business plan for facility management

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Facility Management Business Plan

High demand, low startup costs, and a recurring revenue model make facility management a rewarding business to undertake.

Anyone can start a new business, but you need a detailed business plan when it comes to raising funding, applying for loans, and scaling it like a pro!

Facility management encompasses a wide market and tapping into a specialized field can help you secure your financial goals quickly and easily.

Starting a business in facility management can get tricky if not properly planned or executed. A comprehensive business plan will offer a path forward and help you secure the funding.

Need help writing a business plan for your facility management business? You’re at the right place. Our facility management business plan template will help you get started.

Free Business Plan Template

Download our free facility management business plan template now and pave the way to success. Let’s turn your vision into an actionable strategy!

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How To Write A Facility Management Business Plan?

Writing a facility management business plan is a crucial step toward the success of your business. Here are the key steps to consider when writing a business plan:

1. Executive Summary

An executive summary is the first section planned to offer an overview of the entire business plan. However, it is written after the entire business plan is ready and summarizes each section of your plan.

Here are a few key components to include in your executive summary:

• Introduce your Business: Start your executive summary by briefly introducing your business to your readers.This section may include the name of your facility management business, its location, when it was founded, the type of facility management business (E.g., residential, commercial, industrial, healthcare, sports venue), etc.
• Market Opportunity: Summarize your market research, including market size, growth potential, and marketing trends. Highlight the opportunities in the market and how your business will fit in to fill the gap.
• Products and Services: Highlight the facility management services you offer your clients. The USPs and differentiators you offer are always a plus.For instance, you may include cleaning and janitorial, safety and security, maintenance and repairs as services, and mention sustainable approach and space planning and allocation as some of your USPs.
• Marketing & Sales Strategies: Outline your sales and marketing strategies—what marketing platforms you use, how you plan on acquiring customers, etc.
• Financial Highlights: Briefly summarize your financial projections for the initial years of business operations. Include any capital or investment requirements, associated startup costs, projected revenues, and profit forecasts.
• Call to Action: Summarize your executive summary section with a clear CTA, for example, inviting angel investors to discuss the potential business investment.

Ensure your executive summary is clear, concise, easy to understand, and jargon-free.

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2. Business Overview

The business overview section of your business plan offers detailed information about your company. The details you add will depend on how important they are to your business. Yet, business name, location, business history, and future goals are some of the foundational elements you must consider adding to this section:

• Commercial property management
• Residential property management
• Healthcare facility management
• Educational facility management
• Sports venue facility management
• Describe the legal structure of your facility management company, whether it is a sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, or others.
• Explain where your business is located and why you selected the place.
• Owners: List the names of your facility management company’s founders or owners. Describe what shares they own and their responsibilities for efficiently managing the business.
• Mission Statement: Summarize your business’ objective, core principles, and values in your mission statement. This statement needs to be memorable, clear, and brief.
• Business History: If you’re an established facility management service provider, briefly describe your business history, like—when it was founded, how it evolved over time, etc.Additionally, If you have received any awards or recognition for excellent work, describe them.
• Future Goals: It’s crucial to convey your aspirations and vision. Mention your short-term and long-term goals; they can be specific targets for revenue, market share, or expanding your services.

This section should provide a thorough understanding of your business, its history, and its future plans. Keep this section engaging, precise, and to the point.

3. Market Analysis

The market analysis section of your business plan should offer a thorough understanding of the industry with the target market, competitors, and growth opportunities. You should include the following components in this section.

• Target market: Start this section by describing your target market. Define your ideal customer and explain what types of services they prefer. Creating a buyer persona will help you easily define your target market to your readers.For instance, corporations, large business houses, healthcare buildings, and educational institutions would be the ideal target audience for a commercial facility management business.
• Market size and growth potential: Describe your market size and growth potential and whether you will target a niche or a much broader market.
• Competitive Analysis: Identify and analyze your direct and indirect competitors. Identify their strengths and weaknesses, and describe what differentiates your facility management services from them. Point out how you have a competitive edge in the market.
• Market Trends: Analyze emerging trends in the industry, such as technology disruptions, changes in customer behavior or preferences, etc. Explain how your business will cope with all the trends.For instance, sustainable and energy-efficient technologies are highly looked upon in the facility management sector. Explain how you plan on dealing with this potential growth opportunity.
• Regulatory Environment: List regulations and licensing requirements that may affect your facility management company, such as business registration, contracting and subcontracting compliances, occupational health and safety protocols, insurance, environmental regulations, state and federal regulations, etc.

Here are a few tips for writing the market analysis section of your facility management business plan:

• Conduct market research, industry reports, and surveys to gather data.
• Provide specific and detailed information whenever possible.
• Illustrate your points with charts and graphs.
• Write your business plan keeping your target audience in mind.

4. Products And Services

The product and services section should describe the specific services and products that will be offered to customers. To write this section should include the following:

• HVAC system
• Plumbing repairs
• Electrical system
• General repairs
• Routine maintenance tasks
• Cleaning and janitorial services: Outline the cleaning services you offer to maintain cleanliness in clients’ facilities. Mention specialized cleaning services like carpet cleaning, window cleaning, etc.
• Security services: Describe the measures you will take to offer security services at clients’ facilities. This will include managing security personnel, installing security systems, i.e. surveillance camera and alarm systems, etc.
• Quality measures: This section should explain how you maintain quality standards and consistently provide the highest quality service.This may include measures like standard operating procedures, regular training, robust quality checks, and consistent performance analysis.
• Additional Services: Mention if your facility management company offers any additional services. You may include services like energy management, space and design planning, asset management, consulting and advisory, etc.

In short, this section of your facility management plan must be informative, precise, and client-focused. By providing a clear and compelling description of your offerings, you can help potential investors and readers understand the value of your business.

5. Sales And Marketing Strategies

Writing the sales and marketing strategies section means a list of strategies you will use to attract and retain your clients. Here are some key elements to include in your sales & marketing plan:

• Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Define your business’s USPs depending on the market you serve, the equipment you use, and the unique services you provide. Identifying USPs will help you plan your marketing strategies.For example, maintenance and repairs of HVAC systems could be a great USP for a commercial and residential management company.
• Pricing Strategy: Describe your pricing strategy—how you plan to price your maintenance services and stay competitive in the local market. You can mention any discounts you plan on offering to attract new customers to your maintenance service.
• Marketing Strategies: Discuss your marketing strategies to market your services. You may include some of these marketing strategies in your business plan—social media marketing, Google ads, brochures, email marketing, content marketing, and print marketing.
• Sales Strategies: Outline the strategies you’ll implement to maximize your sales. Your sales strategies may include direct sales calls, partnering with real estate developers and agents, offering referral programs, etc.
• Customer Retention: Deescribe your customer retention strategies and how you plan to execute them. For instance, introducing loyalty programs, discounts on annual membership, personalized service, etc.

Overall, this section of your facility management business plan should focus on customer acquisition and retention.

Have a specific, realistic, and data-driven approach while planning sales and marketing strategies for your facility management business, and be prepared to adapt or make strategic changes in your strategies based on feedback and results.

6. Operations Plan

The operations plan section of your business plan should outline the processes and procedures involved in your business operations, such as staffing requirements and operational processes. Here are a few components to add to your operations plan:

• Staffing & Training: Mention your facility management business’s staffing requirements, including the number of employees or maintenance and management staff needed. Include their qualifications, the training required, and the duties they will perform.
• Operational Process: Outline the processes and procedures you will use to run your facility management business. Your operational processes may include onboarding clients, creating a strategy plan, offering services, billing accounts, and training employees.
• Equipment & Machinery: Include the list of equipment and machinery required for facility management, such as cleaning and maintenance equipment, protective gear, mechanical equipment, fire safety tools, etc.Explain how these technologies help you maintain quality standards and improve the efficiency of your business operations.

Adding these components to your operations plan will help you lay out your business operations, which will eventually help you manage your business effectively.

7. Management Team

The management team section provides an overview of your facility management business’s management team. This section should provide a detailed description of each manager’s experience and qualifications, as well as their responsibilities and roles.

• Founders/CEO: Mention the founders and CEO of your facility management company, and describe their roles and responsibilities in successfully running the business.
• Key managers: Introduce your management and key members of your team, and explain their roles and responsibilities.It should include, key executives(e.g. COO, CMO.), senior management, and other department managers (e.g. operations manager, facility manager, project manager.) involved in the operations, including their education, professional background, and any relevant experience in the management industry.
• Organizational structure: Explain the organizational structure of your management team. Include the reporting line and decision-making hierarchy.
• Compensation Plan: Describe your compensation plan for the management and staff. Include their salaries, incentives, and other benefits.
• Advisors/Consultants: Mentioning advisors or consultants in your business plans adds credibility to your business idea.So, if you have any advisors or consultants, include them with their names and brief information consisting of roles and years of experience.

This section should describe the key personnel for your facility management services, highlighting how you have the perfect team to succeed.

8. Financial Plan

Your financial plan section should provide a summary of your business’s financial projections for the first few years. Here are some key elements to include in your financial plan:

• Profit & loss statement: Describe details such as projected revenue, operational costs, and service costs in your projected profit and loss statement . Make sure to include your business’s expected net profit or loss.
• Cash flow statement: The cash flow for the first few years of your operation should be estimated and described in this section. This may include billing invoices, payment receipts, loan payments, and any other cash flow statements.
• Balance Sheet: Create a projected balance sheet documenting your facility management business’s assets, liabilities, and equity.
• Break-even point: Determine and mention your business’s break-even point—the point at which your business costs and revenue will be equal.This exercise will help you understand how much revenue you need to generate to sustain or be profitable.
• Financing Needs: Calculate costs associated with starting a facility management business, and estimate your financing needs and how much capital you need to raise to operate your business. Be specific about your short-term and long-term financing requirements, such as investment capital or loans.

Be realistic with your financial projections, and make sure you offer relevant information and evidence to support your estimates.

9. Appendix

The appendix section of your plan should include any additional information supporting your business plan’s main content, such as market research, legal documentation, financial statements, and other relevant information.

• Add a table of contents for the appendix section to help readers easily find specific information or sections.
• In addition to your financial statements, provide additional financial documents like tax returns, a list of assets within the business, credit history, and more. These statements must be the latest and offer financial projections for at least the first three or five years of business operations.
• Provide data derived from market research, including stats about the facility management industry, user demographics, and industry trends.
• Include any legal documents such as permits, licenses, and contracts.
• Include any additional documentation related to your business plan, such as product brochures, marketing materials, operational procedures, etc.

Use clear headings and labels for each section of the appendix so that readers can easily find the necessary information.

Remember, the appendix section of your facility management business plan should only include relevant and important information supporting your plan’s main content.

The Quickest Way to turn a Business Idea into a Business Plan

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This sample facility management business plan will provide an idea for writing a successful facility management plan, including all the essential components of your business.

After this, if you still need clarification about writing an investment-ready business plan to impress your audience, download our facility management business plan pdf .

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Frequently asked questions, why do you need a facility management business plan.

A business plan is an essential tool for anyone looking to start or run a successful facility management business. It helps to get clarity in your business, secures funding, and identifies potential challenges while starting and growing your business.

Overall, a well-written plan can help you make informed decisions, which can contribute to the long-term success of your facility management company.

Where to find business plan writers for your facility management business?

There are many business plan writers available, but no one knows your business and ideas better than you, so we recommend you write your facility management business plan and outline your vision as you have in your mind.

What is the easiest way to write your facility management business plan?

A lot of research is necessary for writing a business plan, but you can write your plan most efficiently with the help of any facility management business plan example and edit it as per your need. You can also quickly finish your plan in just a few hours or less with the help of our business plan software .

How detailed should the financial projections be in my facility management business plan?

The level of detail of the financial projections of your facility management business may vary considering various business aspects like direct and indirect competition, pricing, and operational efficiency. However, your financial projections must be comprehensive enough to demonstrate a comprehensive view of your financial performance.

Generally, the statements included in a business plan offer financial projections for at least the first three or five years of business operations.

What key components should a facility management business plan include?

The following are the key components your facility management business plan must include:

• Executive summary
• Business Overview
• Market Analysis
• Products and services
• Sales and marketing strategies
• Operations plan
• Management team
• Financial plan

Can a good facility management business plan help me secure funding?

Indeed. A well-crafted facility management business will help your investors better understand your business domain, market trends, strategies, business financials, and growth potential—helping them make better financial decisions.

So, if you have a profitable and investable business, a comprehensive business plan can certainly help you secure your business funding.

About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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• Resources for Entrepreneurs > How to Start a Business > How to Start a Small Business

How to Start a Facilities Management Business

How to Start a Small Business

Starting a facilities management business can get you on the path to a secure financial future but it's important to plan out the business in detail before you start. We offer a few secrets to develop the business successfully.

Wondering how to start a facilities management business? We take you step-by-step from start to success.

Get a few contracts with local office buildings and your facilities management startup will be off and running.

Getting a Handle on the Facilities Management Industry

The facilities management field is a deliberately broad business category, encompassing a diverse range of multidisciplinary specialties and job functions. Facility management companies provide maintenance and/or management services for commercial and industrial buildings. However, the scope of provided services varies widely, from daily maintenance tasks to the implementation of sophisticated environmental management systems.

Given the breadth of the industry, startup entrepreneurs in facilities management need to quickly assess their capabilities and identify the specializations they can deliver to clients. While some startups launch as full facilities management providers, others choose to focus on safety, maintenance, fire prevention, security, environmental compliance or other sub-fields as a gateway to the industry.

Guidelines for Facility Management Startups

Many facility management entrepreneurs dream about owning a large management corporation that caters to a high profile client list. Dreaming big is a good thing for entrepreneurs . . . But the most important thing is getting your foot in the door and getting your business off the ground as quickly as possible.

• Start small . In the facility management business, there is absolutely nothing wrong with starting small . For example, instead of holding out for a management contract with a major entertainment venue, launch your business with a handful of local office buildings. As your business grows, you will learn valuable lessons and establish a reputation that makes it easier to land larger clients.
• Hire strategically . While it might be nice to have an authority on green building management on your staff, a more strategic hiring approach might be to hire an individual who has above average skills in multiple management disciplines so the hire can be deployed on multiple types of job sites.
• Build a portfolio . Income is great, but every client you acquire should have strategic value for your portfolio. It takes time and effort to identify, target and secure specific clients in your market. However, the payoff will be a client portfolio that demonstrates an increasing scope of responsibilities and a robust client list that can be mined for referrals .

How to Write an Effective Facilities Management Company Business Plan

A business plan isn't just another startup formality. It's a core business document that will guide your facilities management business's decisions and activities on a go-forward basis.

Accuracy and an eye for detail count when writing a business plan. To be reliable, your business plan can't include best guesses or intentional exaggerations.

The more effort you invest in the details of your plan, the greater the payoff you will receive from your efforts. As a further guide, consider what the experts say about business plan writing .

Look Over the Competition

Prior to launching a facilities management business in your town, it's worthwhile to find out how you will fit in the competitive landscape. We've provided the link below to help you get a list of local competitors nearby. Just enter your city, state and zip code to get a list of facilities management businesses in your community.

• Search for Facilities Management Businesses Near You

Gain a knowledge of how existing firms have positioned themselves in the marketplace, and then design your business in a way that sets you apart from the others.

Getting Advice from Experienced Entrepreneurs

As part of your due diligence on opening a facilities management business, it's essential that you learn as much as you can from somebody who is already in the business. If you think owners of nearby facilities management businesses will give you advice, think again. What's in it for them?

On the other hand, an individual who has a facilities management business in a different city can be a great learning resource for you, as long as they don't view you as a competitive threat. Many business owners are happy to give advice to new entrepreneurs. Our estimate is that you may have to contact many business owners to find one who is willing to share his wisdom with you.

Where do you find a facilities management business manager who is willing to advise you because you live in different cities?

Simple. Let your fingers do the walking by using the link below.

• Research Facilities Management Business Owners In Other Cities

Guidelines for a Facilities Management Business Acquisition

It's fairly common for facilities management business entrepreneurs to gain entry through a business acquisition.

Although buying a facilities management business offers several advantages for startup entrepreneurs, there are still several key factors to consider . First and foremost, it's important to make sure the business is the right fit for your personal and professional goals.

Once you have determined that the facilities management business is an appropriate match for your goals, you will need to skillfully negotiate on price and perform a thorough due diligence process before you finalize the deal.

Explore Franchising Options

The odds of achieving your top business goals are much greater when you franchise in lieu of doing everything yourself.

As part of your process in starting a facilities management business, it's worthwhile to determine whether there are good franchise opportunities available that might increase your chances of success.

The link below gives you access to our franchise directory so you can see if there's a franchise opportunity for you. You might even find something that points you in a completely different direction.

• Real Estate Franchises for Sale

Related Articles on Starting a Company

These additional resources regarding starting a business may be of interest to you.

How to Find Angel Investors

Free Business Plan Templates

Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

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Strategic facility planning: an overview, the process and importance

Home » Insights » Consulting » Strategic facility planning: an overview, the process and importance

Growth is the objective for most businesses. And while you plan for that growth, you need to consider, among other factors, whether you have the space to expand your business. Strategic facility planning helps organizations set the strategic direction for all further planning activities.

What is Strategic Facility Planning?

Strategic facility planning (SFP) is a structured planning process that helps organizations align their short and long-term facility plans with their business plans. The SFP process typically includes the entire real estate (network or facility) portfolio, although it can also focus on a single aspect of the plan. It is a data-driven, defensible, high-level look at what facilities and strategic solutions are needed for an organization to achieve its business goals.

Strategic facility planning is the first phase of the overarching facility planning process.

The facility planning process includes three steps:

• Strategic facility planning (SFP): a two-to-ten-year plan that defines the facility needs, at a high level, for an organization to successfully achieve their business plan.
• Master or campus planning (MP): a physical plan that organizes a site or campus, the facility and infrastructure that is needed to implement the SFP.
• Tactical facility planning: the execution of the master plan with detailed programming and conceptual design solutions. Tactical planning also includes the day-to-day workspace planning that is needed for an organization to operate.

Many organizations use “master plan” as an all-encompassing term that groups together the strategic facility plan and master plan. But there are differences between the two and it’s important to recognize them as separate steps in the planning process.

The SFP process answers questions and identifies the facility requirements needed to meet your short and long-term goals. With the right people and data, the SFP process can quickly and accurately look at an organization’s facility demands, gaps, and help guide an organization toward a more efficient and cost-effective facility strategy to inform the development of a full master plan.

Translating the business plan to a facility plan

The first objective of strategic facility planning is to clearly define the facility implications of your business plan for both the near and long term.  For most SFPs a near-term planning horizon is 3-5 years, and the long term is 6-10+ years.

For some organizations, the business plan is simple. They want to grow by a certain percent per year with accompanying revenue, expenses, and profit goals. For others, the business plan also includes strategies to respond to changing markets or demographics, a change in its distribution network, the adoption of new technologies, or perhaps potential mergers and acquisitions. For a complex organization, the list of business drivers can be quite extensive.

Given that the cost of facilities is predictably the second largest expense line item for most organizations (payroll is the number one expense), it would serve any organization well to not only have a robust business plan but to also have a dynamic strategic facility plan to understand and predict its facility expenses as the business changes.

Kicking off the strategic facility plan process

The SFP kick-off meeting must focus on communicating the business goals, assumptions to be made, and questions that need to be answered.

The SFP process begins with a review of the business plan. Some of the most important points to discuss include goals for growth, pipeline of products that will trigger that growth, as well as any other business drivers, growth initiatives and/or operational changes that are envisioned for the planning horizon (typically 3-10 years). The goal is to get a comprehensive picture of the business and where you want to take it in as much detail as necessary to be able to lay out the facility implications.

Who is involved in this initial SFP meeting? C-suite executives and directors/managers that can speak to the organization’s current and future business and operations, and those empowered to make appropriate business, operations, and facility assumptions.

DOWNLOAD THE PDF

downloadable strategic facility planning checklist for biopharma

Making assumptions

Once you have laid out your organization’s business and operational plans, the next step is to clearly define what assumptions are being made about the facilities and operations. For example, an organization with a large manufacturing operation may do all their quality control testing activities in-house. If the organization is planning to grow manufacturing, it stands to reason that the supporting testing operations may also need to grow, unless excess testing capacity currently exists (more on that later).

Alternatively, these types of testing services can be outsourced. So, what is the assumption for the future? Testing in-house or outsourced? Does a deeper study need to be triggered to compare the costs? During the kick-off meeting, develop a list of assumptions, determine if those assumptions need to be challenged, and identify potential follow-up actions. This will ultimately inform the strategic facility plan.

Here is the key – as the SFP is revisited annually (ideally), these assumptions may need to change. And that is OK. Having a comprehensive list of the assumptions at the forefront of the SFP deliverable is critical to understanding the SFP findings and recommendations, and it allows the SFP to evolve and change with changes to the business.

SFP answers strategic questions

Given that facilities are a major cost item on the expense side of the P&L, many organizations leverage the SFP process to answer strategic questions about their growth.

• For example, if an organization has an urgent need to add expand its product line to serve a new market sector, they may use the SFP process to help them answer the question, “What is the quickest, most cost-effective way to bring on new warehouse space?”  
• In the case of our manufacturing/testing example, the client may have limited lab capacity so the question to be answered might be, “ How much can we increase our manufacturing before we need new lab space?” typically followed by, “How much additional lab space is needed to support the 10-year manufacturing demand? ”
• With the rapid global spread of COVID-19, many organizations are now asking the question, “ How do I need to adjust my facilities for a pandemic?”

Identifying the facility demand for the entire portfolio

While organizations often focus on the revenue-producing part of their business and facilities (i.e., manufacturing), a good strategic facility plan should evaluate the entire real estate and space portfolio to identify the entire facility demand implicated by the business plan . To continue building on our example from above, an increase in manufacturing will likely trigger the need for additional warehouse space and even offices—beyond those additional testing labs.

Developing a baseline for SFP with data-driven analytics

While the SFP process identifies what facilities are needed for the organization to meet its goals and objectives of the business plan, this can only start with a comprehensive understanding of your current facilities’ capacity and utilization. Work with the day-to-day operational managers to understand how well the existing facilities are operating and where opportunities and limitations currently exist for adding capacity and/or increasing utilization. In other words, you need to know what you have before you can define what you need.

In the case where an organization is completely new and has no existing facilities, CRB leverages benchmarks from other similar facilities to make assumptions regarding space utilization, capacity, and facility demand. In a nutshell, the SFP process lays out the facility supply, facility demand, and facility gaps for the organization for the specified planning horizon.

