting in a more efficient bottom line.

Best Practices

Implementing best practices into your processes is valuable for any industry, and facility management is no exception.

Check out our list of best practices below to learn how you can make the most of your facility management operations.

1. Automate FM Activities

You should create a customizable and streamlined workflow to manage FM activities. A streamlined and automated workflow will aid in increasing visibility, maintaining consistency and improving efficiency.

Automating equipment like facility lighting and HVAC systems can increase operational efficiency.

Connecting HVAC schedules directly to the building automation system can give you greater control over the heating and cooling of your facility. This will result in more efficient use of energy. Similarly, automatic lighting systems can save energy and money for the organization.

Generating and submitting electronic work orders via facility management software eliminates paperwork and offers in-depth visibility into maintenance activities, thereby increasing collaboration among team members and improving overall facility efficiency.

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2. Implement a Preventive Maintenance Plan

Predictive maintenance techniques assist facility managers in determining the state of in-service equipment, making it easier to forecast when a repair is required and avoid unplanned downtime. This strategy promises cost savings over the more traditionally defined time plan for preventative maintenance of all best practices in facilities management. The idea is simple.

Facility managers try to ensure assets are in top working order to reduce maintenance costs. The benefits of implementing a preventive maintenance plan are as follows:

• Extend equipment life spans
• Reduce unnecessary downtime and unplanned maintenance
• Organize PM tasks on a calendar
• Track maintenance KPI and metrics to facilitate data-driven decisions
• Minimize unpredicted maintenance costs

Facility managers might find it cumbersome to maintain preventive maintenance data. With the correct technologies, it simplifies maintenance activities.

3. Invest in Technology

The facilities industry is constantly evolving, becoming smarter and new technology introductions are coming at a rapid pace. Facility managers should stay updated on the latest product releases and think about how they might help your team solve current problems. Facilities management software, in particular, assists teams in becoming more streamlined and efficient, lowering costs and improving decision-making.

With so many cloud-based facility management software options available on the market, it’s hard to choose the right one for your organization. Take a look at our facility management software checklist and decide which one suits you best. With FM systems, facility managers no longer have to sift through paperwork orders, track down lost request details or waste time organizing schedules for their maintenance team.

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4. Use the Power of Data Analytics

This is surely not the first time we’re talking about leveraging data when making facility decisions and it will not be the last. Whether it is asset data that helps facility managers predict and prevent breakdowns or financial data that helps them budget more effectively, decisions will improve as a result.

The use of BI and analytics tools is critical for continuously validating the FM department’s performance to the overall brand.

As facilities become more integrated, facility managers will need the support of other departments. In that case, it’s best to have the right analytics on hand to back up your proposal when it comes to investing in new technology and requiring approval from the chief financial officer.

Many facility managers make broad statements about their own FM program without actually knowing what they are talking about. It is important to understand your organization and how it works. Make accurate decisions and form opinions using reports and data.

Managers who leverage the power of reporting and analytics for facility management get a deeper understanding of facility operations. This data will assist you in analyzing trends and making informed decisions about facility operations, asset maintenance, staffing and budget requirements.

5. Maintain Open Communication Across the Board

Communication is essential for success. You need to maintain clear and effective communication among team members, across departments and with outside vendors.

Keep everyone up to date on any changes happening within your facilities, relay any emergency repairs that have occurred and always be open to listening to your team members’ concerns by answering any questions they may have.

Increase your team’s productivity and accountability by keeping them informed on all facility-related updates.

Maintain contractor and vendor relationships by communicating about:

• Planned and ongoing maintenance and projects
• Service requests
• Invoicing
• Training programs
• Equipment

Remove any unnecessary tasks, allowing you and your team to devote more time to the most important work to you, your organization, your technicians, your maintenance schedule and your facilities.

6. Take a Customized FM Approach

Every organization operates differently when it comes to facility management. Whether your top priority is preventive maintenance, special projects, asset management, event scheduling or something else, your workflows must be adaptable and customized to your organization’s specific facility maintenance requirements.

When it comes to facility management practices, one size does not fit all. A tailored facility management approach assists managers in capturing, tracking and reporting on all critical details surrounding their facility’s processes, giving them the tools they need for operational success and ensuring that all facility decisions serve the best interests of their organization.

7. Leverage Internet of Things and Predictive Analytics

Facilities management firms can use IoT solutions to handle heterogeneous networks of sensors, control panels and other devices in innovative ways. Even legacy devices can be monitored, allowing institutions to connect decades-old machinery to a centralized monitoring system.

You can use IoT to tap into the potential of predictive analytics. FMs will be able to forecast when something will likely fail before it happens, owing to predictive analytics. Aside from a provider arriving to handle an issue, it may not even require human interaction to resolve failures.

IoT allows your maintenance personnel to communicate and access all of your facility’s activities and schedules straight from their smartphone or tablet, allowing them to work from anywhere, at any time.

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Conclusion

While handling facilities may seem pretty straightforward at the outset, effective management can mean the difference between an organization’s large-scale success and failure.

Instead of coming up with your own rules, it’s advisable to apply best practices that facility managers have tried and tested over time. These can be selecting the best cost-saving facility management software or creating the most efficient preventive maintenance plan.

These top facility management best practices can help you get the most out of your company’s facilities in terms of efficiency, potential and return. They can pave the way for proactive management across the board. What FM best practices does your organization follow? Let us know in the comments.