Leverage the organization’s space management data

In addition to talking with managers and compiling operational data, leverage a space management tool for SFP to establish the facility supply (baseline). Most organizations that have more than 250,000 square feet of facility space have adopted (and are using for tactical space planning) an Integrative Workplace Management System or IWMS . If populated correctly, this database contains helpful information for every room in every building. Most importantly, this provides quick access to floor plans, square footage, and space utilization. With this database in hand, you can quickly assess your organization’s baseline supply for the SFP and add attributes and additional data points as needed for establishing the facility gaps.

Understanding utilization and capacity of existing facilities is key

The next step is to develop a deeper understanding of both the utilization and capacity of the existing facilities and develop planning metrics that capture this information. This is where SFP can help an organization develop the most appropriate approach given the nature of the space functions and the data available. Each space function will likely have a different strategy for establishing capacity, and corresponding metrics once the current utilization is understood. Lab capacity may be driven by samples, equipment, or even headcount. The capacity of a warehouse, on the other hand, will be driven by storage pallets; and offices will most likely be organized by headcount and/or seats.

The SFP must identify, for each space function, the existing utilization and capacity as well as future potential capacity if the utilization strategy is changed. Existing and future utilization may require a deeper dive into the operations to identify specific strategies to improve efficiency and increase capacity – thus addressing the facility demand and minimizing the gaps. For example, an existing manufacturing floor or warehouse may not be efficiently organized from an equipment layout and operational flow perspective. It is not uncommon for CRB to assist companies to “re-work” their production and warehouse spaces to increase capacity and defer spending capital on new facilities.

Identifying and communicating the facility gaps

Once you determine the baseline facility supply and forecast the facility demand, you can develop the gap analysis. The facility gap analysis gets the most attention in the SFP process because it provides the unmet facility demand data. With a robust data-driven SFP process, these gaps are very defensible, providing leverage to make strategic decisions about future growth and capital planning . However, these gaps are identified based on the many assumptions you’ve made about your organization’s business drivers and operations.

Gap Analysis Chart

Re-stacking strategies allowed the square footage of the warehouse to reduce from 33 percent of the total space portfolio to 11 percent.

Case in point: CRB provided a strategic facility plan for a growing biopharma client. Our team worked with the client’s leadership to translate projected manufacturing forecasts to space and facility demands. Three major demand drivers impacted the facility gap analysis:

• Production and equipment forecasts
• Supply chain pallet forecasts
• Head-count projections

Reducing the gap by optimizing warehouse space CRB determined that additional space was required to accommodate manufacturing growth. Being located adjacent to the warehouse created an opportunity to leverage an underutilized space for this growth. Re-stacking strategies allowed the square footage of the warehouse to reduce from 33 percent of the total space portfolio to 11 percent. This provided enough space for manufacturing to add the equipment needed to meet the five-year production forecasts.

Revisiting assumptions to minimize the gaps

When the facility gaps are large, you need to revisit the assumptions made about operations and utilization. In our testing lab example from above, the lab may currently operate from 8 am – 5 pm, five days a week. Because this is the current work culture, it was likely the assumption for the SFP analysis. But what happens if a second shift is added for lab testing? Or even a third shift? Assuming this is a doable strategy and aligns with the manufacturing schedule, it could potentially reduce the testing lab space demand considerably. In this case, the organization may also explore potential outsourcing of select lab tests to reduce in-house lab demand.

The most common assumptions to be re-visited to help minimize the facility/space gaps include the following:

• Outsourcing
• Headcount reduction/automation
• Operations improvements (more efficient equipment and/or space layout)
• Shared and multi-use spaces
• Shared instead of dedicated office seats

Developing strategic facility options and scenarios

The final step in the SFP process is to lay out all the credible strategic facility solutions to address the facility gaps. You may develop solutions to correspond to different operational assumptions. There may also be a series of options that align with various real estate opportunities. Clearly define each option, and identify the pros and cons. Additionally, develop and consider both capital and operational costs.

During this process we develop and consider both capital and operational costs.

Example heat map from a gene therapy client's SFP

Once all the quantitative data about each option is defined, it is important to add any qualitative criteria that would influence the viability and success of the strategic planning options. For example, a facility planning option may work great from a space layout perspective, but the implementation of it may significantly disrupt current operations, making that option very costly. Supply chain and regulatory impacts must also be considered as appropriate. Also, worth noting are impacts to employees. When considering real estate options, for example, employees can be significantly affected if a new facility on a campus is out of a comfortable walking range from their current workspace, or if a new real estate option extends their commute distance.

Once you have identified all the qualitative and qualitative evaluation criteria, you can score and weigh the options. A heat map is a valuable tool to leverage for evaluating and comparing strategic planning options and presenting them to executives and decision-makers.

The SFP process is a thoughtful, robust, and necessary step for any organization whose business is growing or changing in some fashion. Whether you are a manufacturer looking to expand into new markets, or a university looking to change the way students learn on a campus, SFP is a necessary first step in the facility planning process.

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Table of contents, unveiling the ultimate facility management business plan.

• 2 April, 2024

Introduction to Starting a Facility Management Business

When considering starting a facility management business, it is crucial to have a solid understanding of the field and the benefits it can provide. Facility management services play a vital role in supporting business activities by effectively managing and maintaining various aspects of a facility, allowing companies to focus on their core services and improve overall service quality.

Understanding Facility Management

Facility management encompasses a range of services aimed at creating and maintaining a secure and efficient environment for businesses. It involves the management and maintenance of business processes, ensuring that facilities operate smoothly and effectively. This includes tasks such as maintenance and repairs, security management, space planning, energy management, and more.

By outsourcing facility management services, businesses can leverage the expertise of professionals in the field, benefiting from their specialized knowledge and experience. This allows companies to optimize their operations, streamline processes, and enhance overall efficiency. An effective facility management strategy creates a safe, functional, and productive environment for employees and customers alike.

Benefits of Starting a Facility Management Business

Starting a facility management business presents numerous benefits for both the business owner and clients. Some of the key advantages include:

Enhancing Efficiency and Reducing Costs : A well-managed facility can significantly improve operational efficiency and reduce costs. By implementing effective maintenance programs, optimizing space utilization, and utilizing energy-efficient practices, businesses can streamline their operations and achieve cost savings.

Improving Workplace Safety and Security : Facility management includes ensuring workplace safety and security, which is crucial for the well-being of employees and the protection of assets. Implementing robust security measures, conducting regular safety inspections, and maintaining compliance with regulations contribute to a secure working environment.

Optimizing Space Utilization : Facility managers can analyze space utilization and make recommendations to optimize its usage. This may involve redesigning layouts, implementing flexible workspaces, or identifying underutilized areas for repurposing.

Ensuring Business Continuity : Facility management plays a vital role in maintaining the continuity of business operations. By implementing disaster recovery plans, conducting regular equipment maintenance, and ensuring backup systems are in place, facility managers help minimize disruptions and keep businesses running smoothly.

Implementing Sustainable Practices : Environmental sustainability is a growing concern for businesses. Facility management can help implement sustainable practices such as energy-efficient lighting, waste reduction programs, and water conservation measures. By focusing on sustainability, businesses can reduce their environmental impact and enhance their public image.

By starting a facility management business, entrepreneurs have the opportunity to provide essential services to businesses across various industries. By understanding the field of facility management and its benefits, aspiring business owners can lay the groundwork for a successful venture.

Planning for a Successful Facility Management Business

To ensure the success of a facility management business, thorough planning is essential. This section will cover the key components of planning for a successful facility management business, including defining the problem and opportunity, analyzing options and solutions, planning implementation and evaluation, stakeholder engagement and alignment, as well as incorporating innovation and best practices.

Defining the Problem and Opportunity

The first step in planning for a successful facility management business is clearly defining the problem or gap that the project or initiative aims to address. This could be related to the performance, efficiency, compliance, sustainability, or quality of the facility management services or assets. It is important to gather data and evidence to support the claims, aligning the problem and opportunity with the organization’s strategy and objectives. Identifying the problem and opportunity allows for a focused approach to developing solutions and achieving desired outcomes.

Analyzing Options and Solutions

The second step involves analyzing the possible options and solutions to address the identified problem and opportunity. This analysis should include comparing costs, benefits, and impacts of each option. Methodologies such as cost-benefit analysis, life cycle costing, or return on investment can be used to assess and evaluate the options. It is crucial to consider the risks and uncertainties associated with each option to recommend the most feasible and desirable solution.

Planning Implementation and Evaluation

The next step is to plan the implementation and evaluation of the chosen option or solution. This involves outlining the scope, schedule, budget, resources, roles, responsibilities, key performance indicators (KPIs), targets, and milestones to measure progress and outcomes. It is important to monitor, report, and communicate the results and impacts to relevant stakeholders and audiences. By establishing a comprehensive implementation and evaluation plan, the facility management business can ensure the effective execution and continuous improvement of its operations.

Stakeholder Engagement and Alignment

Demonstrating stakeholder engagement and alignment is another crucial component of planning for a successful facility management business. Engaging with key stakeholders, both internal and external, and aligning the project or initiative with their interests, expectations, and concerns is essential. By involving stakeholders in the development and delivery of the project, and ensuring alignment with the organization’s vision, mission, values, and culture, the facility management business can foster collaboration and support.

Incorporating Innovation and Best Practices

Lastly, a successful facility management business plan should highlight how the project or initiative incorporates innovation and best practices in facility management. This includes showcasing the use of new technologies, methods, or approaches to enhance facility management services or assets. Following relevant standards, guidelines, or frameworks in the industry is also crucial. Providing examples or benchmarks of successful facility management projects or initiatives in other organizations or sectors can inspire innovation and drive continuous improvement.

By carefully considering and incorporating these components into the planning process, a facility management business can set a solid foundation for success. It ensures that the business is well-prepared to address challenges, seize opportunities, and deliver high-quality facility management services to meet the needs of its clients and stakeholders.

Setting Goals and Objectives for a Facility Management Business

To ensure the success of a facility management business, it’s essential to set clear goals and objectives that align with the organization’s mission and vision. These goals should focus on enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, improving workplace safety and security, optimizing space utilization, ensuring business continuity, and implementing sustainable practices.

Enhancing Efficiency and Reducing Costs

Enhancing efficiency and reducing costs are fundamental goals for any facility management business. By streamlining processes, eliminating waste, and implementing best practices, facility managers can optimize operations and maximize resource utilization. This includes effective planning and scheduling of maintenance activities, implementing energy-saving initiatives, and adopting technology solutions to automate manual tasks and improve overall efficiency. According to UpKeep , enhancing efficiency and reducing costs are key goals that can be achieved with actionable implementation strategies.

Improving Workplace Safety and Security

Ensuring a safe and secure work environment is paramount for a facility management business. Facility managers should prioritize the implementation of safety protocols, regular equipment inspections, and proactive measures to prevent accidents and injuries. This includes maintaining proper ventilation systems, conducting regular risk assessments, and providing adequate training to employees. By focusing on workplace safety and security, facility managers can enhance employee well-being, reduce potential liabilities, and create a positive work environment.

Optimizing Space Utilization

Optimizing space utilization is essential for maximizing the efficiency of a facility. Facility managers should strive to make the most of available space by analyzing occupancy patterns, identifying underutilized areas, and implementing space management strategies. This may involve reconfiguring layouts, implementing hot-desking or flexible workspace arrangements, and utilizing space management software to track occupancy and utilization rates. By optimizing space utilization, facility managers can create a more productive and collaborative work environment while reducing unnecessary rental or maintenance costs.

Ensuring Business Continuity

Business continuity is a critical objective for facility management businesses. Facility managers should develop robust plans and protocols to ensure the continuous operation of essential services, even during unforeseen events or emergencies. This includes implementing backup power systems, establishing emergency response procedures, and maintaining regular communication channels with stakeholders. By prioritizing business continuity, facility managers can minimize disruptions, protect assets, and maintain a high level of service reliability.

Implementing Sustainable Practices

In today’s environmentally conscious society, implementing sustainable practices is an important goal for facility management businesses. Facility managers should strive to reduce the environmental footprint of their operations by implementing energy-efficient measures, waste reduction initiatives, and green building practices. This may involve adopting renewable energy sources, implementing recycling programs, and promoting water conservation. By prioritizing sustainability, facility managers can contribute to a healthier environment, enhance their organization’s reputation, and attract environmentally conscious clients.

Setting clear goals and objectives in these areas is vital for the success of a facility management business. By focusing on enhancing efficiency, improving workplace safety and security, optimizing space utilization, ensuring business continuity, and implementing sustainable practices, facility managers can create a well-rounded and successful business that meets the needs of both clients and stakeholders.

Budgeting and Cost Management for a Facility Management Business

Effective budgeting and cost management play a crucial role in the success of a facility management business. By carefully planning and monitoring expenses, facility managers can optimize resource allocation, prioritize maintenance and repairs, control costs, and ensure long-term financial stability. Let’s explore the key aspects of budgeting and cost management in the context of facility management.

Importance of Budgeting and Cost Management

Budgeting and cost management in facility management have far-reaching implications for overall operational effectiveness and efficiency. They impact resource allocation efficiency, prioritization of maintenance and repairs, operational performance, cost control and reduction, preventive maintenance strategies, strategic planning, decision-making, vendor and contractor management, compliance and risk management, asset lifecycle management, sustainability practices, performance monitoring and reporting, stakeholder communication, and long-term financial stability.

Types of Budgets in Facility Management

Managing a facility management business involves various types of budgets, each serving a specific purpose. Some common types of budgets in facility management include:

• Operating Budgets: These budgets cover day-to-day expenses, such as utilities, maintenance, cleaning services, and staffing.
• Capital Budgets: Capital budgets focus on long-term investments, such as renovations, equipment purchases, and facility upgrades.
• Cash Budgets: Cash budgets track the inflow and outflow of cash to ensure sufficient funds are available for ongoing operations.
• Master Budgets: Master budgets consolidate all the individual budgets to provide an overall financial plan for the facility management business.

Gathering Data and Historical Information

To prepare an accurate budget, facility managers must gather relevant data and historical information. This includes reviewing past financial statements, analyzing expenditure patterns, and identifying key performance indicators (KPIs) specific to facility management. By leveraging this data, facility managers can make informed financial decisions and allocate resources effectively ( LinkedIn ).

Estimating Maintenance and Repair Costs

Estimating maintenance and repair costs is a critical aspect of budgeting and cost management in facility management. Facility managers can conduct site inspections, create maintenance schedules, and analyze cost drivers and trends to make accurate cost estimations. By understanding the projected costs for maintenance, repairs, and upgrades, facility managers can allocate funds appropriately and ensure the facility remains in excellent condition ( LinkedIn ).

Budget Monitoring and Control

Once a budget is established, facility managers must actively monitor and control expenses to ensure adherence to the financial plan. This involves implementing tracking mechanisms, analyzing budget variances, taking corrective actions when necessary, maintaining financial transparency, optimizing budget allocations, and enhancing budget accuracy. Budget monitoring and control allow facility managers to effectively manage costs, prevent crises, and make adjustments as needed to stay within budgetary constraints ( LinkedIn ).

By prioritizing budgeting and cost management in a facility management business, facility managers can make informed financial decisions, optimize resource allocation, control costs, and ensure the long-term success and profitability of the business. This strategic approach enables facility managers to effectively manage facility operations while maintaining financial stability.

Market Research for Facility Planning in a Facility Management Business

In the process of starting a facility management business, conducting thorough market research is essential for effective facility planning. Market research provides valuable insights into various aspects that can impact the success of your facility. In this section, we will explore the importance of market research in facility planning, gauging community interest and feasibility, assessing market competition, and executing the vision for the facility.

Importance of Market Research in Facility Planning

Market research plays a crucial role in the facility planning process. It helps in gathering data and analyzing information that is vital for making informed decisions. By conducting market research, facility management businesses can gain a clear understanding of the needs and preferences of their target audience, allowing them to tailor their facilities to meet those demands. Without the right market research, bringing a facility planning project to completion can be challenging ( Sports Facilities Advisory ).

Gauging Community Interest and Feasibility

One important aspect of market research in facility planning is gauging community interest and feasibility. This involves conducting feasibility studies and assessing the practicality of the project based on market conditions. By understanding the community’s needs, preferences, and potential client base, facility management businesses can ensure the viability and success of their facilities. Gauging community interest helps in aligning the facility’s offerings with the demands of the target market.

Assessing Market Competition

Market research also helps in assessing market competition. By evaluating existing facilities in the area, facility management businesses can understand their strategies, strengths, and weaknesses. This knowledge can be incorporated into the facility planning process to make informed decisions and differentiate their offerings from the competition. By identifying gaps and opportunities in the market, businesses can position themselves effectively and develop a competitive edge ( Sports Facilities Advisory ).

Executing the Vision for the Facility

The ultimate goal of market research in facility planning is to aid in executing the vision for the facility. While an inspired vision is important, market research ensures that the vision can be realized and contributes to the success of the facility. By aligning the facility’s offerings with market demand, businesses can attract and retain customers, drive revenue, and achieve their goals. Market research provides valuable insights that guide the decision-making process and contribute to the overall success of the facility ( Sports Facilities Advisory ).

By conducting comprehensive market research, facility management businesses can make informed decisions, identify opportunities, and mitigate risks. This research helps in understanding the needs and preferences of the target audience, gauging community interest, assessing market competition, and executing the vision for the facility. Incorporating market research into the facility planning process is crucial for the long-term success and sustainability of the facility.

Facility Management Planning for Success

To ensure the success of a facility management business, it is crucial to develop a comprehensive facility management plan. This plan acts as a roadmap, guiding the management and utilization of physical resources to achieve business goals. In this section, we will explore the key components of a facility management plan and the steps involved in its development.

Developing a Facility Management Plan

A facility management plan is a specific document that outlines the strategies and goals for managing an organization’s physical resources, such as buildings, equipment, and furniture. It serves as a blueprint for designing, constructing, maintaining, and upgrading facilities to maximize their value and contribute to the overall success of the business ( POC System ).

Essential Considerations for a Facility Management Plan

Several essential considerations should be taken into account when developing a facility management plan. These considerations ensure that the plan addresses the unique needs of the facility and aligns with the business objectives. They include:

• Safety and Security: Incorporating measures to enhance workplace safety and security, ensuring the well-being of employees and visitors.
• Open Communication: Establishing effective communication channels to facilitate feedback, address concerns, and foster a collaborative environment.
• Maintenance: Implementing a proactive maintenance strategy to minimize downtime, reduce repair costs, and prolong the lifespan of assets.
• Business Continuity: Developing strategies to ensure the uninterrupted operation of critical business functions in the event of disruptions or emergencies.
• Space Utilization: Optimizing the use of available space to maximize efficiency, enhance productivity, and support the evolving needs of the organization ( POC System ).

Optimizing space utilization is a crucial aspect of facility management planning. By utilizing space efficiently and maximizing the space utilization rate, businesses can make the most of their available resources. This includes implementing key metrics for space usage analysis, identifying underutilized areas, and exploring opportunities for flexible workspace arrangements. Effective space utilization contributes to improved employee productivity and reduced costs, making it a significant consideration in facility management planning.

Steps for Successful Facility Management Planning

Developing a facility management plan involves a series of steps to ensure its effectiveness and alignment with business goals. These steps include:

• Identifying the Current State: Assessing the existing facilities, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.
• Prioritizing Objectives: Determining the objectives that align with the organization’s overall business goals and vision.
• Creating an Actionable Plan: Developing a detailed plan of action, outlining the strategies and tasks required to achieve the defined objectives.
• Implementing the Plan: Executing the plan systematically, allocating resources, and engaging stakeholders to ensure successful implementation.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Regularly monitoring the progress of the plan, evaluating its effectiveness, and making necessary adjustments to optimize results ( POC System ).

Leveraging Automated Software for Facility Management

In today’s digital age, leveraging automated software can greatly enhance facility management planning. Software solutions, such as POC System’s Space Management Software, provide advanced features to streamline facility management processes. These tools offer functionalities to maximize space utilization, track maintenance schedules, manage assets, and generate insightful reports. By integrating automated software into facility management practices, businesses can improve efficiency, enhance communication, and achieve their facility management objectives more effectively ( POC System ).

By developing a well-structured facility management plan that addresses essential considerations, optimizes space utilization, and leverages automated software, businesses can set themselves up for success in the facility management industry. This plan serves as a valuable tool to guide decision-making, ensure operational efficiency, and contribute to the overall growth and sustainability of the business.

Components of a Successful Facility Management Business Case

To create a compelling and effective facility management (FM) business case, several key components need to be considered. These components help to define the problem, analyze options, plan implementation, engage stakeholders, and incorporate innovation and best practices. Let’s explore each of these components in detail.

Defining the Problem or Gap

The first component of a successful FM business case is defining the problem or gap that the project or initiative aims to address. This could be related to the performance, efficiency, compliance, sustainability, or quality of the FM services or assets. It is essential to use data and evidence to support claims and align the problem and opportunity with the organization’s strategy and objectives. By clearly defining the problem, decision-makers can understand the significance of the proposed solution and its potential impact ( LinkedIn ).

The second component involves analyzing the possible options or solutions to address the identified problem and opportunity. This analysis should include comparing costs, benefits, and impacts of each option. Methodologies like cost-benefit analysis, life cycle costing, or return on investment can be utilized to assess the feasibility and desirability of each option. It is also crucial to evaluate the risks and uncertainties associated with each solution to recommend the most suitable one for the FM business case ( LinkedIn ).

Planning the implementation and evaluation of the chosen option is the next important component of a successful FM business case. This involves outlining the scope, schedule, budget, resources, roles, responsibilities, key performance indicators (KPIs), targets, and milestones. By clearly defining these aspects, the progress and outcomes of the project can be effectively measured. Monitoring, reporting, and communicating the results and impacts to relevant stakeholders and audiences are crucial for successful implementation and evaluation.

The fourth component of a successful FM business case focuses on demonstrating stakeholder engagement and alignment. This involves engaging with key stakeholders, both internal and external, and aligning the project or initiative with their interests, expectations, and concerns. It is important to involve stakeholders in the development and delivery of the project and ensure alignment with the organization’s vision, mission, values, and culture. Clear communication and collaboration with stakeholders enhance their support for the proposed solution and increase the chances of successful implementation ( LinkedIn ).

The final component of a successful FM business case is incorporating innovation and best practices in facility management. This involves showcasing the use of new technologies, methods, or approaches to enhance FM services or assets. Adhering to relevant standards, guidelines, or frameworks in the industry is also important. Providing examples or benchmarks of successful FM projects or initiatives in other organizations or sectors helps to demonstrate the effectiveness and potential of the proposed solution. Incorporating innovation and best practices adds credibility to the business case and increases the likelihood of approval ( LinkedIn ).

By including these components in a facility management business case, you can create a comprehensive and persuasive argument that highlights the problem, proposes a suitable solution, and aligns with stakeholders’ interests and industry best practices. This approach increases the chances of success and support for your facility management project or initiative.

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Facility management refers to planning and overseeing all the physical resources of your organization, such as buildings, equipment, furniture, and more. To ensure good facility management, you first need to create a plan to design, construct, maintain, and upgrade your facilities to maximize their value and achieve your business goals.

A facility management plan is a specific document that outlines the strategies and goals for managing your organization's physical resources.

A successful facility management plan can help you minimize costs and efficiently manage your physical resources. For example, a facility management plan can help in real estate decision-making by providing insight into your planning, design, and space management operations.

What Should You Consider for Your Facility Management Plan?

Developing a good facility management plan is easier said than done, as the factors around it can differ based on your company's goals. Nevertheless, you should consider these universal tips:

Provide Safety and Security

The safety and security of your employees, visitors, and assets should be your top priority when developing a facility management plan. You can achieve your organization's safety goals by implementing access control measures such as key cards, alarm systems, and CCTV cameras throughout the facility.

Another important element of creating a safe and comfortable workspace is adhering to safety regulations such as having fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and wayfinding maps to exits in case of emergency.

■ Create an efficient wayfinding system with these best practices

Improve Communication

It's essential to ensure open communication between occupants, stakeholders, and other parties involved in your facility management. This can help clarify everyone's objectives and establish an open dialogue so that everyone's informed of any changes or improvements to the facilities.

In addition to boosting employee satisfaction , open communication will also allow your collaborators to express their concerns and doubts so you can address them before they turn into bigger issues.

Ensure Maintenance and Business Continuity

Planning for preventative maintenance, analyzing the elements that need maintenance or repair, creating budgets for these tasks, and preparing for unexpected problems are all key aspects to ensure your operations are uninterrupted.

To plan for maintenance and potential issues, you should consider implementing advanced maintenance management systems to better track and manage your assets. This will help to reduce costs and unexpected breakdowns to keep your business running smoothly.

■ Regular maintenance can allow for better facility management reports 

Optimize Space Utilization

 Space utilization is an important factor to consider when developing a facility management plan because optimizing space usage within your facility can boost employee productivity and reduce costs. Important space usage factors you should consider include:

• Office layout : Choose either an open or closed office layout based on your specific business needs.
• Design choices : Ensure your design creates an inviting environment within your facility while making the most out of the space.
• Eco-friendly spaces : Green workspaces can lower costs with more efficient energy use .
• Furniture and equipment : Make sure these elements are placed in the best positions where employees can easily access them and actually use them.
• Space flexibility : Opt for flexible workspaces that can easily be changed depending on your needs.

Taking these factors into account when calculating your space utilization rate can help ensure all areas of your facility are used to their full potential.

■ Ensure maximum space utilization using these key metrics 

4 Basic Steps for a Successful Facility Management Plan

If you're not sure where to start, take a look at these four basic steps for creating a successful facility management plan:

1. Identify the Current State of the Facility

By identifying the current state of the facility first, you create a baseline from which you can make decisions about budgeting, repair needs, and space utilization. It also provides insight into areas that need improvement, enabling you to focus your efforts on these critical points and maximize efficiency.

2. Prioritize Objectives

When developing a facility management plan, it's important to ensure it aligns with your overall business objectives to prevent wasting resources and halting progress.

If your business goal is to become more energy efficient, any facility improvements you make should reflect this goal. This could involve changes to the facility layout and implementing green workspaces.

By prioritizing your objectives, you can make sure your organization's efforts are focused on the right areas and your facility management contributes to your goals.

■ Improve your facility management with these essential KPIs 

3. Create and Implement a Plan

Once you've identified your objectives, you should conceive an actionable plan and set achievable timeframes.

If one of your goals is to switch to an open layout due to the benefits of open-space offices , your plan should outline the design choices, budgeting requirements, and furniture and equipment placement while specifying the expected completion dates for each point.

Once you have a plan in place, you should communicate it to everyone involved so they can perform their duties mindfully and with clear direction, thereby maximizing productivity and ensuring your objectives are met within the established timeline.

4. Monitor the Plan

Regularly monitoring the facility management plan is important to identify any shortcomings or inefficiencies and establish a success rate. This should involve regular check-ins with employees, creating maintenance reports, and changing the layout as necessary.

These steps will ensure that you can identify any issue early on and take corrective action quickly and efficiently while allowing for better decision-making in the future.

Automated Software Can Assist In Your Success

POC System: Office Space Management

When implementing a facility management plan, automated software like POC System's Space Management Software can be an invaluable asset. This useful tool offers the following features:

• Visual simulations to help with floor plan design 
• Streamlined booking of desks and meeting rooms
• Creating custom seating plans for maximum employee productivity
• Advanced analytics to evaluate the success of your objectives
• Real-time tracking of your current seating and office layout

These features can provide you with the tools you need to maximize space utilization and ensure your objectives are met within the set timeline.

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Easily Create a Successful Facility Management Plan

Creating a successful facility management plan that aligns with your overall business objectives can be highly beneficial to your organization's bottom line. This process should involve prioritizing objectives, creating and implementing an actionable plan, and regularly monitoring the facility space usage.

While this can be a daunting task, automated software like POC System's Space Management Software can make it a whole lot easier. With this tool, you can quickly develop an effective facility management plan and ensure your resources are being used in the most efficient manner.

■ Book a demo to explore POC's features

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Facilities Management Plan Template

What is a Facilities Management Plan?

A Facilities Management Plan outlines processes and procedures for managing a facility. It outlines strategies and goals for improving the efficiency, safety, and security of a facility and the people who work in it. It is important for facilities managers and teams to have a plan in place to ensure that the facility is managed in the most effective and efficient way possible.

What's included in this Facilities Management Plan template?

• 3 focus areas
• 6 objectives

Each focus area has its own objectives, projects, and KPIs to ensure that the strategy is comprehensive and effective.

Who is the Facilities Management Plan template for?

This Facilities Management Plan template is designed for facilities managers and teams in all industries who are looking for a way to create a plan for managing their facilities. This template provides a structure for creating a plan that can be adapted to fit the needs of any facility. It can also help facilities managers and teams stay organized and on track to achieving their goals.

1. Define clear examples of your focus areas

Focus areas are the primary goals that the Facilities Management Plan is designed to achieve. These focus areas can vary depending on the goals and needs of the facility, but some common examples include enhancing facility management, optimizing maintenance processes, and enhancing facility security. It is important to clearly define these focus areas as they will serve as the foundation for the rest of the plan.

2. Think about the objectives that could fall under that focus area

Objectives are the specific goals that need to be achieved in order to accomplish the focus area. For example, under the focus area of enhancing facility management, objectives could include improving communication between Facility Managers and staff and increasing the efficiency of facility management. Objectives should be specific and measurable.

3. Set measurable targets (KPIs) to tackle the objective

KPIs, or Key Performance Indicators, are measurable targets that are designed to track the progress of an objective. For example, an objective of increasing the efficiency of facility management could have a KPI of decreasing the time spent on daily tasks. KPIs should be measurable, achievable, and relevant to the objective.

4. Implement related projects to achieve the KPIs

Projects, or actions, are the steps that need to be taken in order to achieve the KPIs. For example, if the KPI is to decrease the time spent on daily tasks, a project could be to implement a facility management software. Projects should be specific and achievable.

5. Utilize Cascade Strategy Execution Platform to see faster results from your strategy

Cascade Strategy Execution Platform helps teams create, execute, and measure their strategic plans. Cascade makes it easy to create a plan and keep track of progress, and helps teams identify areas for improvement and take action quickly. With Cascade, teams can see faster results from their strategy.

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Elevating operations: a strategic approach to facilities management strategy.

A company's productivity is significantly affected by its facilities' operations and planning.  

Strategic solutions derived from effective facility design are essential for firms to sustain structure and productivity in the face of increasing use of remote, hybrid, and flexible work arrangements. 

Although, it could be difficult for a facilities manager to actively participate in f acilities management strategy discussions, doing so has been known to reportedly provide benefits in the long run.

In a way, it is all about making the workplace future-proof via data-driven research and solutions that concentrate on people. 

Having said that, any type of facilities maintenance strategy, whether it's confined to a set of offices, or more of a braod-range operation, calls for meticulous planning and execution at multiple levels.

Understanding this process from an operational efficiency point of view is crucial to whatever the term: "facilities management strategy" entails on your turf!

Here's an in-depth look at everything you need to know to get started in a hassle-free manner.

What is a Facilities Management Strategy?

Facility Maintenance Definition: Organizations utilize facility planning as a strategy to arrange their resources and physical spaces. It guarantees that workers have access to sufficient space and resources to carry out their jobs effectively and accomplish the company's objectives.

To implement strategic management of facilities , a company, and its facilities staff must shift their attention from short-term fixes to more long-term strategies and activities.

Rather than haphazardly assigning tools and workspace, this proactive method necessitates defining a plan for managing space and resources. To get insight into a space's use, it is common practice to gather statistics on occupancy and usage rates. 

The end purpose of facility planning is to make sure that businesses succeed by making sure that offices are good places to work.

The first step in f acilities management strategy that really helps your company succeed is figuring out how your workplace contributes to the bigger picture. Additional reasons for implementing strategic facilities management might include:

• Making the switch to hybrid work
• Bringing in and keeping the best talent
• Promoting a more cooperative and trustworthy culture
• Using environmentally friendly procedures at work

What is Integrated Facilities Management?

A comprehensive strategy for overseeing a company's infrastructure and physical assets is known as integrated facilities management (IFM).

Planned maintenance and repairs , energy management, space utilization, health and safety compliance, and property and asset management are just a few of the facility services that are integrated by IFM.

Organizations can now centralize operations and monitor their F acilities management strategy data from anywhere thanks to cloud-based technologies like Facilio.

What is a Strategic Facility Plan (SFP)

The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) recommends that managers familiarize themselves with the following three things before putting together a thorough Strategic Facility Plan (SFP): 

• The organization's core values (or evolving values) and how facilities should reflect those values; 
• A thorough evaluation of the facility (including its location, capabilities, and condition); 
• And, lastly, a basic comprehension of how the organization's objectives could lead to expansion or contraction in terms of facilities.

Managers will be functioning as a "strategic" support system if they can verify each of these benchmarks with the relevant departments and figure out how to back their organization's facilities maintenance goals and objectives while implementing efficient day-to-day protocols. 

This synthesis of "current" and "future" enables all stakeholders to optimally deal with incoming changes.

Key Pillars of Effective Facility Management Strategy

When creating a facilities management strategy , the following should be prioritized: 

• People: how can you meet the demands of your workers in this space so that they can give their all at work? What do your employees anticipate from this area?
• ‍ Technology: what are the necessary resources to improve efficiency, collect data for better-informed judgments, and organize the space?
• ‍ Building and landscaping: how does the actual location appear and work, with regard to the meeting rooms and workstations included?
• ‍ Methods and procedures: how might one go about implementing facilities management strategy in an organization to properly distribute space and resources?

Why is Facilities Management Strategy So Important?

In virtually every aspect of your company, including marketing, financial planning, product/service development, recruiting, etc., you exhibit a high level of strategic thinking.

Then why not turn your workplace into something you can track, evaluate, and get additional benefits from?

A f acilities management strategy should be implemented by businesses for many reasons, particularly when new methods of working become the norm. 

Hybrid work, for instance, can be accommodated by these groups. Utilizing appropriate facilities management strategies is essential for effectively overseeing on-site collaborative work. All it takes is the correct equipment to keep track of workers' whereabouts and when they clock in. 

• Boosting Your Workplace ROI

Renting or buying office space isn't inexpensive.

You want your investment to be worthwhile, especially in the hybrid workplace when fewer workers are physically present at the office on a daily basis.

A facilities management strategy can be beneficial.

One strategy to make your day-to-day work more relevant to your long-term objectives is to connect your workplace design and use it to a specific company goal or goals. What changes must be made in your workplace to improve the bottom line?

• Improve Workforce Productivity

When your facilities assist or hinder the efficiency of your workforce, it's easy to see how they contribute to your bottom line.

Keep in mind that the term "facilities" encompasses a wide range of components, such as thermostats, light switches, cleaning supplies, the reception desk, property upkeep, electrical testing, and much more.

Workers won't be as productive if they're either too hot or too cold. Warm workplaces are especially bad for productivity, which drops 2-4% for every degree Celsius over 27 degrees.  

Negligible electrical testing can result in serious consequences, including decreased productivity and trust in the area, when gadgets malfunction or become unsafe to use. 

Facilities management strategies, on the other hand, allow you to stay ahead of these problems by ensuring that your employees have the resources they need to thrive.

• Talent Acquisition

Attracting top talent doesn't need a ping-pong table or a slide in your workplace! Still, it must serve their purposes, be comfortable for them, and respect their beliefs and demands.

The pursuit of more diversity, equality, and inclusion makes this a priority. For some new workers, it's important to provide separate, private spaces where they can get some work done. 

To further promote a flat organizational structure, you can opt for a more casual, open-plan layout for your workplace. Office planning and facilities management are complementary processes; thus, you should first determine your facilities maintenance goals and objectives for the Employee Experience before developing a plan.

One other thing you can do to draw in new employees is to run your workplace sustainably.

After all, if given the chance to work for a more environmentally conscious company, 28% of US workers would think about leaving their present positions. Do you provide your facilities manager room to grow into a sustainable and strategic leader?

Of course, your company's flexibility to accommodate remote workers is a major selling point when it comes to attracting top talent. What the epidemic has shown us is that remote work is a huge selling feature, and companies should get on the bandwagon if they don't want to miss out.

How Do You Implement a Strategic Facility Management Plan?

Strategize your facilities management approach. It's a five-step process that takes into account all the people who have a stake in your office, their needs, and how your space can support your facilities maintenance goals and objectives

• Understand. Just think about where you are right now and where you want to be tomorrow.

The first thing to do when adopting strategic facilities management is to make a plan for how you will achieve your goals.

But just as crucial is figuring out how much money you have to put into the change, who has to be on board, and how long the process should take.

• ‍ Analyze. Your facilities management strategy requires an approach to implementation.

Utilize the wide variety of analytical tools and methodologies at your disposal to develop a plan for your operation. If you want to know how to contribute and what may go wrong with your strategy, a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis is a good place to start.

Including it in your strategy meetings and brainstorming sessions should make it easy to choose the next steps for the plan.

• ‍ Plan. Building an executable road plan requires using what you've learned in the previous two phases.

Outline the modifications you are making and the reasoning behind them in your plan.

After that, simplydocument the measures you will take to bring the project to fruition. Establish a timeline, define goals, and delegate responsibilities as necessary to ensure the strategy is carried out most efficiently. Think of it as a long-term plan that outlines how you will satisfy the requirements of the business.

• ‍ Act. Everything is set in motion after you have presented the f acilities management strategy and roadmap to top stakeholders and clarified the vision for them.

Just remember to highlight the advantages we discussed before to make your case more persuasive. But the hard work hasn't come to an end yet.

• ‍ Measure. In the long run, how can you tell whether your strategy for managing facilities is paying off?

What measures and benchmarks should be established to track the ongoing impact? Your facilities maintenance goals and objectives will dictate the metrics you use, but they will likely contain financial, cultural, and productivity-related data.

In the long run, the goal of strategic facilities management is to support your company's pursuit of excellence.

What are Your Typical Facility Management's Objectives?

There are a lot of moving parts in the management of facilities , but one of the most important is making sure the people who live or work in the building are safe, comfortable, and satisfied. All sorts of facilities can benefit from meeting the objectives set forth by facility management to achieve these facilities maintenance goals and objectives .

Communication with Stakeholders and Occupants

Managing a property effectively requires constant two-way contact with the building's tenants and other interested parties. Talking to them about their thoughts on the facility and getting their advice on how to make it safer and more comfortable is a great way to get to know them better.

Provide a Safe and Healthy Environment

We can save a lot of lives if we can identify potential hazards to people's health and figure out how to fix or eliminate them.

Because they are a necessary component of any structure, let's take restrooms as an example.

They can be made to feel as comfortable as possible throughout every visit by keeping them clean, smelling good, and providing enough amenities.

Be Mindful of Deficiencies

Over time, some issues might compromise a building's utility systems if not addressed. Inspections performed on a regular basis could reveal construction flaws and prevent more serious issues down the road. Performing these standard inspections every three to six months is the responsibility of the facility manager.

Improve and Endorse Energy Efficiency

It is possible to save money by making the building more energy efficient. The management can find out how much money is being wasted on water, gas, and electricity by reviewing the building's costs for these three things. 

Reduce and avoid more energy waste by investing in energy-saving equipment including energy-efficient light bulbs, upgrading current equipment, and closing up pipe leaks.

Business Continuity Planning

Running some facilities is dependent on machinery that is in good working order. An organization's critical assets and the risks that they face are detailed in a business continuity plan, which functions similarly to a backup plan. 

In addition to that, the f acilities management strategy outlines the potential impact on company operations in the event that the asset were to cease working.

If a company or institution has done its homework and has a solid strategy in place, it can keep running even if something unforeseen happens.

Building the Right Tech Stack To Support FM Initiatives with Xenia!

If you're using FM, your CMMS should make it easy to consolidate all facility management tasks.

You can't call it a comprehensive or integrated approach to facility management (FM) if your CMMS just supports asset management and proactive maintenance and suppliers and inventories need their software that won't interact with your CMMS.

The amount of human labor required to consolidate data across sheets or convert it into forms that the CMMS can read would still be twice as much for your teams. 

The results that FM guarantees would be difficult to get due to the delays, mistakes, and bottlenecks that would ensue.  

Thus, for an O&M ecosystem to be fully integrated, your CMMS should be thorough, adaptable, and user-friendly enough to link with all your current systems.

The following aspects and capabilities should be considered when evaluating CMMS software to implement your FM vision:

• Management of assets : Keep tabs on things like where assets are, what they're up to, and any warranty information with ease.
• ‍ Maintenance management: involves scheduling and tracking maintenance jobs, work orders, labor hours, and materials utilized.
• ‍ Work order management : create, assign, and monitor the progress, priority, and budget of all open work orders.
• ‍ Inventory management: includes keeping tabs on stock levels, where they are stored, and when they are due to expire.
• ‍ Reporting and analytics: Use data analysis and report generation to improve decision-making. Learn more about energy use, asset condition, and maintenance expenses.
• ‍ Collaboration: Coordinate closely with relevant parties across the company, including engineers, managers, and technicians.
• ‍ Optimization of assets: Identifying areas for improvement and making suggestions to optimize performance.
• ‍ Predictive maintenance : involves analyzing past data and current asset conditions to determine the likelihood of maintenance needs.

With a focus on f acility maintenance , Xenia's Connected CMMS allows for intelligent and real-time operations and maintenance through the use of modular solutions for managing facility conditions , assets, inventory, inspections, work orders, services, workplaces, and vendors.

With so many options, how does Xenia's Connected CMMS stand out from the competition?

By integrating people, procedures, and systems, Xenia's Connected CMMS allows you to manage operations on a portfolio scale from a single location with its multi-location capabilities.  

Next Steps 

To ensure your company's success, facility planning is essential.

Before diving into a facilities management plan, consider the needs of your team members to enable peak performance. Guaranteeing the effective execution of your f acilities management strategy requires the right technology and an employee-centric approach.

Successful businesses optimize their workplaces by setting measurable objectives, assessing their current state, staying abreast of emerging workplace trends, and implementing technological solutions. 

These steps naturally lead to increased productivity and efficiency. By taking these actions, your company can prepare for the future of work, characterized by more sustainable and adaptable environments desired by employees.

Interested in implementing these changes in your workplace? Optimize your office space and enhance staff satisfaction with Xenia. 

Try our software for free now!

Unify Team Operations, Maintenance and Safety Compliance with Xenia

Xenia unifies daily operations, maintenance management and quality assurance to help ensure teams and facilities are effective and efficient.

Our customers love Xenia's robust use cases including:

Operational Execution

✔️ checklists & sops.

Create checklists, SOPs, Inspections and Data Logs to power accountability, training and staff clarity on every task.

💪 Team Task Management

Assign work digitally to defeat pencil whipping and disorganized teams. Complete tasks, chat with teams on any device, track time, collect photos, and ensure high quality work.

📆 Recurring Tasks

Create recurring schedules for daily opening and closings, performance review meetings, inspections, cleanings and more.

📲 Chats & Announcements

Centralize team communications with in task chats, one-on-one chats, team messages and company wide announcements

📊 Team Performance Reporting

Use Xenia's analytics dashboards to view staff work reports. Filter by asset, location, category or due date and export the report in PDF or Excel

Maintenance Management

🛠️ work orders.

Create work orders with associated team, asset, location, priority, category and due date. View live progress reports on each work order, chat with teams, and review resulting template submission, images and notes to improve operations.

🧰 Preventive Maintenance

Create a preventive maintenance calendar to ensure asset uptime is not compromised. Attach images, templates, videos and notes to every task and assign to a team or individual for completion.

Generate and attach QR codes to equipment and facility locations to enable fast and accurate inspections and data logs.

⚙️ Work Order Requests

Receive, approve and assign work order requests from tenants, regular customers and vendors. Enable requesters to submit, track, and communicate with your team, without access to operations templates or unrelated work orders.

📁 Equipment Work History

View work history for every asset and sub asset in Xenia. Review performance data and enable corrective actions to improve your operation.

Safety Compliance & Quality Assurance

👍 concrete brand standards.

Put your brand standards in a clear and operational checklist to be attached to work assignments.

🔎 Smart Inspection Workflows

Xenia's operations template builder has built in conditional logic into each step. This allows you to trigger actions based on a form response such as creating a corrective action on a failed inspection step, sending a notification to management for out of range meter readings, and much more.

✨ Corrective Actions

Operationalize inspections with fast work order assignment arising from a failed inspection step. All corrective data is stored in the checklist submission for auditing and accountability.

📋 Analytics and Reports

View live dashboard summaries of tasks, employee performance, template submissions and more. Filter, organize and export compliance reports to PDF and Excel formats to simplify compliance management.

Why use Xenia in your operation?

Xenia is empowering hundreds of teams around the world to elevate their facility operations management. When implemented, Xenia offers benefits such as:

🦾 Reduce Manual Operations

With Xenia, you can schedule recurring tasks and work orders in minutes. Assigned employees will receive notifications and can complete work on their mobile device.

💯 Standardize Processes & Increase Accountability

Build custom checklists, SOPs, inspections, log books, surveys, meeting agendas and more with Xenia. Attach these to tasks and work orders to clarify work and collect crucial data such as photos, notes, time stamps and more.

🤩 Minimize Negative Reviews

Xenia's operations platform increases brand standards and speeds up issue resolution to ensure a positive guest experience. When things do go wrong, Xenia provides a central data suite to identify the root cause and execute intervention plans.

⚡ Speed Up Work Order Resolution Time

Enable any team member to report issues, damage or guest complaints directly on their mobile device. The necessary team will be notified and can resolve the issue immediately.

🏨 Minimize Equipment Downtime

With Xenia's preventive maintenance calendars and work order management, teams can centralize their asset maintenance and ensure every issue is prevented or corrected in short order. This saves teams thousands each year in avoidable repair fees.

🔐 Secure Data Storage

All data in Xenia is securely stored in the cloud for analysis and reporting. We do not delete historical data to ensure that you have a clear view of improvement over time.

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Developing a facility management strategy: key components for success

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, where 70% of operational costs are tied to facility management, developing a solid facility management strategy is not just beneficial—it’s essential. Facility management (FM) goes beyond overseeing physical buildings; it enhances the efficiency and longevity of an organization’s assets while ensuring a safe, productive working environment for all. 

But what makes a facility management strategy stand out, and how can companies tailor such a strategy to fit their unique needs? Let’s delve into the details.

What is a facility management strategy?

A facility management strategy is a comprehensive plan that outlines how an organization’s physical assets and environments will be managed and maintained to support its core business operations. It encompasses a wide array of functions, from space planning and infrastructure maintenance to safety protocols and environmental sustainability . The goal? Optimizing facility performance, extending asset life cycles , and ultimately, driving organizational efficiency and cost-effectiveness . The strategy goes beyond fixing what’s broken; it ensures the (proactive) creation of spaces that drive productivity and innovation.

4 reasons why companies have or need a facility management strategy

A well-defined FM strategy is the backbone of operational excellence. It enables businesses to:

• Reduce costs: by optimizing asset use and implementing preventive maintenance, companies can significantly lower operational expenses. The economic efficiency of predictive maintenance typically averages between 12% and 25%.
• Enhance safety and compliance: a strategic approach to FM ensures that facilities meet regulatory standards and provide a safe environment for employees and visitors.
• Boost productivity: well-maintained and efficiently managed facilities contribute to a more productive and satisfying work environment, directly impacting employee performance and happiness. Enhancing employee happiness can result in a 20% boost in productivity.
• Sustainability : incorporating green practices within FM strategies helps companies reduce their environmental footprint, aligning with global sustainability goals and brand ambitions.

Key components of a facility management strategy

An effective facility management (FM) strategy is multifaceted, designed to ensure the seamless operation and sustainability of a company’s physical assets and work environment. 

Asset management

At its core, it includes asset management , which is focused on maintaining and upgrading physical properties for optimal performance, such as implementing a preventive maintenance schedule for HVAC systems to extend their lifespan. By proactively scheduling maintenance tasks, companies can significantly lower the risk of equipment failure, increase uptime and availability of equipment, and reduce emergency repair costs.

Space optimization

Space optimization is another crucial component. This aspect involves the efficient use of workspaces to adapt to the company’s evolving needs and work styles, like reconfiguring office layouts to support hybrid work models.

Energy management

Energy management is key to reducing consumption and costs, with initiatives like retrofitting buildings with LED lighting to enhance energy efficiency while contributing to economic and environmental goals. Utilizing an Energy Management System (EMS) to oversee energy usage within your organization can result in potential energy savings of up to 30%.

Safety and compliance

Ensuring safety and compliance is foundational, requiring strategies to meet health, safety, and industry-specific regulatory standards. Regular safety drills and compliance audits are an integral part of a best-in-class facility management strategy.

Integration of technology

Lastly, the integration of modern technology , including IoT and AI, enhances facility management processes. For instance, , using smart sensors to monitor and adjust lighting and temperature in real-time for increased comfort and efficiency. Together, these building blocks form a comprehensive FM approach that supports the overall success and efficiency of property and facility operations.

Implementing the facility management strategy

Implementing a comprehensive facility management strategy is a critical process for organizations aiming to optimize their physical assets and work environments. This process involves a thoughtful blend of planning, technology, and best practices to ensure that facilities not only meet current operational needs but are also adaptable.

1) Assessment of the current facility management situation

First and foremost, strategic facility planning begins with a thorough assessment of your organization’s current facility management strategy. It’s crucial to have a clear picture of where your organization stands before mapping out where to go . This mapping involves evaluating your facility’s capacity and utilization: key indicators that guide decision-making in facility management. By understanding these elements, you can identify potential areas for improvement or expansion , ensuring that the facility management plan supports the organization’s long-term goals.

After understanding how the facility management currently performs, the next step is to understand what success looks like: is it about optimizing space utilization, enhancing employee productivity, or perhaps, implementing sustainable practices? Once these goals are defined, the next step is developing a facility management plan guide that outlines the specific steps needed to achieve these objectives.

In the journey of aligning facility management strategies with organizational goals, it’s crucial to view the facility management plan not just as a series of tasks to maintain physical assets but as a strategic framework that moves the organization forward. This alignment ensures that every decision made within facility management directly contributes to the broader objectives of the organization, be it enhancing productivity, sustainability, or employee well-being.

2) Implementing the plan in the organization

With a strategic plan in hand, the focus shifts to implementation. This phase involves putting the plan into action through detailed project management, resource allocation, and scheduling . It’s crucial to maintain open lines of communication with all stakeholders to ensure buy-in and to minimize disruptions to operations. Effective implementation also requires flexibility: unforeseen challenges may arise, necessitating adjustments to the plan. Monitoring progress against the plan’s milestones gives way to timely interventions and keeps the project on track.

To achieve this, facility managers must possess top-notch project management skills, carefully coordinating with vendors, contractors, and internal teams. They need to continuously align efforts and ensure all activities contribute to the strategic objectives . Their responsibilities often  involve overseeing renovations, deploying new technologies, and reconfiguring spaces to enhance efficiency and functionality.

3) Monitoring the facility management plan

Monitoring the facility management plan involves regular check-ins to assess performance against set objectives. This continuous oversight ensures that the operations align with the broader organizational strategy, allowing for real-time adjustments .

When evaluating, on the other hand, facility managers dive deeper into the data. They analyze data and feedback to understand the effectiveness of the facility management plan guide. This step is crucial in celebrating successes, identifying areas for improvement and taking action on these insights.

4) Evaluating and updating the strategy

Adaptation is the final, yet ongoing, phase. The business landscape is ever-changing, and so are the needs of the facilities. Adapting the facility management plan ensures that it remains relevant and effective . Whether it’s integrating new technologies, responding to shifts in workplace dynamics, or implementing sustainability initiatives, flexibility is key. By embracing a culture of continuous improvement, you ensure your facility management strategy not only meets but even exceeds expectations. This attitude and your corresponding actions help drive your organization towards its vision.

Keeping track of the facility strategy performance

Performance measurement is critical to the success of any FM strategy. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as operational costs, energy efficiency, and space utilization rates provide valuable insights into how well the strategy is working. Regular reviews and adjustments based on these metrics ensure the strategy remains aligned with organizational objectives and adapts to changing needs.

To track these KPIs , facility managers can leverage advanced facility management software and IoT sensors that collect real-time data , providing ongoing insights into facility operations. Analyzing trends and deviations in these KPIs helps in identifying areas that require attention. For instance, understanding the office space occupancy patterns, helps determine ways to reduce costs. Through this continuous cycle of measurement, analysis, and adjustment, facility performance can be systematically enhanced to meet and exceed organizational objectives.

How software enhances your facility management strategy

In the ever-evolving landscape of facility management, the integration of technology has become a cornerstone of the development and enhancement of facility management strategies. Spacewell stands at the forefront of this transformation, offering best-in-class, recognized solutions that seamlessly align with your facility management plan guide. Our software technology aids in simplifying operations and offers insights that enhance efficiency, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness in various aspects of facility management .

At the heart of our solutions is the ability to turn data into decisions . Our tools empower facility managers with real-time analytics and predictive maintenance capabilities, ensuring that every aspect of your facility management plan is optimized for peak performance.

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Plan template bundle, 8+ facility management plan templates in pdf, 1. simple facility management plan template, 2. free facility management plan template, 3. free facility management business plan template, 4. facility management infrastructure plan template, 5. climate research facility management plan template, 6. free facility management service plan template, 7. free facility asset management plan template, 8. property facility management work force plan template, 9. facilities strategic asset management plan template, how to create the facility management plan, what are the uses of the facility management plan, what are the benefits of the facility management plan, what are the purposes of the facility management plan.

The facility management plan is the formal planning instrument used by the organization to manage the current and future operations of the club facility. The plan is to put together to make sure the efficiency of operation is increased, saving them money over the life of your facility and even expand the overall lifespan of your facility. The quality, safety, and sustainability of the plan must be in the facility management plan. And, the plan to achieve these strategies.

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What is Facility Management? Core Functions, Challenges, Trends & More

Table of Contents

• What is Facility Management?
• Importance of Facility Management in Business Operations
• The Facility Management Quality Standard: ISO 41001:2018
• Key Components of Facility Management
• Operations and Management Strategies
• Facility Management Challenges
• How to Implement an Effective Facility Management Plan
• Types of Facility Management Software
• Best Practices for Facility Management Regulatory Compliance
• Latest Trends in Facility Management: Challenges & Opportunities
• Looking to the Future of Facility Management
• Frequently Asked Questions

Key Takeaway

• Facility management is integral to ensuring buildings and infrastructure function optimally, for better productivity, safety and cost efficiency. It includes a range of services, from maintenance to security, waste management, space utilization, and risk management.

Have you ever wondered how businesses keep their facilities running smoothly and efficiently? Facility management plays a crucial role in ensuring that buildings and infrastructure are well-maintained and operating at their best.

Facility management involves overseeing the maintenance, security, and overall operation of a building or facility. It encompasses a wide range of tasks, from managing utilities to coordinating maintenance schedules and ensuring compliance with safety regulations.

Effective facility management is essential for the success of any business. By properly managing facilities, organizations can improve productivity, reduce operational costs, and create a safe and comfortable environment for employees and customers. In this article, we’ll explore the key components of facility management and how it can benefit businesses of all sizes.

Facility management is the coordination of people, processes, and systems to ensure the functionality, comfort, safety, and efficiency of buildings and their supporting infrastructure. This includes managing maintenance , security, cleaning, catering, waste disposal, and other services to support the organization’s core activities.

Facility management is widely used across practically every sector to manage a variety of types of buildings and facilities , such as:

• Office buildings
• Manufacturing plants
• Industrial facilities
• Laboratories
• Retail spaces
• Healthcare facilities
• Education facilities
• Government facilities
• Military facilities
• Restaurants

Significant sectors within facility management include healthcare, government, education, military and defense, and real estate, with real estate being the largest segment , followed by other unclassified industries. Education rounds out the top three and is followed by healthcare, military, and defense.

Government is the smallest sector in global facilities management, but it’s expected to experience progressive growth due to an increased government focus on infrastructure investments. 

The healthcare sector is expected to see considerable growth due to an increase in healthcare facilities​. Additionally, the real estate sector is expected to grow globally due to expansion in construction and development.

Hard Services vs. Soft Services

There are two main categories of facility management services :

• Hard Facility Management Services: These services refer to the physical assets and infrastructure within a facility that require maintenance and management. This can include services related to building systems (e.g., fire systems and plumbing), equipment, utilities (e.g., electrical, HVAC, and lighting), and building maintenance (e.g., replacing damaged doors or windows, roof repair, etc.).
• Soft Facility Management Services: These services refer to the non-physical aspects of facility management that focus on creating a positive and productive environment for occupants. This can include services related to space management, cleaning and waste management, security, landscaping, catering, risk management, and more.

Based on data from Mordor Intelligence: Soft Facility Management Market and Hard Facility Management Market

According to ToolSense , hard services account for more than half of the global market, driven by the continued expansion of the global infrastructure market and the rapidly expanding building and construction services industry. However, soft services are the fastest-growing segment, with a projected CAGR of 5.2% from 2024 to 2029 , compared to a projected 4.22% CAGR for the hard services segment during the same period.

Growth in the soft services segment of facility management is driven by increased investments in energy management, waste management, wastewater management, and similar services. Significant infrastructure development also creates additional demand for soft services. 

Facility management plays a crucial role in the smooth operation and success of any organization, yet it’s often overlooked. From maintaining buildings and equipment to managing space utilization and ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations, facility management is essential for businesses of all sizes.

One key reason facility management is important in business operations is that it helps to create a safe and comfortable work environment for employees by addressing issues such as proper lighting, temperature control, and ergonomic workstations. A well-maintained facility not only reduces the risk of accidents and injuries but also supports effective collaboration, efficiency, and productivity.

Additionally, effective facility management can help businesses save money in the long run. By implementing preventive maintenance programs and energy-efficient practices, facility managers can reduce operational costs and extend the lifespan of equipment and infrastructure.

Regular inspections and repairs can prevent costly emergencies and downtime, ensuring business operations run smoothly without unexpected disruptions.

Screenshot via ISO

ISO 41001:2018 , the International Standard for Facility Management Systems, is a quality standard specifically designed for the field of facility management. It’s the first international standard for facility management systems published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

This standard provides a framework for organizations to establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve an effective facility management system. It covers a wide range of areas related to facility management, including strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, risk management, performance evaluation, and continuous improvement.

Implementing ISO 41001:2018 enables organizations to streamline processes and improve efficiency, ensuring that facility management practices are consistent, reliable, and meet the needs of stakeholders.

ISO 41001:2018 was amended in 2024 to incorporate climate change awareness and action changes, with the goal of integrating climate considerations into facility management systems. The current ISO 41001:2018 standard is set to be replaced by ISO/AWI 41001 , which is currently under development.

By achieving ISO 41001:2018 certification , organizations can demonstrate their commitment to providing a high level of quality in facility management. Certification requires a thorough audit conducted by a certified third-party auditing body. This process involves assessing the organization’s facility management system against the standard’s requirements to ensure compliance.

Once an organization obtains certification, it can display the ISO 41001:2018 certification logo, demonstrating to stakeholders and customers that the company adheres to international best practices in facility management.

According to the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA), which adopts the ISO’s definition of facility management , “Facility Management is an organizational function which integrates people, place and process within the built environment with the purpose of improving the quality of life of people and the productivity of the core business.”

It encompasses a wide range of responsibilities, from ensuring the facility’s overall maintenance and upkeep to managing budget and expenses related to facility operations , overseeing safety and security protocols within the building, and coordinating with vendors and contractors for repairs and renovations. Here’s a closer look at the key elements of facility management. 

Daily Operations & Maintenance

Facility managers are tasked with overseeing the day-to-day building operations, such as electrical systems, HVAC, plumbing, and landscaping. They are responsible for managing preventive maintenance activities to ensure that all systems run smoothly and minimize disruptions, as well as corrective maintenance needs as they arise. This includes managing janitorial and maintenance contracts with third-party vendors.

Facility managers also create detailed reports and maintain systems to track maintenance and repairs , safety and compliance, inspections, and other processes and functions.

Environmental Health & Safety (EHS)

The environmental health and safety, or EHS, aspects of facility management include:

• Ensuring that the facility complies with health and safety regulations (such as fire safety standards and codes)
• Conducting regular safety audits
• Implementing health and safety policies and procedures
• Responding to emergencies
• Creating cleaning schedules for employees and contractors
• Upholding all cleanliness and sanitation standards

These responsibilities are carried out with the goal of maintaining a safe environment for both employees and visitors.

Facility security involves protecting the building’s infrastructure, physical space, and hardware and software components from both internal and external threats. The security component of facility management includes:

• Overseeing the building’s security personnel
• Implementing security policies and procedures
• Conducting risk assessments
• Regularly auditing security systems and processes, such as ensuring that CCTV and video surveillance systems are operational
• Managing visitors, such as maintaining visitor logs
• Ensuring that visitors enter only through authorized access points
• Ensuring all restricted access areas are clearly marked
• Ensuring the facility’s safety and security policies are followed by both employees and visitors

Sustainability & Energy Management

The aim of sustainability and energy management is to minimize the impact of a company’s operations on the environment. According to a report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), “Buildings use about 40% of global energy, 25% of global water, 40% of global resources, and they emit approximately ⅓ of GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions.” 

Sustainability has become a key priority for many companies, and facility management is one of the primary areas where gains can be made . Sustainability and energy management includes:

• Conducting energy audits
• Implementing water conservation measures
• Utilizing sustainable building materials and practices
• Developing eco-friendly waste management practices, such as recycling
• Improving energy efficiency, such as by upgrading HVAC systems to more energy-efficient systems, replacing windows, and installing LED lighting
• Converting to renewable energy sources such as solar or geothermal
• Closely monitoring and analyzing utility usage and costs

These measures help reduce the operation’s environmental impact and can also reduce costs. For example, facilities that implement sustainable practices can lower their energy consumption, which translates to lower operating costs.

Asset Maintenance and Management

Asset maintenance and management is a function that often falls under the facility management umbrella. Predictive and preventive maintenance methods are vital to prevent equipment breakdowns before they occur​, and regular maintenance helps to extend the useful lifespan of equipment and infrastructure.

Keeping equipment in optimal working condition and optimizing equipment utilization can also help to reduce operational costs. Asset maintenance and management include:

• Maintaining an up-to-date inventory of assets, including the purchase date, lifespan, warranty information, maintenance schedules, and historical repair data for each asset
• Developing and implementing a preventive maintenance schedule, including routine inspections, cleaning, lubrication, adjustments, and replacements of parts before failure occurs
• Performing corrective maintenance when assets break down or malfunction, including diagnosing problems, initiating repair, and minimizing equipment downtime
• Regularly inspecting assets to ensure their safe operation and compliance with applicable regulatory standards
• Monitoring asset performance and efficiency
• Managing contractors or vendors who perform maintenance or repairs, including sourcing service providers, negotiating contracts, and overseeing the work performed
• Managing costs associated with asset maintenance, repairs, and replacements
• Reporting on asset performance, expenses, and other metrics

Space Planning and Utilization

Facility management oversees an organization’s physical space, which includes planning for efficient space utilization. This includes:

• Analyzing the organization’s space requirements considering the number of employees, the number and frequency of anticipated visitors, the nature of the work performed in the facility, and the need for collaborative and private spaces such as meeting rooms and private office space
• Planning and designing the layout of the space, including the placement of desks, offices, equipment, and common areas to maximize efficiency and support functional workflows
• Creating flexible and scalable space configurations
• Ensuring that the facility complies with health, safety, and accessibility regulations, such as maintaining clear egress paths, adhering to building codes, and incorporating ergonomic standards
• Integrating technology into the space to support the organization’s needs
• Managing costs associated with space utilization, such as utilities costs, maintenance costs, and rent or lease payments
• Ensuring that the space meets safety standards, such as creating accessible emergency exits, planning clear evacuation routes, and equipping workspaces with necessary safety equipment

Strategic Planning for Future Needs

Facility management plays a crucial role in the strategic planning for an organization’s future needs, ensuring that physical spaces and infrastructures align with long-term goals and adapt to changing requirements. This includes:

• Planning for renovations, expansions, or new construction
• Investing in energy-efficient systems and new technologies to reduce operating costs
• Ensuring facilities can accommodate company growth and changing needs, such as with adaptable infrastructure and scalable spaces
• Identifying and analyzing risks to the facility, such as natural disasters, security threats, and technology failures
• Developing risk mitigation plans, disaster recovery plans, and business continuity plans

The current presiding global facilities management organization, the International Facility Management Association, calls for facility management leaders to take a more tactical and strategic approach to protect the future of the company’s properties.

In its Strategic Facility Planning white paper, the IFMA calls for facility managers to carry out SFP (strategic facility planning) as it “helps to avoid mistakes, delays, disappointments, and customer dissatisfaction.” In addition to safety and maintenance responsibilities, facility managers are encouraged to look beyond their normal duties so that they can better support operational efficiency.

To do this effectively, managers must compile two things:

• Strategic Facility Plan
• Master Facility Plan

Let’s take a look at how each one can better strengthen the overall productivity of the business:

Strategic Facility Plan (SFP)

Developing a comprehensive Strategic Facility Plan (SFP) requires:

• An understanding of the core values or changing values of the organization and how facilities must reflect the values
• An in-depth analysis of the facility, including location, capability, and condition
• A fundamental understanding of how the organization’s goals might affect scalability in facilities

The manager can operate as a true strategic support system if they are able to confirm each and every one of these benchmarks with the appropriate departments while implementing effective day-to-day practices. It is through the use of this blend of current and future that all parties involved can tackle changes as they arise as effectively as possible.

Master Facility Plan (MFP)

The Master Facility Plan (MFP), also known as a Facilities Master Plan , is a framework for planning the “physical environments that encompass the buildings.” Let’s explore what a holistic master plan looks like, taking into account both day-to-day tasks and future space needs.

Here’s what a Master Facility Plan should include:

• Zoning, regulation, covenant assessments
• Space standards and benchmarks
• Program of space use
• Workflow analyses
• Engineering assessment and plan
• Block, fit, or stacking plans
• Concept site plan or campus plan
• Architectural image concepts
• Long-term maintenance plan
• Construction estimates
• Phasing or sequencing plan (the sequence or projects)

The MFP should be regularly reviewed and updated. Facility managers should engage all departments that impact their facility so they can support their organization as it moves forward profitably.

Like any other discipline, facility management comes with its fair share of challenges. Here are some of the top challenges faced by facility managers.

Cost Management

Cost management is a challenge for facility management because there are so many variables to consider. From maintenance and repairs to utilities and supplies, there are numerous expenses that need to be carefully monitored and controlled.

Additionally, unexpected issues can arise that require additional funds to address, making it difficult to stick to a budget. Furthermore, facility managers need to balance cost management with providing a safe, comfortable, and functional environment for employees and customers. This can sometimes require investing in more expensive solutions in order to achieve long-term cost savings.

In the face of economic instability and budget constraints, facility management may not be seen as a critical investment by businesses, which can create additional cost restraints. Effectively managing facility costs requires a strategic approach and constant monitoring to ensure that expenses remain within budget.

Technological Advancements

Facilities require constant updates and upgrades to keep up with the latest technology . This can be costly and time-consuming for facilities managers, as they need to continuously assess and implement new technologies to improve efficiency and productivity.

Additionally, technological advancements can also pose security risks, as more connected devices and systems, such as IoT devices and cloud-based systems, increase the potential for cyber attacks. Facilities managers must stay informed about the latest cybersecurity threats and implement robust security measures to protect their facilities from potential breaches.

Technological advancements are particularly challenging in facility management because they have the potential to streamline operations and enhance the facility’s functionality, but at the same time, they require a significant investment of time and resources to effectively manage.

Sustainability and Environmental Regulations

Sustainability requires a shift in mindset and practices toward more eco-friendly and sustainable operations . This may involve implementing new technologies, processes, and materials that can be costly and time-consuming.

Compliance with environmental regulations also adds another layer of complexity, as facility managers need to stay abreast of changing policies and ensure that their operations comply with these regulations.

The biggest challenge for modern organizations is balancing sustainability goals with operational and financial considerations. Sustainability initiatives often require long-term planning and investment, which can be difficult to prioritize in the face of immediate budgetary constraints.

Emergency Preparedness

Emergency preparedness requires a significant amount of planning, training, and resources to ensure that a facility is prepared for any type of emergency situation. Facility managers must conduct risk assessments, develop emergency response plans, provide training for staff, and invest in emergency equipment and supplies.

Additionally, facilities must comply with various regulations and standards related to emergency preparedness, which can be complex and time-consuming to navigate. In the event of an emergency, facility managers must be able to quickly and effectively respond to protect the safety of occupants and minimize damage to the facility.

The ever-changing nature of potential threats requires constantly updating and improving emergency response plans. This requires clear communication, coordination with emergency services, and the ability to make quick decisions under pressure.

Changing Needs and Demands

As mentioned above, changing needs and demands present a prominent challenge in facility management, requiring constant adaptation and flexibility.

Facilities need to be able to respond to shifting priorities, regulations, and technological advancements to meet the needs of employees, customers, and stakeholders. This means that facilities managers must constantly assess and reassess their strategies, processes, and resources to ensure they are providing an optimal environment for the people using the facility.

Failure to anticipate and address changing needs can lead to inefficiencies, dissatisfaction among employees and visitors, and ultimately, an impact on the organization’s overall success. Staying ahead of evolving trends and demands is essential for effective facility management.

Staffing and Hiring

Staffing and hiring require finding individuals with a specific set of skills and experience in areas such as maintenance, engineering, and operations. Additionally, facility management roles often involve a wide range of responsibilities, from ensuring compliance with safety regulations to managing budgets and overseeing projects.

Finding candidates who are not only qualified but also culturally fit with the organization can be a time-consuming process. Furthermore, turnover rates in facility management tend to be high due to the demanding nature of the job, which means that constant recruitment and training efforts are necessary to maintain a fully staffed and capable team.

Having a well-thought-out facility management plan is crucial for maintaining the functionality and efficiency of any building or property. Follow these key steps to implement an effective facility management plan.

• Inventory your current assets. Create a comprehensive inventory of all assets , equipment, and systems within the building. Identify any maintenance issues or areas that need improvement. This will help you prioritize tasks and allocate resources effectively.
• Audit your facility operations. In addition to assessing your assets , you should also evaluate your facility’s current operations to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and opportunities for process improvements.
• Set clear objectives. Clearly define what you aim to achieve with your facility management plan, aligning with the overall organizational goals. Your goals and objectives could range from ensuring the longevity of physical assets to enhancing the well-being and productivity of occupants.
• Develop facility management policies. Policies will guide your workforce in ensuring efficient and safe operations. Policies should include emergency protocols, evacuation plans, emergency contact information, and safety measures. You can also establish policies for preventive maintenance, security, sustainability, information technology, procurement and vendor management, and disaster recovery. 
• Develop a maintenance schedule. One of the key aspects of facility management is maintenance. Develop a schedule for routine facility maintenance tasks such as HVAC system inspections , plumbing checks, electrical system maintenance, and general cleaning. Regular maintenance is crucial to prevent breakdowns and extend the useful lifespan of your assets.
• Implement technology solutions. Technology plays a significant role in facility management. The right facility management software to centralize data, streamline operations, and improve decision-making through analytics. Consider features like asset tracking, work order management, and predictive maintenance .
• Develop an asset tagging system . Facility management asset tags and labels integrate seamlessly with your facility management software to streamline work order tracking, equipment maintenance, condition monitoring, and reporting. Choose durable asset tags and labels, such as Camcode’s Rigid Metalphoto® Labels and Foil Metalphoto® Labels , that can withstand your facility’s operating conditions. For instance, Camcode’s Metalphoto labels have excellent resistance to chemicals, solvents, abrasion, extreme temperatures, and UV, offering an expected exterior lifespan of more than 20 years.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation. Keep detailed records of all facility management activities, including maintenance records, inspections, compliance documents, and training records. This supports regulatory compliance and can also aid in decision-making. 
• Train your staff. Make sure your facility management team is well-equipped to handle their responsibilities and tasks. Provide training on safety procedures, maintenance protocols, and how to use any technology solutions that are in place. Foster a culture of engagement and accountability, encouraging staff to take ownership of facility maintenance and efficiency. 
• Monitor and continuously improve performance. Track key performance indicators such as maintenance costs, downtime, and energy usage. Leverage this data to inform decision-making and adjust your processes to continuously optimize performance.
• Plan for the future. Be prepared to adapt your strategies in response to new technologies, regulatory changes, or shifts in organizational priorities. Your facility management plan should include a future needs assessment, capacity planning, and resilience strategies that can help your company mitigate long-term risks. 

Based on data from Fortune Business Insights

Managing facilities efficiently is crucial to ensuring smooth operations and maximizing productivity. Facility management software has emerged as a powerful tool that enables organizations to streamline their facilities management processes, improve asset performance, and reduce costs.

In fact, the global facility management market was valued at $1,260.0 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.7%, reaching $2,031.4 billion by 2030​​.

Facility management software helps organizations manage their facilities, assets, and maintenance processes more effectively. It provides a centralized platform where facility managers can track and monitor various aspects of their facilities, such as equipment maintenance, space utilization, energy consumption, and vendor management.

Facility management software comes in various forms, from software focused on a specific function such as asset management to comprehensive, integrated facility management solutions that encompass all the core functions of facility management. Here’s a look at the most commonly used types of facility management software.

Computer-Aided Facility Management (CAFM)

CAFM software is a tool used by facility managers to efficiently manage and maintain their buildings, assets, and workplace environments. This type of software integrates various aspects of facility management , such as space planning and allocation, maintenance management, asset tracking, and resource management and scheduling, into one centralized platform.

CAFM software streamlines workflows and improves overall productivity by providing real-time information on building operations and maintenance. With this software, managers can easily track key metrics, generate reports, and make informed decisions to optimize building performance and reduce costs .

The benefits of CAFM solutions include:

• Extending asset life spans due to preventive maintenance
• Increased safety
• Centralized data for strategic planning
• Cost savings
• Improved communication
• Reduction in energy-related expenses

Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS)

CMMS software , or a centralized maintenance management system , centralizes information about an organization’s maintenance operations. It helps optimize the use and availability of equipment such as vehicles, machinery, and other physical assets.

CMMS systems are designed to simplify the maintenance process by providing tools and features that streamline tasks such as work orders, inventory management, asset tracking, and scheduling.

At its core, a CMMS is used to track and manage maintenance activities, from routine inspections to major repairs. By centralizing all maintenance-related data in one system, organizations can better organize their maintenance operations, improve workflow efficiency, and reduce downtime.

Key features of a CMMS include preventive maintenance scheduling, which allows users to create maintenance schedules for equipment based on time or usage triggers; work order management, which enables users to create, assign, and track maintenance tasks; inventory management, which helps users keep track of spare parts and supplies needed for maintenance; and reporting and analytics, which provide insights into maintenance performance and help identify areas for improvement.

The benefits of a CMMS include:

• Increased efficiency
• Reduced equipment downtime
• Improved equipment and employee safety
• Cost control
• Predictive and preventive maintenance scheduling
• Accurate reporting and data analytics

Enterprise Asset Management (EAM)

Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software is a comprehensive solution that helps organizations manage their physical assets throughout their lifecycle. These assets can range from equipment and machinery to vehicles and buildings. EAM software enables businesses to track, maintain, and optimize their assets to ensure they are operating efficiently and effectively.

Asset tracking is a key feature of EAM. It allows businesses to monitor where their assets are located, who is using them, and how they are being utilized. With this information at their fingertips, organizations can make more informed decisions about their assets and maintenance needs.

Another key function of EAM is maintenance management. It allows businesses to schedule routine maintenance for their assets, track work orders, and ensure that all maintenance tasks are completed on time.

EAM software also provides valuable insights into asset performance and usage. By analyzing data collected from the software, organizations can identify trends, make predictions, and optimize their asset management strategies.

The benefits of EAM software include:

• Reduced costs
• Improved asset performance
• Reduced breakdowns and downtime

Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMS)

IWMS solutions provide a comprehensive suite of tools to manage all aspects of facility and real estate management. They integrate functionalities for real estate management, capital project management, facility space management, maintenance management, and environmental sustainability.

IWMS software enables facility managers to streamline their processes, improve efficiency, and make data-driven decisions to optimize the use of their workspace. One key feature of an IWMS is its ability to centralize data and generate insightful reports on various aspects of facility management. This includes information on space utilization, maintenance schedules, energy consumption, lease agreements, and compliance with regulations.

An IWMS can also automate routine tasks and workflows. For example, maintenance requests can be automatically routed to the appropriate personnel, work orders can be scheduled and tracked, and inventory levels can be monitored in real-time.

An IWMS also helps organizations ensure compliance with health and safety regulations, environmental standards, and industry best practices. By providing tools for tracking and reporting on these aspects, facility managers can proactively address any issues and maintain a safe and sustainable work environment for employees.

The benefits of an IWMS include:

• Increased productivity and efficiency
• Reduced errors
• Informed decision-making backed by data
• Automation of routine tasks and workflows
• Improved safety

Facility management is subject to various regulations and laws to ensure safety, compliance, and efficiency within the workplace. These regulations cover a wide range of aspects, from health and safety measures to regulations related to equipment.

The regulations applicable to a specific organization depend on the industry, location, and size of the business. Regulations are set forth by multiple entities.

On top of international and federal regulations, state and local regulations may also apply to specific industries or across the board for businesses and employers. Needless to say, compliance is multi-faceted and incredibly complex, requiring a comprehensive management strategy. 

Let’s review some best practices for implementing and maintaining a strong facility management compliance program.

Understand What Regulations Apply

Facilities managers must stay informed about relevant laws, regulations, and codes that apply to their industry. Laws can vary depending on the location and type of facility, so it’s important to monitor updates and changes in regulations regularly.

As mentioned above, there are many regulations that facilities may be required to comply with, so the first step in developing a robust compliance program is to understand what regulations apply to your facility.

For example, the UK government introduced The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations in 1999, which apply to employers in the UK, while U.S.-based businesses are subject to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) regulations and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). There are also international and national labor laws created by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the U.S. Department of Labor , respectively.  

The U.S. healthcare sector must comply with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) regulations , and food manufacturing facilities , medical device manufacturers , and pharmaceutical facilities are subject to regulations set forth by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  

Start by identifying all applicable regulations and laws, considering organizational, reputational, and strategic risks.

Conduct Regular Audits

Conduct internal audits to assess your compliance with these regulations and the effectiveness of your security and compliance strategies.

Conducting regular audits of your facility can help you identify areas where you may be falling short of regulatory compliance. These audits should cover everything from fire safety regulations to environmental laws to ensure that your facility is meeting all necessary requirements.

Develop a Compliance Roadmap

Developing a comprehensive compliance plan requires a clear understanding of your compliance status and the regulations you need to comply with. This plan should outline the specific regulatory requirements that apply to your facility and the steps you will take to ensure compliance. Prioritize your actions based on the most critical compliance requirements and risks​.

It should also clearly define the responsibilities of all stakeholders involved. This plan should be regularly reviewed and updated as regulations change.

Develop Safety & Compliance Checklists

Develop safety and compliance checklists that clearly outline the steps to take in certain situations. Some commonly used safety and compliance checklists in facility management include:

• Fire safety checklist
• Electrical safety checklist
• HVAC system checklist
• Building security checklist
• Environmental compliance checklist
• General maintenance checklist

Of course, the checklists you develop will depend on the regulations that apply to your organization as well as your company’s internal policies and procedures. 

Each item on the checklist should be specific, measurable, and actionable, leaving no room for ambiguity. Regularly review and update the checklist to reflect changes in regulations, facility modifications, or lessons learned from incidents, and ensure that checklists are readily available to employees and stakeholders.

For example, you might post a fire safety checklist or evacuation plan near the emergency exits in your facility or attach durable instructional labels to equipment . These labels can be printed with essential safety, operational, or compliance steps to promote workplace safety and compliance.  

Provide Comprehensive Training

Educate your employees about compliance policies, procedures, and standards. All staff members involved in facilities management should receive training on regulatory compliance. This training should cover the specific regulations that apply to your facility and the procedures and protocols that need to be followed to ensure compliance.

Regular training ensures that employees understand their roles in maintaining compliance and are updated on any regulatory changes or updates to company policies​.

Maintain Documentation

Keeping detailed records of your facilities management activities, including maintenance schedules, inspections, and repairs, is essential for demonstrating regulatory compliance. Make sure that all documentation is easily accessible and up-to-date.

Establish Effective Communication & Monitoring Procedures

Establish effective communication channels for reporting compliance issues or concerns without fear of retaliation. Implement monitoring and auditing systems to continuously assess the effectiveness of your compliance program and identify risks.

Regular reviews and updates to the program are essential to adapt to changes in regulations and business operations.

Leverage Technology

Utilize regulatory compliance software (or facility management software with compliance management capabilities) to automate and streamline compliance processes. This can simplify the management of regulatory changes, policy updates, and compliance assessments. The right software can also provide valuable insights and analytics to improve decision-making and ensure continuous compliance​.

Implement Accountability & Corrective Action Plans

Establish clear procedures for enforcing compliance policies and taking corrective action in case of non-compliance. Accountability at all levels ensures that compliance is taken seriously and that any issues are addressed promptly to prevent recurrence.

Cultivate a Culture of Compliance

Clearly communicating your organization’s code of conduct and ensuring it reflects your organizational values, regularly communicating changes, and implementing effective training and employee engagement programs are all part of building a culture of compliance. Following these practices and the best practices outlined above helps to minimize compliance violations and promotes a positive working environment.

If you’re unsure how to ensure regulatory compliance in your facility, consider working with compliance experts who specialize in facilities management and have experience in your industry. These experts can provide guidance and support to help you meet all necessary requirements.

A variety of trends and technologies are shaping facility management, revolutionizing the way facilities are operated and maintained. Let’s examine some of the biggest trends in facility management and the challenges and opportunities they present for facility managers and operators.

Smart Buildings

The global smart buildings market has grown significantly. It was valued at $96.96 billion in 2023, and it’s projected to grow at a CAGR of 21.8%, from $117.42 billion in 2024 to $568.02 billion by 2032.

The rapid adoption of smart technologies marks a shift towards more efficient, sustainable, and user-friendly environments. This transformation is driven by the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and other digital innovations into the physical infrastructure of facilities.

Opportunities

• Advanced analytics: These advancements produce vast amounts of data, from occupancy levels to energy usage patterns. This data, analyzed through advanced analytics, informs strategic decision-making, helping managers optimize space usage, reduce costs, and improve overall building performance.
• Automation: Smart building technologies can automate routine tasks, from HVAC adjustments to lighting control, based on real-time data and predictive analytics. This reduces manual oversight requirements and helps to reduce waste, promote sustainability, and lower operational costs, leading to more efficient facility management.
• Safety & security: Smart building technologies enhance building safety and security measures. Real-time surveillance, access control systems, and emergency response mechanisms can now be integrated and managed through a centralized platform, improving the ability to respond to incidents and ensure occupant safety.

While the benefits are substantial, the rapid adoption of smart building technologies also presents challenges, such as the significant upfront investment, potential cybersecurity risks, and the requirement for ongoing management and updating of these systems.

These advanced systems require facility managers to have a solid grasp of building information systems, and there’s a growing need for skilled personnel who can manage and optimize them.

Cloud-Based Solutions

Cloud-based solutions are a major driver in the industry, offering opportunities for efficiency, scalability, and integration. These solutions allow facility managers to access and analyze data from anywhere, make informed decisions in real time, and improve the overall management and operation of facilities.

• Lower costs: By utilizing cloud solutions, organizations can reduce the need for expensive on-premises hardware and the associated maintenance costs. Cloud services typically operate on a subscription model, which can be more affordable and predictable in terms of budgeting.
• Scalability: Cloud-based solutions can be easily scaled up or down based on the facility’s needs, allowing for efficient resource management. This scalability supports the organization’s growth without the need for significant additional investment in IT infrastructure.
• Integration: Cloud platforms can also facilitate the integration of various building management systems and applications, from energy management to security and maintenance. This integration can lead to more holistic and efficient facility management practices, and it can also enhance collaboration among team members, stakeholders, and third-party service providers.

As with any technology that relies on internet connectivity, cloud-based solutions introduce risks related to data security and privacy. Ensuring the protection of sensitive information and compliance with data protection regulations is paramount.

The effectiveness of cloud-based solutions is heavily reliant on consistent and high-speed internet access. Interruptions in connectivity can hinder access to the systems and data needed for facility management.

Sustainability & Green Initiatives

In the modern world, sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting have become crucial aspects of facility management, driven by both regulatory and societal pressures. With the increasing focus on corporate responsibility and environmental impact, organizations are being held more accountable for their operations and the effects they have on the environment and society.

Sustainability and ESG reporting in facility management play a significant role in ensuring that businesses are operating in a way that is not only profitable but also responsible and ethical.

• Measuring environmental impact: By collecting data on energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and waste generation, companies can monitor their performance and identify areas where improvements can be made to reduce their overall environmental footprint.
• Transparency & stakeholder engagement: By disclosing information about their sustainability efforts and performance, organizations can build trust with investors, customers, employees, and the broader community. This can foster improved relationships with stakeholders and can attract socially responsible investors who want to support companies that prioritize sustainable and ethical practices.
• Competitive advantage: Companies that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and ethical practices may also benefit from increased market opportunities, improved brand reputation, and a competitive edge in the marketplace.

Unlike financial reporting, there is no universal set of standards for reporting on sustainability and ESG factors. This can make it difficult for facility managers to know what data to collect and how to report on their sustainability performance in a consistent and meaningful way.

Another challenge is the complexity of collecting and analyzing data on sustainability and ESG factors. It involves tracking a wide range of data points, from energy and water consumption to waste management and indoor air quality, which may be spread across multiple systems and sources. This makes it challenging to aggregate and analyze in a timely and accurate manner.

Different stakeholders sometimes have differing priorities and expectations related to sustainability, which can be difficult to balance. 

Employee Well-Being

Today’s companies are increasingly prioritizing employee and occupant well-being , with initiatives aimed at creating productive and satisfying work environments through ergonomic workspaces and indoor air quality monitoring​​.

• Enhanced productivity: Properly designed workspaces that follow ergonomic principles can significantly reduce physical strain and discomfort, and good indoor air quality (IAQ) can improve cognitive function, reduce fatigue, headaches, and dizziness, and decrease absenteeism due to illness. This translates to higher levels of concentration and productivity.
• Reduced absenteeism and turnover: A healthy work environment can significantly reduce absenteeism related to health issues, as well as turnover resulting from dissatisfaction with the work environment. Lower turnover rates not only reduce recruitment and training costs but also contribute to a more experienced, cohesive, and efficient team.
• Enhanced corporate image: A company’s commitment to employee well-being reflects positively on its brand and corporate image. It signals to customers, clients, and partners that the company values its human resources and is committed to sustainable, responsible business practices.

The upfront costs of purchasing ergonomic furniture, upgrading HVAC systems for better air quality, and implementing other wellness-focused changes can be significant. However, it’s difficult to quantify and measure the direct impact of wellness initiatives on productivity, employee satisfaction, and health outcomes, which can make it challenging to monitor and adjust strategies.

Facility managers may find it challenging to demonstrate immediate returns on investment to stakeholders, as benefits such as increased productivity and reduced absenteeism may take time to become evident, making it challenging to justify further investment.

Space and infrastructure limitations can also pose challenges when it comes to implementing these initiatives. For instance, older buildings may have limitations that make it difficult to implement modern ergonomic solutions or improve air quality without substantial renovations. 

Flexible Workspaces

Flexible workspaces are work environments that are adaptable and can be easily reconfigured to meet the changing needs of a business or organization. These spaces are designed to enable employees to work in a variety of settings, whether it be in a traditional office space, a collaborative area, a quiet zone, or even remotely.

• Adaptability: By offering a range of work settings, employees can choose the environment that best suits their task at hand, whether it be a quiet area for focused work or a collaborative space for group projects. This can lead to increased motivation and efficiency in the workplace.
• Reduced overhead costs: With a dynamic layout that can be easily adjusted, companies can make more efficient use of their physical space and avoid the need for costly renovations or expansions. Hot-desking and shared spaces minimize unused office real estate, especially in companies that offer remote work options.
• Talent acquisition and retention: Modern, adaptable work environments are attractive to prospective employees, particularly the growing segment of the workforce that values flexibility and autonomy. This can be a significant advantage in talent acquisition and retention.

Flexible workspaces come with challenges, such as managing noise levels, ensuring adequate privacy, and maintaining a sense of community and team cohesion. For example, it’s often challenging to find the right balance between open spaces, collaborative areas, and quiet zones can be challenging. Too much of one type of space can lead to underutilization of others, affecting overall productivity.

It can also be difficult to manage shared resources efficiently, such as ensuring that all employees who need it have access to private office space at the same time or that enough conference rooms are available for scheduled meetings.

Data security is also a potential concern. With employees moving around and using different workstations, ensuring secure and reliable access to networks and data is more complicated. The risk of data breaches may increase if proper cybersecurity measures are not in place.

Increasing Building Standards

In recent years, building standards and regulations have become increasingly strict in order to promote sustainability, energy efficiency, and overall safety. Regulations such as California’s A.B.2446 , which requires new buildings to conduct lifetime environmental impact studies and make these findings public, signify a broader shift towards sustainability and transparency in the construction and facility management industries.

This trend is growing, as governments around the world are imposing stricter building standards to combat climate change, reduce energy consumption, and minimize facilities’ environmental footprints. While these regulations are important for the environment and public safety, they have a direct impact on facility management.

For example, A.B.2446 requires the entire building lifecycle to be considered from the start, from using sustainable construction materials and methods to optimizing operational energy consumption and sustainable methods for eventual decommissioning. The aim is to reduce embodied carbon emissions, which account for an estimated 11% of global energy-related carbon emissions, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

According to the U.S. Green Building Council , “In the buildings context, embodied carbon refers to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by the manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance and disposal of building materials.”

As mentioned earlier in this guide, ISO 41001:2018, the International Standard for Facility Management Systems, was amended in 2024 to incorporate climate change awareness and action considerations. These changes apply not only to facility management but all existing and upcoming ISO Management Systems Standards (MSS).

Companies pursuing ISO 41001:2018 certification will need to incorporate these considerations into their business practices. The amendments, added to Clauses 4.1 and 4.2 of the current Annex SL Standards , include:

• Clause 4.1: This clause, “Understanding the organization and its context requirements,” now has a new requirement that “The organization shall determine whether climate change is a relevant issue.”
• Clause 4.2: This clause, “Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties,” now has an additional note, “NOTE: Relevant interested parties can have requirements related to climate change.”
• Energy auditing and benchmarking: Conducting energy audits and benchmarking building performance against industry standards can identify areas for improvement and track progress over time. Facility managers can manage these audits and implement strategies to improve energy use and reduce carbon footprints.
• Corporate branding and reputation: Companies that are proactive in adopting sustainable practices can position themselves as industry leaders in corporate responsibility. Communicating these sustainability efforts effectively can enhance customer loyalty and attract new customers who prefer to support businesses that are committed to environmental stewardship.
• Enhanced community relations: Implementing sustainability initiatives, especially those that have a direct positive impact on the local community, can improve a company’s relationship with the community. This might include efforts to reduce emissions, waste management practices that contribute to cleaner local environments, or the implementation of green spaces. For instance, companies can make a significant impact by implementing waste reduction and recycling programs, particularly in larger complexes and commercial buildings.

As public awareness grows, the pressure on lawmakers to pass stricter building codes and legislation to combat climate concerns.

Stricter building standards often require more advanced systems and technologies to be installed in buildings, such as energy-efficient HVAC systems, smart building controls, and renewable energy sources. Preventive maintenance becomes critical to ensuring systems operate at peak efficiency, reducing energy consumption, and prolonging the lifespan of building components.

Stricter building standards can also impact the overall design and layout of buildings, and maintenance procedures must be adapted accordingly. For example, buildings with more stringent fire safety regulations may require more frequent fire drills and inspections, while buildings with enhanced energy efficiency standards may need to have their systems serviced more frequently.

With the requirement to disclose environmental impacts, there is an increased need for accurate data collection, monitoring, and reporting. Facility managers must implement systems to track energy consumption, water usage, waste generation, and other environmental metrics. On the plus side, this data can also help identify opportunities for improvement and demonstrate sustainability efforts to stakeholders.

Facility management is a comprehensive discipline crucial for the successful operation and growth of organizations in every business sector. Effective facility management enhances the safety and productivity of workspaces and plays a pivotal role in reducing operational costs and environmental impact.

As we look to the future, the importance of facility management in enhancing business operations, reducing environmental impact, and improving the quality of work environments cannot be overstated. The ongoing development of new technologies and the increasing focus on sustainability and flexibility will continue to drive innovation in this field, presenting both challenges and opportunities in facility management.

What do facilities managers do?

Facilities managers are responsible for ensuring that the buildings and services meet the needs of the people who work in or visit them. They manage services such as cleaning, security, and parking, and ensure that the environment is safe and efficient.

Their role includes maintaining, operating, and improving buildings, ensuring that facilities comply with laws and regulations, and managing budgets and contracts related to building services.

How can you determine the success of facility management?

Determining the success of facility management involves measuring performance against specific goals and objectives. Key performance indicators (KPIs) might include operational efficiency, cost savings, compliance with regulations, occupant, visitor, or employee satisfaction, and sustainability metrics.

For example, cost savings can be measured by comparing the facility management budget to actual expenses and seeing if there are any reductions in costs. Efficiency improvements can be evaluated by analyzing how well resources are being utilized and whether there are any bottlenecks in operations. Regular audits, feedback from users, and comparisons with industry benchmarks are also crucial.

What is the quality standard for facility management?

The quality standard for facility management is often benchmarked against the ISO 41001:2018 standard. This international standard provides a framework for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and improving an effective facility management system, focusing on efficiency, safety, and sustainability.

What is facility management compliance?

Facility management compliance involves ensuring that a facility’s operations and practices align with all relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards. This includes everything from safety regulations to environmental policies to building codes.

Facility managers must stay current on compliance requirements and ensure that their facilities always meet these standards. Failure to comply with regulations can result in fines, penalties, or even legal action, making compliance a critical aspect of successful facility management.

What is a facility management plan?

A facility management plan is a comprehensive document that outlines the strategies and procedures for managing and maintaining a facility. It includes information on how the facility will be operated, maintained, and repaired to ensure that it remains in optimal condition.

The plan may cover areas such as preventative maintenance schedules, emergency response protocols, security measures, energy efficiency strategies, and budgeting for maintenance and repairs. A well-developed facility management plan is essential for ensuring that a facility operates efficiently and effectively and that it meets the needs of its occupants.

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Tips for Drafting a Facilities Management Strategy

How to make a facilities management strategy right for your business.

Strategy is important in everything from board games to business planning. In the latter, strategy is often the key to success—a concentrated effort toward a measurable goal. If your goal is to leverage facilities into business success, strategic facility management is paramount. It’s a combination of facility management and facility planning, stitched together with a set of clear-cut outcomes in mind. 

Strategic facility management is all about focusing on the long-term. Applying strategy to facility management gives purpose to the workplace, making it a focal part of broader company initiatives. But, like all strategies, one involving facilities management needs clear motive. 

The best thing an FM can do to keep pace is pay close attention to the needs of facilities and the people using them. The demands of people and the way they work perpetuate trends within facilities management. It’s the duty of a facility manager to see that they’re adopted, optimized, and measured. 

What is Facility Management?  

Facility management is a broad term to describe the responsibilities focusing on building operations, workplace management, space planning, maintenance, security, asset management, and several other areas of real estate or real property.  

Using tools and technology like software solutions, facilities managers are tasked with keeping the environment around staff and the building itself running smoothly. Keeping an eye on maintenance schedules, carbon emissions, occupancy rates and data allow facilities managers to weigh in on decisions with insightful data on how a workplace is functioning. 

Supporting the Company Goals & Values  

Ideally, facilities management strategies are set up in such a way that they support the internal and business goals of the organization while aligning with stakeholder sentiments. Internal goals may focus on employee experience, lowering carbon emissions or optimizing the design of an office space/floor.  

Facilities management is often the unsung heroes of a company, supporting employees and the operations through their work with the building and collecting data on the one of several aspects they are responsible for.  

If your company values creating a workspace that is conducive to productivity and supporting the people within it, then facilities management efforts should reflect that and be aimed at giving their people the best environment possible. 

Key Considerations when Building a FM Strategy  

Now for the checklist you’ve been waiting for. 

1. Focus not only on cost savings but value creation  

Businesses traditionally operate from a standpoint of ROI and wanting to lower costs from any means necessary. Facilities management can do that, and often this is a product of good facilities management, but it should not be the only foundational reason for why you are doing what you’re doing. 

Creating value through your work can take many shapes and forms , whether it be changing the way a space is used, how maintenance is done so it costs less, or elevating how your organization uses and sees technology by introducing innovative processes or tools. 

Value creation uplifts the entire organization, not just accounting and facilities. Your strategies should have a goal to always improve some aspect of the workplace, leaving it better than it was prior. 

2. Implement a sustainable facility design plan.   

Sustainability might be starting to sound like a bit of a buzzword by now, but it’s far from it. The impact and the importance sustainability has on organizational success is prevalent across every industry. Many tips for improving facilities management plans revolve around creating sustainable business practices.  

Committing to initiatives like proactive maintenance, energy use, building operations and technology, are all physical asset focused things that can help the longevity of systems in the workplace.  

Design goes beyond the HVAC and lighting though; facilities management also encompasses space planning, space management, and workplace tools. Stuff like desk hotelling and reservations that leverage occupancy data to show a big picture of how the office is designed and being used. Designing an office to be best suited for the needs staff and people have has a compounding effect on what is put into work and the culture of a business. 

In some cases, such as manufacturing , sustainability is a main driver of growth and innovation as it gives a company the opportunity to evolve and adapt without expensive process overhauls. 

3. Know the total cost of all facility work done both directly and indirectly.  

At the end of the day most things do, in fact come down to costs and the bottom line. A successful facilities management strategy that is focused on the long run will have to consider costs and how much is being spent over time to make accurate assessments.  

Indirect costs can add up over time and should be tracked just as closely as direct costs to give yourself a clear picture of where your expenses are coming from and how your facilities might be responsible for certain downstream costs. 

Direct costs are the ones you see and handle from a cause-and-effect standpoint. HVAC maintenance? Repair invoice is a direct cost that goes into the long-term costs of your buildings life cycle. 

4. Consider the entire life cycle costs of a building.  

Buildings are long-term investments, and if you are the sole organization using yours, then the long-term life cycle costs are going to add up overtime.  

Considering things like leasing, maintenance, how your space use will evolve over time, and potential technology integrations are all going to be a part of the life cycle that adds to the list of costs. 

Considering short-, medium-, and long-term costs over the course of the life cycle forecasts budgets while giving you a look at the full scope of costs. Further, highlighting areas where investments might need to be made to make up for areas that are lagging or are experiencing issues.  

5. Optimize the use of available workspace by increasing ROI, not people per square foot.  

How you use your office space will be a key factor in if you are getting the best ROI, not how many people you fit into the office. That way of thinking that more people = more ROI, is simply not true anymore.  

Increasing your ROI on your workspace can mean investing in your workspace to give your staff what they need from an office . The use of a space management solution can help you on your way to optimizing this. Outfitting your space with everything your people need and keeping it that way is the best avenue to getting a better ROI on the space, by empowering people to get the most from it. 

6. Be the master of your company’s physical assets.   

Facilities management needs oversight of all assets and systems, from HVAC to lighting to office space and floorplan. Mastering these and the rest of your assets, knowing the reporting metrics and maintenance schedules means keeping everything in running order.  

Mastery means staying on top of things and keeping assets and their life cycles in line with business goals and values. Planning, operations, maintenance built into a robust strategy will eliminate headaches and unforeseen issues down the line.   

7. Automate automate automate!  

Successful and proper automation takes significant load off your team while streamlining processes surrounding maintenance, asset management, and even long-term costs. 

If you can ensure that you receive notifications, updates and scheduling reminders from a software solution regarding your ventilation system or the energy use from your lighting, that takes any guesswork out of it. You now have more bandwidth to address other areas and conduct analysis on reporting. In terms of cost, this gives you a clearer picture over the long and short term of where costs are going to be arising from and how often.  

This expands into total building automation, where the internet of things (IoT) and smart spaces are creating self-monitoring environments and systems to control things such as carbon emissions or energy use. Keeping levels under a certain amount without constant adjustment and checking of data makes reaching net-zero goals a more attainable end line. 

8. Introduce IoT to reduce costs and enhance capabilities.  

IoT systems are still relatively new, and their adaptation in a mainstream sense is yet to be realized. However, their benefits and application are readily apparent.  

Leveraging an IoT system in the future enhances what facilities managers can do as their network of interconnected tools grows as a result. Self-monitoring and data collecting IoT networks give greater reach and insight into how a building or workplace is interacting on a facilities level.  

In an increasingly digital dependent age, introducing IoT into your toolkit could be the catalyst to complete control and facilities optimization in your office using data on the connected areas. 

9. Ensure KPIs highlight both errors and opportunities.   

Analytics, data, reporting, all this information without context and clear KPIs loses some of its importance. Developing clear KPIs in your facilities management strategy that highlights both shortcomings and errors, as well as opportunities for improvement gives direction and purpose to your goals.  

What these look like is going to differ with each organization, but some core principles can include monitoring all areas, including those which your organization is actively working on improving. From there, establishing what constitutes the difference between an “error” and an area of opportunity in both a quantifiable and qualifiable way.  

What levels reflected in a system should be marked as a red flag? Where are areas that are not at their peak performance and could benefit from optimization? Optimize KPIs and your ROI will improve as a result, getting the most out of your facilities. 

10. Understand how workplace digitization plays a role in lowering costs.  

You’ve likely heard this term thrown around a lot during the last couple of years, with digitization rising to the top of priority lists in organizations to navigate a remote world. Digitization and the integration of in-house data and servers means less expenses through third parties as well as access to all data when needed and can be used as needed. 

Digitization leads to better decision making and innovation , which obviously leads to better IT decisions and business decisions to improving ROI on things such as infrastructure and usage. Integrating this into a strategy will optimize your facilities approach. 

More efficient processes and decisions will lead to lower expenses and better outcomes if things such as facilities management are digitized, as automation and better maintenance means more regular preventative action and less reactive action that could cost significant downtime, repairs, or replacement. 

11. Keep industry evolution in mind  

Things are changing and evolving every day, it may not be a groundbreaking piece of tech every week that changes an industry, but the gradual adoption of ideas and ways of doing things that lead to true evolution. To effectively draft a facilities strategy with this in mind, digitization and being open to new technologies is an important step.  

Understanding that things will change means keeping an open mind and staying up to date with trends. A good way to do this is subscribing to reporting entities like Verdantix for industry reports and trends that are developed with the help of key players in your space.  

Using these resources and listening to professionals around you who are in the same role can shape your outlook and have a forward-facing goal in mind when creating a facilities management strategy rather than only focusing on managing day to day tasks.  

Integration of a workplace management system to keep things in line, as well as visualization software or digital twins for asset management and insightful data collection only adds to your arsenal of tools to help get your facilities management strategy to where you and your business want it to be.  

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What Is Facility Management and When Should a Business Start Thinking About It? Maintenance cost escalating? Trouble tracking assets? Who ya gonna call? Maybe facility management is for you.

By Bryan Christiansen Apr 19, 2019

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

When you're running a business so small it fits into one tiny office, facility management is not something worth losing sleep over. But as your business grows, that one office of yours may turn into a building and a single machine transform into a production line.

Before you know it, you'll have a bunch of assets that need to be taken care of on an ongoing basis.

Related: How can entrepreneurs effectively manage their business inventory?

This is where facility management enters the scene: It ensures you a well-organized environment in which both your business and employees can thrive.

Facility management: the basics

At its core, facility management is a profession that focuses on the efficient maintenance of an organization's buildings and equipment in a way that offers the best value to the building owner and users alike.

It's also a multi-disciplinary support service that can be applied in any niche or industry. Among its many applications is that it can ensure safety, functionality and comfort in the built environment as well as compliance with existing legal requirements.

In North America, the facility management market is experiencing increased patronage from a wide variety of businesses: The Transparency Market Research 2017 report estimated a compound annual growth rate of 13.6 percent between 2017 and 2024.

Still, if you have never used professional facility management services before, you may be wondering if, or when, it should become the next step for your business. Here are the signs that it's time for a business to start thinking about adopting facility management:

1.Your maintenance cost is escalating.

It's an accepted fact that maintenance costs money, but these costs should not run down your business.

When you notice that repairs and servicing costs are rising inexplicably every year, some common money-wasters to check include abuse or under-utilization of existing equipment, wasteful stocking of inventory and spare parts and unused office space. Wired reported in 2013 that over the previous 30 years, the United States had added about 2 billion square feet of office space to its existing stock, which is not something today's highly mobile workforce needs. Having more space to maintain automatically increases your maintenance costs.

Another factor that quickly adds to your bottom line is poorly managed maintenance personnel and other staffing expenses. Over a 30-year period, while the operating and maintenance costs of a building account for 6 percent of total costs, personnel costs alone account for a staggering 92 percent, according to a British study reported on by Researchgate.

If you're running a system where you frequently call on independent plumbers, electricians, heating engineers and other technicians , the costs quickly pile up. Not to mention the fact that engaging these contractors also carries the risk of quality control issues, especially if:

• You have a very large facility.
• You are managing multiple locations.
• You have no real way to track whether tasks are being carried out properly.

One of our clients, Joe Romero from Myriad Genetics, had this exact problem. He had been hired as a facility manager and noticed that his predecessor had been tracking everything manually, which meant the company had no clue whether maintenance tasks were actually being completed.

When Romero implemented facility management software, he could see whether outside contractors were doing the work they were billing for. Long story short, he had to replace his primary maintenance vendor because he found out that that vendor was not doing the work he had been contracted to do.

Related: Top 3 Upcoming Trends in the Indian Facility Management Industry

Because of these problems, some businesses form an internal team or look for a single vendor to take over their back-office responsibilities. A good example is GoDaddy, which was able to realize 10 percent cost savings by employing integrated facility services . Another interesting note in that success story was how one reason GoDaddy went with integrated facilities services provider ISS was because ISS was already operating in all geographical regions GoDaddy was planning to expand to.

2. You're having difficulties in asset management and tracking.

Knowing that over 40 percent of small business track their assets manually or don't track them at all is concerning. While this practice causes minimal problems early on, real issues will start popping up as soon as you start to scale.

Facility management can help you manage and track assets and inventory better if you are experiencing any of the following:

• Asset register is inadequate or doesn't exist at all.
• It's becoming increasingly difficult to track the assets owned by the company.
• The organization cannot confidently declare its asset position.
• The current condition of any asset and its location is unknown.
• If any equipment, machine or tool were to go missing, no one would notice.
• You keep buying replacements for equipment only to find out later that you already had them.

Stanley Healthcare reported that a mobile solution for inventory tracking can reduce search times for needed equipment by 90 percent, as well as help a company realize significant cost savings by avoiding unnecessary inventory purchases (improving inventory invisibility) and equipment loss (shrinkage control).

3. You're seeing a rising backlog of uncompleted maintenance tasks.

Multiple research sources, like this one from Steelcase Global, confirm how employee engagement positively correlates with workplace satisfaction. In other words, happy employees are productive employees. Without a designated facility management service, however, it is only a matter of time before they become frustrated and distracted because of leaking taps, broken light bulbs or an air conditioning unit in the staff canteen that isn't working properly.

Even if these tasks are instructed to call appropriate services, these tasks are often put off untll later -- so they start piling up. Soon, the business is faced with a considerable deferred maintenance list and very little hope of resolving everything. Research from Rick Biedenweg and his colleagues at Pacific Partners Consulting Group discovered that every $1 deferred in maintenance costs results in $4 of capital renewal needs in the future, so this is something you definitely want to avoid.

Preventing the creation of a backlog of uncompleted maintenance tasks is just one of many responsibilities of a facilities manager .

4. Recurring safety issues

Recurring safety issues are an indication that you are operating in a potentially dangerous environment. The simple truth is that improving safety at your facility is not a matter of choice -- it is required by law. Every year, OSHA issues over 40 000 citations , with the most common repeated offenses being:

• lack of personal protective equipment (PPE)
• absence of a hazard-communication program for chemicals
• failure to maintain logs of accidents and injuries
• lack of safety training

Facility management takes these factors into accounts and can help you reach and maintain the highest levels of operational safety using a combination of technology and human expertise and following these extensive Environmental, Health, and Safety Guidelines .

Related: 5 HR Strategies To Promote Employee Health And Safety

When it's time for a change

If any of the above situations describes the current situation in your business, it's clear that time and valuable resources are being wasted. It doesn't matter if you are going to form an in-house facility management team or outsource everything to an independent contractor. The point is that you understand how facility management can result in significant cost savings, improved safety performance and better overall service delivery for your company.

Founder and CEO, Limble CMMS.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

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Complete Guide to Facilities Management

Facility management professionals carry out a range of activities to ensure all types of buildings and properties remain safe, orderly, productive, and efficient.

Without  facilities managers , the world as we know it would quickly cease to exist. It would start small. Light bulbs would burn out, machines would overheat and fail, eventually buildings would crumble and fall.  Facilities managers and maintenance professionals  keep their organizations running by ensuring properties and equipment always remain in peak condition to keep employees safe and productive and ensure customers are always satisfied. 

What if facilities management didn’t exist? 

As humans, we occupy space, and we are accustomed to our spaces working for us, not against us. We need these areas to be safe, functional, and comfortable. And there’s a lot to that. 

When everything goes to plan, this means that your job as a facilities manager is less stressful. No emergencies, easy-to-manage workloads, and fewer incidences.  A boost in productivity and reductions in absenteeism, downtime and wastage, not to mention the lack of accidents. 

It’s clear how important it is to have a well-maintained facility, but what if you don’t? What happens if you don’t have the resources you need to make it happen: adequate staffing, budget, training, equipment, etc.?

The impact on the Company

Your facilities management team is responsible for the overall well-being and functioning of the entire facility. You touch each and every department. Without you, equipment lifespans are reduced, inventory controls can fall by the wayside, bulbs can burn out, machines can overheat. Even worse, problems can get so bad that they bring your revenue-generating activities to a screeching halt. Facility safety also becomes an issue. You manage the security systems, fire systems, ventilation systems, and tricky and often risky elevator systems. If something is out of order, people’s safety is at risk. If someone gets hurt, that bill the company receives is going to hurt.  Depending on the situation, that bill could come in the form of a lawsuit, an expensive settlement, fines from a regulatory agency, and a whole lot of bad PR….or all of the above. It’s not worth the risk. The workspace becomes a non-working space very quickly. 

The impact on the Employee

No employee wants to feel unsafe or uncomfortable at work. Imagine working in an organization that has recurring equipment failures, or worse yet, extremely high incidents of injury at work. That would be terrible, but the same is true If employees can’t do their jobs because there is no space to work, the building is too hot or too cold, and the network keeps failing.  If these issues go on for long enough the company would have a hard time keeping employees too.

The impact on the Customer

Employees are not the only ones who suffer from poor facility management. Customers notice things, too. If buildings are in bad shape, equipment breaks down more often than it works. Orders can get delayed, the quality of your products and service decreases. Injuries become a regular occurrence. Your customers are going to pick up on this.  Their user experience will not be as good as it should be. Your brand, your reputation, and your source of income will be destroyed very quickly. Get it right, and your customer satisfaction jumps up too.

Which facilities require maintenance and management?

Image source

• Industrial facilities :  Factories , warehouses, manufacturing facilities, power plants, refineries, chemical plants, etc. 
• Commercial facilities : Offices, retail stores,  hotels , restaurants, conference centers, banks, entertainment venues, etc. 
• Residential facilities : Apartments, condominiums, retirement facilities, dormitories, etc. 
• Recreational facilities : Fitness centers, golf courses, arenas, amusement parks, etc. 
• Institutional facilities : Schools, hospitals,  religious institutions , government buildings, etc.

Types of facilities management

Depending on the type and size of your organization and its properties, facilities management could mean a range of 

• Facilities maintenance : Management and maintenance go hand in hand, ensuring that all facilities are suited to serve their function. 
• Asset management : Working alongside maintenance teams, facilities departments oversee the upkeep, repairs, and replacement of assets like equipment and vehicles. 
• Real estate  management : In collaboration with property managers, facilities professionals keep buildings safe and ensure repairs are all up to date. 
• Occupancy  management : Managing facilities includes using advanced data analysis to optimize space management across built environments to maximize employee well
• Financial and performance management : Platforms like  Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS)  help consolidate budget and performance data to generate detailed reports and drive better decision making and elevate the role of facilities professionals as strategic advisors. 
• Building systems  management : Each facility includes a range of systems and subsystems, including those for fire safety and building security. 

Hard facility management services vs. soft facility management services

How do businesses keep all these various services and systems straight? Many break the vast world of facility management into two smaller categories: hard and soft facilities management. 

Hard facilities management services (space and infrastructure)

Hard FM services focus on the physical components of the work environment and infrastructure. Most of them fall under the maintenance department. Here is an overview of hard facilities management services:

• The plumbing system: This system plays an essential role in bringing water to a building and removing waste. Over time, blockages can occur, pressure builds up, and fixtures/piping must be replaced. As the Facility Manager, it’s your job to ensure that the plumbing system is regularly maintained and that the possible issues are fixed as quickly as possible. 
• Lighting and HVAC systems: You will work with your team to see if the lighting and heating fixtures need repair or replacement. It’s up to the team to decide the best solutions for cost and energy savings, comfort, and functionality. 
• Fire safety regulation compliance: Fire safety systems are required in most countries and must be regularly maintained and checked for compliance issues.
• Mechanical & electrical systems: Keeping the electrical system running well to keep up with other building operations. The same goes for mechanical systems like elevators and water pumps. You and your team ensure they work properly and do not cause safety incidents. 
• Structural maintenance: Regular usage or even poor design can lead to structural issues over time. When it comes to buildings, weather and other elements can start to take a toll on the structures. Wind, sun, salt, and extreme temperature changes all play their part. As a part of facility management, there should be a structural maintenance plan to identify, classify, and deal with possible structural problems. 

To successfully schedule, track, and manage all maintenance activities and work orders , facility management teams will often seek the help of computerized maintenance management software (CMMS) or Computer-aided facilities management (CAFM) software. We will discuss available software solutions in more detail towards the end of the article.

Soft facilities management services (people and organization)

On the flip side, soft facility management focuses on people and organizations. It includes services that create a more comfortable, healthier, safer, and visually appealing environment.  Common examples include:

• Waste management: If waste is not managed, garbage bins become overloaded, and things become smelly. This is never a good thing. Waste management gets the garbage into the correct containers. It sends it away to make sure that you stay within regulatory requirements and prevent trash overcrowding.
• Cleaning services: Custodial teams come in to clean common areas and perform other janitorial duties. Many companies will have their own janitorial staff, while others will choose to outsource.
• Space planning: Space planning and management is an important part of facilities management. Whenever your company hires more people, expands to a new floor, buys new assets that take a big chunk of space, and wants to remodel the existing space, they will turn to you to help organize the space so that it remains comfortable, safe, and functional. 
• Landscaping: Well-maintained grounds improve curb appeal and signal top-notch property management. Your team takes care of the seasonal and non-seasonal changes, such as planting flowers in the spring, trimming the grass during the summer, removing falling leaves during the autumn, or removing excess snow from the walkway in the winter.
• Pest control: These fall under your domain, be it scheduling seasonal pest controls or managing pest outbreaks if they ever happen.
• Building security: Having control of people going in and out of the facility is something that almost every building these days requires. It can also involve the management of restricted access areas inside the facility.
• EHS compliance: Defining and maintaining acceptable standards of comfort that might include temperature, noise, seating standards, and visual cues is imperative in every company. For example, selecting specific chairs that guarantee employee comfort for desk workers. Depending on the industry, EHS standards can differ widely. In a typical office setting, they may seem relatively tame. Still, in a pharmaceutical company where employees may be handling dangerous substances, standards will be different. EHS standards will change from business to business depending on the needs of the company. 

Free Building Maintenance Checklist

13 simple steps to improved productivity and reliability.

What do facilities managers do?

You have to be a jack of all trades to do this job well. The support of a great team and the right software will help take you to the next level of your career.  A facilities manager can have a dozen balls up in the air on any given day. As a facility manager, you touch so many areas: 

• Property strategy: What’s the current property portfolio of the company? Do you lease or own? As the world turns, more and more companies are adopting remote work policies where employees can work from home at least some of the time. How your company approaches this major shift in the culture of work will also impact your needs for employee-occupied space into the future.
• Space management: To piggyback on what was said above, are employees required to be in office? If not, there’s room for some creativity in space management. Perhaps changing to an “open office” layout where employees can “check out” a workspace as needed is a solution your company considers if employees work in a hybrid format.
• Communications infrastructure: We’re talking phones (no pun intended), network cabling, server storage, and beyond.
• General building maintenance : Depending on if your company leases or owns the building, maintenance responsibilities may shift. Many commercial building owners push a lot of maintenance responsibilities to the lease-holder, not everything and not all the time.
• Testing and inspections: This is a part of routine maintenance . You regularly check in on assets and alarms to ensure that everything is up to code and working correctly. You also need to make sure that you are compliant with OSHA and other regulatory agencies (like FDA, if applicable to your industry).
• Contract management : You have several service providers, and those contracts and relationships need to be managed. It’s your job to make sure these are kept up. Using Lmble makes managing vendors and their contracts easy!
• EHS(environment, health, safety): Health and safety live with you, and it’s your job to make sure that the workplace is safe for everyone in it. 
• Security: Be it the locks on the doors, the security monitoring team or cameras, and any other part of security, these all fall under your jurisdiction. 
• Facility Maintenance planning : Predictive and preventative maintenance are best practices to keep your organization’s assets in working order. The planning of these is a crucial part of your role. Using Limble, you can plan, schedule, and report on your maintenance and use this information to collaborate with Finance on budget forecasting.
• Managing renovations and refurbishments: The workplace is ever-changing. Offices get bigger or smaller, paint colors change, boardrooms are built. Renovations and refurbishments sit squarely with the facility professionals to manage. The same is true for capital projects. You will work with teams to build new facilities and expand the campus.
• Inventory management: Knowing what you have and what you need, and the value of your inventory is an integral part of maintenance and cost management. Limble makes it possible to see the value of your stock at the click of a button, and the customized reporting helps you break it down any way you need to.

And in case you wanted more, you’re not done yet! You are also responsible for: 

• Advising businesses on measures to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the facility.
• Supervising teams of staff across different divisions.
• Dealing with emergencies as they arise.
• Managing budgets; Planning for the future by forecasting the facility’s upcoming needs and requirements.
• Helping with office relocations.
• Drafting maintenance reports.

Tips for building and managing your facilities team

• Develop clear and detailed job descriptions : The titles and brief descriptions above are just suggestions. You should make sure the roles, responsibilities, and the chain of command are all tailored to your unique facilities. Once you’ve got these in place, ensure all facilities team members always know where they fit in. 
• Offer  up-skilling opportunities  and detailed  career paths : You’ll boost both performance and engagement by ensuring team members have opportunities to cross-train, learn new skills, and expose themselves to different sides of the business.
• Emphasize the role of technology : The right time- and cost-saving solutions can improve engagement and job satisfaction across your team. Take care to loop end users in whenever you’re making tech selections and always emphasize the ways the right tools can augment their capabilities and empower them to do their jobs even better. CMMS tools in particular offer useful  integrations  with other solutions, automations for core processes, and features for  real-time data analytics . 
• Balance  in-house  and third-party FM resources : Depending on the size of your organization and the scope of your facilities management needs, you’ll rely on a blend of both internal and external resources to make your full FM program possible. 

Software solutions that make facility management simpler, better, and faster

There are a lot of software solutions out there to help you plan and execute facility management. Let’s walk through some of the better options out there so that you can make an informed decision about the one that’s right for you, your team, and your organization.  Don’t be worried if you do not see a clear difference between some of them at first sight. They do have a lot of overlapping features.

As with every other software on this list, different software vendors offer different levels of functionality. It makes more sense to look at the exact features you need than to focus on labels like IWMS, CMMS, or CAFM.

CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System)

A CMMS is at the top of the list.  Using a CMMS like Limble can be a great way to help keep all your ducks in a row. You’ll be able to track workflows, report on repairs, easily keep an eye on the budget and find ways to cut costs if you need to.  Imagine how great it will be to be called into a meeting last minute and easily give feedback on the FM team’s work. It makes maintenance vastly easier by streamlining and automating all maintenance processes.  Use your CMMS to: 

• Streamline your work order management
• Schedule and monitor all maintenance work
• Track spare parts inventory and forecast future inventory needs
• Effectively manage your assets
• Easily manage vendors and contracts
• Run any report you need or can imagine from your custom dashboards 

CAFM (Computer-Aided Facilities Management)

CAFM is software that helps facility managers execute core functions. CAFM technology combines business administration, behavioral science, architecture, and engineering concepts to optimize the functioning of your organization. It can be helpful to think of computer-aided facility management as a comprehensive commercial facility or building maintenance tool with many different facets and functions. It uses several different models to cover:

• Information management
• Maintenance management 
• Physical building administration
• Floor plans and space management
• Leasing and real-estate management
• Asset lifecycle management
• and administrative support

The core difference between a CAFM and CMMS is that a CAFM focuses on the physical space and things. In contrast, a CMMS focuses on the management of maintenance.  If you need more from your CAFM, you can combine it with a CMMS to give your team more support. 

IWMS (Integrated Workplace Management System)

The easiest way to describe it is that it usually offers everything you can find in a CAFM software, and then some. You can think of it as an all-in-one solution for facilities management. Aside from the CAFM features listed above, IWMS can also include:

• Flexible real estate and lease management features
• Project management features
• Environmental management features
• Mailroom management features
• Visitor management features

On its own, this software solution would be lacking. But when paired with another more comprehensive tool, implementing an IWMS has the potential to be powerful.

BMS/BAS/BEMS 

Let’s first explain the acronyms:

• BMS = building management system
• BAS = building automation system
• BEMS = building energy management system

BMS and BAS are often used interchangeably because they serve the same purpose. They combine hardware and software solutions to control different building systems like lighting, heating, HVAC, access control, etc. They can also be used to measure the performance and energy consumption of HVAC systems and other assets.  Facility managers have to keep an eye on energy consumption because it accounts for a big chunk of their facility’s operational costs. Building energy management systems help them measure energy consumption across the whole facility and find problematic systems and assets.  While BEMS and BMS can come together, they are usually standalone systems, implemented separately. That being said, they do work very well together. BMS/BAM primary function is to control building systems and assets. BEMS’ primary role is to collect and analyze energy consumption data (it can track everything from device electricity usage to water, gas, and steam consumption). Want to know more? Here is an article that discusses the differences between these systems in more detail. 

Building security systems

Security systems also come in different forms and offer a lot of diverse functionalities. You can use them to detect risks, record incidents, and perform risk analysis. They offer visitor management features ranging from facial recognition and badge scanning to video surveillance and capacity and occupancy tracking. As with most things, different software offers different functions. Rather than looking at the labels, think about the exact features you need and use those to help you decide what’s best for your team and organization. 

Facility professionals: titles, roles, and responsibilities

The shape and structure of your facilities management department will depend on a number of factors, but here are a few of the titles you’ll see on just about any multi-person employee roster. 

• Facility manager : These professionals oversee facilities management programs and assign duties to teams of technicians and operators. Depending on the size and type of facility, they may have a large team of specialized operators and technicians working under them. In addition to specialized education, professionals at this level may bolster their credentials with certifications like Facility Management Professional (FMP) or Certified Facility Manager (CFM), issued by the International Facility Management Association (IFMA). 
• Maintenance manager : Your facilities management team may work alongside a separate maintenance department or include maintenance pros among its ranks. Managers typically oversee teams of operators and technicians, assigning tasks, tailoring the work order system, and reviewing performance. 
• Maintenance technician : Technicians make up the foundation of facilities management and maintenance units, putting in the most  wrench time  and executing on  work orders  in the most hands-on way. 

Across all roles, the core competencies of facilities management professionals include familiarity with specific machinery, communication skills, and problem-solving savvy. More senior professionals typically blend these attributes with project management and leadership skills.

Small organizations may operate with facilities and maintenance departments as small as a single person. As organizations grow and their facilities take up more square feet, the department may take various different forms and employ a host of different strategies. Some organizations delegate responsibilities based on zone, with certain employees responsible for specific facilities. Others take a service-specific approach to assigning tasks, reserving specific types of work for specific employees or teams. 

Why are facilities management strategies important? 

Effective FM strategies empower employees to perform to their full potential by keeping the workplace safe, orderly, and conducive to excellence. Over time, taking the right approach to facilities management has effects that you, your employees, your partners, and your customers will feel. 

Benefits of strong facilities management programs

The top- and bottom-line effects of well-managed facilities are numerous. 

• Reduced  operating costs : A more strategic and proactive approach to facilities management ensures teams plan and schedule maintenance tasks, repairs, and other important work for maximum cost effectiveness. Reducing excess maintenance costs and avoiding unplanned breakdowns ultimately boosts the profitability of facilities and organization-wide operations. 
• Safer, more productive properties and  workspaces : Safe, comfortable, and accessible facilities are essential for productivity. Minimizing risk and liability helps keep excess costs low and reduce the likelihood of unexpected breakdowns or labor shortages. 
• Ensuring compliance with legal regulations : Taking a forward-thinking approach to maintaining assets and facilities keeps your team 
• Greater  energy efficiency : More strategic maintenance and facilities management can play a key role in  making sustainability more than a buzzword . Poor visibility and a lack of direction can often keep businesses from making progress against their green objectives. A management program can help address both these obstacles, ultimately reducing excess energy consumption and emissions across your full portfolio of facilities.   
• Improved employee experience : Better planning and a more productive workplace leads to improved overall satisfaction. Your team will thank you for enabling them to spend less time on reactive repairs and more time contributing to high-value projects.  

Facilities management vs. property management vs. building management 

How does facilities management differ from  property management  and  building management ? While the three terms sound similar and the concepts overlap, they aren’t quite the same thing. Facilities management programs cover the most ground.

• Facilities management refers to the wide variety of activities related to keeping facilities operational, safe, and maximally efficient. FM programs involve buildings as well as all of the assets and systems included within those buildings. 
• Building management typically focuses on the physical structure of buildings. Tasks related to roofing and painting, for example, may qualify as examples of building maintenance. 
• Property management programs are broader than building management, taking into account exterior spaces and encompassing services like landscaping. 

Facilities management: today and tomorrow 

How are facilities managers leveraging cutting-edge tools to overcome common challenges and confidently entering a new era? We surveyed more than 250 professionals from maintenance and facilities management departments to learn which strategies they’re employing.  Check out the report  and dive deeper with our  webinar on strategies for facilities managers.

I am interested, pls whattsapp me 00971558984428

Good presentation. I want to start a career in facility management after retirement from a microfinance bank at 60,what steps do I need to take?

That is a really specific question 🙂 I’d suggest you read the following guide to get you started: https://limblecmms.com/blog/facilities-manager-roles-and-responsibilities/ . Good luck!

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Facilities management helps ensure the functionality, comfort, safety and efficiency of buildings and grounds, infrastructure and real estate.

Facilities management includes:

• Lease management, including lease administration and accounting
• Capital project planning and management 
• Maintenance and operations
• Energy management
• Occupancy and space management 
• Employee and occupant experience 
• Emergency management and business continuity
• Real estate management

Types of facilities management:  There are two basic areas: Hard facilities management (Hard FM) and soft facilities management (Soft FM). 

• Hard FM deals with physical assets such as plumbing, wiring, elevators and heating and cooling.
• Soft FM focuses on tasks performed by people such as custodial services, lease accounting, catering, security and groundskeeping.

This guide summarizes what sustainability-forward organizations look for in their ESG software platform to help achieve their goals.

Register for the guide on sustainability trends

For people to do their best work and feel engaged in their environments, they need to be in buildings that are safe, welcoming and efficient. Facilities management has a hand in everything that surrounds the people in facilities and on the grounds. Where they work, play, learn and live should be comfortable, productive and sustainable.

Superior facilities management will contribute to your organization’s bottom line, impacting the short-and long-term value of property, buildings and equipment. Your efforts can be crucial to:

• Space optimization
• Guiding capital projects
• Energy management and maintenance
• Lease accounting
• Workplace experience

People spend 87% of their time in buildings. See how to improve your operations to make their lives more comfortable and maximize efficiencies.

In its first worldwide integrated workplace management system (IWMS) MarketScape report, market research firm IDC highlights TRIRIGA for its innovation, flexibility, functionality and industry expertise.

Real estate is the second-highest cost for an organization and effective space management can result in cost savings up to 30%. ¹

The average capital project is 80% over budget and 20 months behind schedule, but adopting capital project management technology can lead to up to a 45% reduction in overall project costs. ²

Companies that rank high in employee engagement have 59% less turnover, 17% more productivity and 41% less absenteeism. 3

A smart building with integrated systems can realize 30–50% savings in existing buildings that are otherwise inefficient. 4

The technology in facilities management includes both software and systems. Vast amounts of data are generated by built environments through Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, wifi, meters, gauges and smart devices.

The most effective solutions enable facilities management departments to make good use of this data by infusing analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) into an integrated workplace management system (IWMS). These technologies deliver cognitive capabilities that make computer-aided facilities management possible—so you can analyze and learn from data, enabling you to achieve real-time visibility, perform predictive facilities maintenance and create more productive, cost-efficient environments.

Across numerous industries and company sizes, facilities managers have a wide range of important day-to-day responsibilities. These managers need to both plan ahead and also be ready for various tasks within any given day. While the manager’s responsibilities often include:

• real estate management
• capital projects and planning
• occupancy and space management 
• lease administration and accounting
• workplace experience

There are also ways to improve the performance of each responsibility that will fill the manager's schedule:

• deliver operational efficiencies
• create an environment conducive to productivity
• find and adopt technological solutions 
• guarantee regulatory compliance
• minimize risks to facilities and employees
• reduce energy consumption costs
• reduce the carbon footprint of the real estate portfolio

As many enterprises return to their offices, the workplace ideally becomes a destination where employees want to gather and collaborate—connecting safely with each other.

The new workspace in the post-pandemic world must to satisfy even more needs. Does productivity mean keeping face-to-face working or saving employees commuting time? Have a look at the advantages and challenges of building a hybrid workspace model.

Give employees a better workplace experience. “A great place to work” is being redefined by COVID-19, employee expectations and technology. That experience can still mean the difference between engaged, productive employees and a company facing turnover and even more disruption. Learn how to create that new experience .

See how ISS is transforming the facilities management of more than 25,000 buildings worldwide using TRIRIGA. Specific facilities management examples show the value of IoT as buildings and environments become more personalized, intuitive and easy to use.

With the onset of COVID-19, GRE was able to move 95% of IBM’s global employees from the office to home by using our own solutions. Now we’re preparing for the move back to the office, with the ability to monitor adherence to pandemic-related protocols and to verify health credentials.

Learn how an integrated workplace management system (IWMS) can increase the operational, financial and environmental performance of facilities and real estate.

Use data to make better-informed and data-driven decisions for intelligent real estate and facilities management.

Get intelligent asset management, monitoring, predictive maintenance and reliability in a single platform.

Read how as artificial intelligence gets integrated with building management systems and IoT devices, it has the potential to improve occupant experience, increase operational efficiency and optimize space management and asset utilization.

Explore how the workplace as a destination is changing the way facilities managers are optimizing space for safety, productivity and improved experiences.

Data and AI are increasingly critical tools in how organizations are evolving their facilities management. Simple, fast and flexible, IBM TRIRIGA is an integrated workplace management system that has the right mix of applications in one modular solution to maximize your building lifecycle while preparing you to meet future needs.

¹  Research and Markets  (link resides outside ibm.com)

²  McKinsey & Company  (link resides outside ibm.com)

³  Gallup  (link resides outside ibm.com)

⁴  American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy  (link resides outside ibm.com)

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Solutions for a Comprehensive Facility Management Plan

• Workplace Innovation

What is a Master Facility Plan (MFP)

What is a facilities operation plan (fop), how to create a facility management plan, why facility management plans are important, relationship between real estate portfolio management and facility management, challenges for facility management strategy, desk booking software, visitor management software, parking management software.

• Workero's Facility Ticketing
• Advantages of Workero's Workplace Management Software

Discover real solutions to create your perfect facility management plan. Start transforming your operations with Workero.

Efficient facility management is paramount for businesses aiming to optimize their operational environments, enhance employee experiences, and streamline resource allocation.

In the complex realm of real estate and building management, Workero’s innovative workplace management software offers an array of solutions that seamlessly address common challenges faced by modern enterprises.

From desk booking and visitor management to parking coordination, Workero’s integrated suite of tools empowers businesses to overcome these challenges with efficiency and precision.

What is a Facility Management plan?

A facility management plan is a strategic blueprint that outlines how an organization intends to efficiently manage and maintain its physical assets, properties, and resources.

It serves as a comprehensive guide that encompasses various aspects of facility management, ensuring that the built environment aligns with the business goals and operational requirements of the organization.

This plan not only covers the physical spaces but also includes the processes, protocols, and technologies needed to ensure the smooth functioning and optimization of the facilities.

In essence, a facility management plan addresses the entire lifecycle of a building or property, from design and construction to ongoing maintenance, space utilization, and eventual decommissioning.

It encompasses diverse elements such as space allocation, energy management, security protocols, maintenance schedules, sustainability initiatives, and occupant well-being considerations.

By developing and implementing a well-structured facility management plan, organizations can effectively align their real estate assets with their strategic objectives, enhance operational efficiency, minimize downtime, and create a conducive environment for both employees and visitors.

A Master Facility Plan (MFP) is a comprehensive and long-term strategy that outlines the development, maintenance, and enhancement of a facility or property. It encompasses various aspects, including infrastructure, systems, technology, and sustainability initiatives. An MFP aims to align facility management strategies with the organization’s overarching goals. It serves as a roadmap for decision-making, ensuring that resources are allocated strategically and that the facility’s physical assets are utilized optimally. An MFP often considers factors such as budget constraints, technological advancements, and environmental sustainability, enabling organizations to plan for the future while maintaining operational excellence.

A Facilities Operation Plan (FOP) is a detailed document that outlines the operational processes, standards, and practices for managing a facility. It covers a wide range of aspects, including property descriptions, maintenance procedures, safety protocols, and interaction guidelines with vendors, service departments, and employees. The FOP is an integral part of facility management, guiding day-to-day operations and ensuring consistency in practices. It acts as a reference guide for handling routine tasks, emergency situations, and preventive maintenance. A well-defined FOP contributes to efficient facility management and supports the overall goals of the organization.

Priorities for a Facility Management Plan

Creating an effective facility management plan involves establishing clear priorities to ensure the seamless operation and maintenance of a building or property. One of the foremost priorities is identifying maintenance needs. This entails understanding the specific upkeep requirements of various systems and components within the facility.

A proactive approach to preventive maintenance helps prevent unexpected breakdowns and costly downtime. Additionally, budgeting and life cycle planning are essential priorities. By allocating funds for maintenance and planning for replacements and upgrades, facility managers can ensure the optimal utilization of resources and the longevity of critical systems.

Lastly, coordination and delegation of maintenance tasks ensure that responsibilities are assigned appropriately, preventing any issues from falling through the cracks.

Creating a facility management plan involves a strategic and comprehensive approach. Begin by conducting a thorough assessment of the facility’s systems, components, and maintenance needs. This assessment should cover routine maintenance as well as scheduled services outlined in vendor agreements. With a clear understanding of maintenance needs, establish a detailed budget that allocates funds for various maintenance tasks. This budget should also account for life cycle planning, ensuring that replacements and upgrades are planned well in advance. Coordination and delegation of tasks are equally important; clearly define responsibilities and parties responsible for each maintenance aspect. To optimize decision-making, incorporate data-driven insights using facility management software. Such software, like Workero’s innovative solutions, enables real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and informed decision-making.

Facility management plans are vital for several reasons. They provide a structured framework for maintaining and optimizing a facility’s physical infrastructure. By identifying maintenance needs, facility managers can prevent unexpected breakdowns and ensure uninterrupted operations. Budgeting and life cycle planning offer financial stability, preventing last-minute budget constraints due to system failures. Coordinating and delegating tasks streamline operations and prevent inefficiencies. Additionally, data-driven insights enhance decision-making, leading to optimized resource allocation and efficient facility management. Overall, facility management plans contribute to cost savings, operational efficiency, and the prolonged life of critical building systems.

Real Estate Portfolio Management and Facility Management are interconnected disciplines that play vital roles in optimizing a company’s physical assets. Real Estate Portfolio Management involves strategic decisions related to property acquisition, disposal, and optimization to align with business objectives. Facility Management, on the other hand, focuses on the day-to-day operations and maintenance of these properties. The relationship between these two disciplines lies in their shared goal of maximizing the value and performance of real estate assets. Facility management ensures that acquired properties are well-maintained, efficient, and conducive to business operations, aligning with the strategic decisions made by Real Estate Portfolio Management. Effective collaboration between these two functions ensures that the organization’s real estate investments are managed efficiently and contribute to its overall success.

Facility management is fraught with a range of challenges that require careful navigation to ensure the smooth operation and optimal performance of physical spaces. One of the primary challenges is the efficient utilization of space.

As organizations grow and evolve, their space needs change, often leading to issues of underutilized or overcrowded areas. Balancing the allocation of spaces to accommodate diverse functions, departments, and teams while optimizing space utilization to avoid wastage can be a complex undertaking.

Another significant challenge is maintenance and asset management. Facilities encompass a multitude of systems, equipment, and infrastructure, all of which require regular maintenance to function properly.

Managing maintenance schedules, repairs, and replacements in a way that minimizes disruptions to operations while ensuring safety and compliance is a critical task. Additionally, coordinating maintenance across various departments, tracking asset performance, and optimizing maintenance costs can be intricate challenges that require a strategic approach.

Moreover, security and safety concerns are paramount in facility management. Maintaining a secure environment for occupants and assets requires robust security protocols, access control systems, and emergency response plans.

Ensuring compliance with safety regulations, conducting routine safety assessments, and preparing for unforeseen events are ongoing challenges that demand constant vigilance. Furthermore, in today’s environmentally conscious landscape, sustainability considerations have become central.

Implementing energy-efficient measures, waste reduction strategies, and eco-friendly practices require careful planning and consistent monitoring to align facilities with sustainability goals.

• Successful Resource Optimization and Space Utilization: Maximizing the utilization of office space while ensuring employee comfort and collaboration is a common challenge. Wasted space can lead to unnecessary expenses and reduced operational efficiency.
• External Employee or Visitor Management: Welcoming guests and managing their access can be time-consuming and security-sensitive. Balancing hospitality with security measures is crucial.
• Efficient Parking Management: Allocating parking spaces efficiently for employees and visitors can be a logistical puzzle, especially in congested urban environments.

Workero’s Facility Management Solutions

Desk Booking Software from Workero revolutionizes workspace utilization. With real-time office maps, employees can easily find and book available desks, promoting flexible work arrangements.

This solution optimizes space by enabling hot desking and assigning desks based on employee schedules. The platform’s data analytics provide insights into space usage patterns, empowering businesses to make informed decisions about space allocation and layout adjustments.

• Check out our guide to desk booking software .

Workero’s Visitor Management Software streamlines guest reception. It automates the check-in process, improving both efficiency and security. The software notifies hosts of guest arrivals and equips them with essential information.

Customized badges enhance branding while ensuring the visitor’s smooth journey. This solution enhances the overall guest experience while maintaining stringent security protocols.

• Discover an intuitive visitor management solution for busy businesses .

Workero’s Parking Management Software transforms parking allocation. Through intelligent booking systems, employees and visitors can reserve parking spots in advance, reducing congestion and enhancing the arrival experience.

This solution ensures efficient parking usage, mitigates parking-related stress, and enhances sustainability by promoting carpooling and alternative transportation.

Workero’s Facility Ticketing

Our Facility Ticketing System offers an intuitive and efficient solution for streamlining facility management operations. This system serves as a centralized platform where facility-related issues and requests can be reported, tracked, and resolved seamlessly.

It empowers both occupants and facility management teams to communicate effectively, ensuring that maintenance, repair, and service requests are promptly addressed. Through this user-friendly interface, occupants can submit tickets detailing their facility-related needs, whether it’s a maintenance request, a technical issue, or a general inquiry.

Workero’s Facility Ticketing System not only enhances communication between occupants and facility managers but also enables real-time monitoring and assignment of tasks. This results in quicker response times, increased transparency, and a more efficient resolution of facility-related challenges.

Advantages of Workero’s Workplace Management Software

A sure fire way to start tackling your facility management plan is by employing the use of technology to overcome administrate or time-consuming work practices. Modernising your response and approach can be vital in ensuring your business remains relevant and attract to both clients and employees.

• Streamlined Operations: Workero’s integrated suite centralizes workspace, visitor, and parking management, simplifying facility operations through a single platform.
• Data-Driven Insights: The software provides data analytics that offer actionable insights into space usage, visitor patterns, and parking demand, empowering businesses to make informed decisions.
• Enhanced User Experience: Employees, visitors, and guests benefit from a seamless and user-friendly experience, from workspace reservation to parking allocation.
• Optimized Resource Allocation: Workero’s solutions ensure efficient space and resource utilization, leading to cost savings and reduced wastage.
• Customization and Scalability: The software can be tailored to suit various business sizes and needs, allowing for easy scalability as the organization grows.

As businesses navigate the intricate landscape of facility management, Workero’s Workplace Management Software emerges as a comprehensive solution that tackles challenges head-on.

By providing efficient, user-centric, and data-driven solutions for desk booking, visitor management, and parking coordination, Workero empowers organizations to optimize their workspace utilization, enhance visitor experiences, and streamline parking allocation.

Facility management directly impacts operational efficiency and employee satisfaction, embracing Workero’s innovative software is a strategic choice that paves the way for a more agile, productive, and harmonious workplace environment.

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Steps in Building a Business Continuity Strategy in Facility Management

Put on your risk goggles, crunch the numbers and reveal the true impact of disruptions, perfect your evacuation skills, identify your key allies, restore critical functions to bounce back, don’t leave any vulnerabilities unchecked, train like there's no tomorrow, spot threats before they strike, keep your plan supercharged, promote a culture of preparedness.

Ever had that sinking feeling when you realize your facility’s critical systems can fail, leaving you in a state of panic? Or that knot of anxiety that tightens when you discover a major equipment malfunction that brings operations to a grinding halt?

It’s like being in a high-speed car chase, but you’re driving with a blindfold on. You’re determined to keep your facility running smoothly, but all the while, you anticipate the looming disaster around the next corner.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. That’s where a business continuity strategy comes into play.

It’s your lifeline during times of crisis, outlining the procedures and guidelines you need to follow to keep your organization afloat.

But here’s the thing: many facility managers underestimate the importance of having a solid strategy in place.

You might think, “I can handle it when the time comes. I’ll deal with it on the fly.”

But that’s a risky mindset. Without a well-thought-out facilities business continuity plan, you’re putting your staff, resources, and even profitability at stake.

In this article, we’ll delve into the next-gen steps in building a business continuity strategy in facility management, exploring best practices, key considerations, and real-world examples.

Imagine you’re managing a corporate office building. You need to consider various risks such as fire hazards, power outages, natural disasters, or even cybersecurity threats.

Each of these risks has the potential to disrupt your facility and affect business operations. By conducting a comprehensive risk assessment, you can identify these potential risks and their potential impact on facility management.

Once you’ve identified the risks, it’s time to put on your detective hat and uncover the critical functions that are essential for your facility’s smooth operation. These critical functions can vary depending on the nature of your facility, but they often include security, HVAC systems, electrical infrastructure, and communication networks.

Prioritizing the continuity of these functions ensures that even in the face of disruptions, your facility can continue to operate efficiently.

For example, if a power outage occurs, identifying the critical function of electrical infrastructure will prompt you to have backup generators or alternative power sources in place to keep the lights on and essential systems running. Similarly, understanding the potential impact of a cybersecurity threat will lead you to prioritize the continuity of your facility’s data security measures.

Understanding the potential impact of disruptions is crucial for building a robust business continuity strategy.

That’s where the Business Impact Analysis (BIA) swoops in to save the day.

Think of it as your trusty sidekick, helping you crunch the numbers and reveal the true impact of disruptions.

First, you embark on a thorough analysis of your facility’s operations and processes. You leave no stone unturned, examining every nook and cranny to identify the critical functions that keep your facility running smoothly.

Whether it’s HVAC systems, security protocols, or maintenance procedures, you assess their significance and prioritize their continuity.

But it doesn’t stop there. The BIA dives into the financial and operational implications of potential disruptions. You put on your detective hat, investigating the potential consequences of a power outage, a cyber attack, or even a natural disaster. By quantifying the impact in terms of downtime, revenue loss, and customer satisfaction, you gain a clear understanding of the risks at hand.

Furthermore, the BIA uncovers the intricate web of dependencies and interdependencies within your facility. It reveals the domino effect that disruptions can trigger, highlighting the interconnectivity between various systems, departments, and stakeholders. For example, a failure in the electrical infrastructure can disrupt not only lighting and equipment but also impact security systems and employee productivity.

When unforeseen disasters hit, you want to be the expert who swiftly guides everyone to safety, creating a sense of security and preparedness.

Your emergency response plan is the ultimate playbook for handling various situations, from evacuation to sheltering and even lockdown scenarios. It’s like having a superhero team ready to leap into action, ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone within your facility.

For example, imagine a facility manager responsible for a large office building. He creates a comprehensive Emergency Response Plan that outlines the evacuation routes, designated assembly points, and roles for each team member during emergencies. They also set up communication channels, ensuring quick and efficient dissemination of critical information.

When an unexpected fire breaks out on one of the floors, His well-prepared response plan springs into action. Employees follow the clear evacuation procedures, emergency response teams act promptly, and communication channels keep everyone informed about the situation. Thanks to the well-rehearsed plan, everyone safely evacuates the building, and the fire is quickly brought under control.

By developing a top-notch emergency response plan, facility managers like you can instill confidence, protect lives, and safeguard the continuity of business operations, making them the real heroes in the world of Facility Management.

Key allies could include facility staff, tenants, vendors, local authorities, and emergency services. By involving them in the crisis communication plan, you create a united front to tackle any emergency head-on.

For instance, imagine a scenario where a major water pipe bursts in a commercial building, flooding several floors.

In this case, your key allies might include facility staff to coordinate immediate evacuations and shut off water supplies, tenants to inform them about the situation and safety measures, vendors to assist with repairs, and local authorities or emergency services to manage the overall response.

By integrating digital platforms for real-time communication, like mobile apps or group messaging systems, you ensure rapid dissemination of critical information during the crisis.

This approach enhances the facility’s responsiveness, minimizes disruptions, and showcases a coordinated effort that builds trust among stakeholders.

When the unexpected strikes and disrupts critical functions in facility management, it’s time to put our recovery strategies into action.

The goal? To bounce back stronger than ever and restore normal operations swiftly. Developing these strategies is a crucial step in building a robust business continuity plan for facility management.

First and foremost, we analyze the impact of the disruption and identify the critical functions that need immediate attention. With a clear understanding of what needs to be restored, we devise comprehensive strategies to get things back on track.

For example, if a facility is damaged due to a natural disaster, we might establish alternate facilities or activate remote work capabilities to ensure uninterrupted service delivery.

Collaboration is key in the recovery process. We work closely with our trusted vendors and suppliers, leveraging their expertise and resources to expedite the recovery. By forging strong partnerships, we can access necessary equipment, materials, and services promptly, minimizing downtime and ensuring a timely recovery.

When it comes to building a business continuity strategy in facility management, one crucial step is implementing preventive measures to ensure vulnerabilities are not left unchecked. This proactive approach helps safeguard critical systems and functions from potential disruptions.

To begin, it is essential to establish preventive maintenance programs for critical systems. Regular maintenance and servicing can prevent unexpected breakdowns and identify any underlying issues before they escalate. By staying ahead of maintenance needs, facility managers can minimize the risk of system failures and ensure smooth operations.

Another vital aspect is integrating redundancy and backup systems for key functions. Having backup systems in place provides an additional layer of protection against potential failures. Redundancy ensures that if one system fails, there is a backup ready to take over, minimizing downtime and maintaining continuity.

Conducting regular inspections and audits plays a significant role in identifying potential vulnerabilities. By regularly assessing the facility’s infrastructure, equipment, and processes, facility managers can detect any weak points or areas that require improvement. This proactive approach allows for timely corrective actions and mitigates the risk of unexpected disruptions.

Train Like There’s No Tomorrow

When it comes to building a solid business continuity strategy in facility management, one crucial step stands out: training and testing the plan. In this stage, we embrace the motto “train like there’s no tomorrow” to ensure our emergency response teams are prepared for any situation.

Regular training sessions are the backbone of our preparedness efforts. We gather our teams, share knowledge, and sharpen their skills in handling emergencies. Through interactive sessions, we empower our team members with the confidence and expertise to navigate challenging scenarios.

But training alone is not enough. We go a step further by organizing drills and simulations that put our plan to the test. These real-life scenarios allow us to assess the effectiveness of our strategies, identify areas for improvement, and fine-tune our response procedures. It’s like a dress rehearsal, preparing us to perform flawlessly when the spotlight is on.

Training and testing the plan are not just checkboxes to tick off. They are ongoing processes that ensure our facility management team is always prepared and ready to handle any disruption that comes our way. With each training session and simulation, we become stronger, more resilient, and better equipped to safeguard our operations.

By exploring technology solutions like facility management system software , organizations can gain a competitive edge in maintaining business continuity in facility management.

Automation and monitoring systems take center stage, allowing for early detection of potential issues. These systems can monitor critical functions, equipment, and infrastructure, providing real-time insights and alerts.

They act as a watchful eye, ensuring that any deviations or anomalies are promptly identified and addressed before they escalate into major disruptions.

Moreover, leveraging data analytics becomes a game-changer in proactive risk management. By collecting and analyzing vast amounts of data, facility managers can uncover patterns, identify trends, and predict potential risks.

This data-driven approach enables them to make informed decisions, implement preventive measures, and allocate resources effectively.

Integrating technology solutions not only enhances operational efficiency but also empowers facility managers to take a proactive stance in managing risks.

You’ve created a business continuity plan that’s your trusted companion in times of crisis. But here’s the secret to staying ahead of the game – keeping that plan supercharged through regular reviews and updates.

In the world of facility management, change is the only constant. That’s why maintaining business continuity in facilities management requires establishing a regular review process for your business continuity strategy.

Take a step back, gather your team, and evaluate the effectiveness of your plan based on real-life scenarios.

Did it hold up when faced with challenges? Were there any gaps or areas for improvement?

But don’t stop there. Embrace feedback from your team, stakeholders, and even external experts. They bring fresh perspectives and insights, helping you address emerging risks that might have flown under the radar. Their input can be invaluable in making updates and enhancements to your plan.

Let’s say your facility experienced a recent power outage that lasted longer than anticipated. During the review process, you realized that your plan lacked sufficient measures to handle extended power disruptions.

With this feedback, you can update your plan to include backup power solutions or alternative work arrangements to keep operations running smoothly.

Remember, a supercharged plan is a living document – one that evolves and adapts to the ever-changing landscape of facility management.

When it comes to building a business continuity strategy in facility management, engaging stakeholders and promoting a culture of preparedness is essential. It’s not just about having a plan on paper; it’s about fostering a mindset of resilience within the organization. This involves engaging facility management staff in the planning and implementation process.

By involving your team in the development of the business continuity plan for facility management, you create a sense of ownership and responsibility. Their input and expertise can uncover valuable insights and ensure that the plan reflects the unique needs of the facility. Through training sessions, drills, and regular communication, you can empower your staff to become active participants in building resilience.

But it doesn’t stop there. Collaboration with external stakeholders is equally crucial. This includes partnering with local authorities and emergency services. By establishing relationships and open lines of communication, you can tap into additional resources and expertise in times of crisis. They can provide guidance, support, and coordination during emergency situations, enhancing the effectiveness of your business continuity efforts.

Overall, engaging stakeholders and building resilience is about creating a shared commitment to preparedness. It instills a sense of confidence and readiness within the organization, ensuring that everyone is prepared to respond effectively to any disruption that may come their way.

As facility managers, it’s crucial to recognize the importance of building a solid business continuity strategy. By taking proactive steps such as implementing preventive maintenance programs, integrating redundancy systems, and conducting regular inspections, you can ensure smooth operations and minimize disruptions.

With FieldCircle , you can streamline preventive maintenance tasks, automate inspection processes, and stay ahead of potential risks. By embracing a proactive approach and leveraging technology, you can effectively manage your facility’s maintenance needs, identify vulnerabilities, and address them before they escalate into major issues.

These measures not only protect your business from unexpected downtime but also contribute to long-term cost savings and increased productivity. So, whether you’re a startup founder or a seasoned facility manager, understanding the difference these strategies can make is key.

Embrace a proactive approach, invest in preventive measures, and stay ahead of potential risks. By doing so, you’ll build a resilient facility management system that can weather any storm and keep your operations running smoothly.

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5 Best Facility Management Software in 2024

Why worry when you can Coast?

As a facilities manager, you’re tasked with managing the day-to-day operations and maintenance of spaces and the people that occupy them. On any given day, you’re faced with an endless to-do list that may include everything from overseeing facility maintenance and repairs, to energy management, space planning, health and safety, security and more.

Facility management (FM) software acts as a centralized database, providing you and your team with a comprehensive overview of all of the facilities under your supervision. Whether you work in construction, real estate, retail or manufacturing, FM software can support you in managing your workload, staying on top of your various tasks and ensuring that your buildings and spaces remain well-maintained, safe and functional.

What Makes the Best Facility Management Software?

When it comes to FM software solutions, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. The right software is one that is tailored to fit your organization’s specific needs and integrates smoothly with your existing operations, making tasks like work order management easier and boosting overall efficiency. 

Another perk of FM software is that it digitizes your entire facility management system, helping you move away from unreliable paper-based systems and ensuring that all your information is securely stored and easily accessible whenever and wherever you need it. 

The right FM software will help you:

• Manage maintenance operations for various types of buildings and facilities, such as plants or warehouses
• Keep track of inventory management for equipment, parts or materials
• Schedule work requests for equipment inspections, repairs and maintenance
• Incorporate health, safety and environmental compliance documents and best practices
• Access facilities through key and lock tracking systems

The Best Facility Management Software at a Glance

Coast – For Customizable Location Fields

Coast is a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software that excels in its ability to offer robust facility management options, including customizable parent and child location fields. Choose which fields show up on forms and checklists and who can see them, adding and removing fields as needed.

Tailor the CMMS software to match the structure of your organization and streamline operations with precise management and tracking of the various facility components you’re responsible for, making it easier for you to oversee and maintain facilities efficiently.

Key features:

• Unparalleled customization: You can easily rename fields to use the labels and terms your team already knows, making the app more intuitive and reducing the learning curve. This kind of customization helps the software slot effortlessly into your organization’s existing workflows, boosting efficiency and prioritizing user-friendliness. 
• Manages work orders on the go: Access work orders whenever, wherever from a single dashboard with Coast’s mobile app. Keep an eye on maintenance requests when you’re out of office, check how tasks are progressing, and enable your staff to close out work orders as soon as they’re done right from their mobile device. 
• Keeps the lines of communication open: Coast lets you send messages, announcements, photos, videos and documents right within your work orders, so you don’t have to keep track of messages across multiple platforms. Each chat group includes tools for creating and assigning tasks, checklists and procedures to keep everything organized. Your team gets automatic notifications when tasks are assigned, and you’ll be alerted as soon as they’re completed.

Coast pros:

• People outside your organization can submit work orders easily via a QR code
• Sleek, modern design that’s also user-friendly
• Tailored workflows and tasks to fit your specific needs

Coast cons:

• Certain native integrations are limited
• Reporting features are only accessible with a paid plan

Coast price:

Coast’s pricing model is perfect for small- to medium-sized businesses, yet scalable enough for larger organizations needing more advanced functionalities.

• Free plan: $0 per user/month, with basics like unlimited messages, cards and limited file uploads
• Starter plan: $20 per user/month, adding custom views, workspace permissions and unlimited file uploads
• Pro plan: $39 per user/month, with extras like custom workflows, reporting, dashboards and prioritized support
• Enterprise plan: Custom pricing for features like multi-site management tools and customizable dashboards

FMX – For Real-Time Data

FMX facility management software is a great fit for schools and government entities alike. With its real-time data and reporting features, administrators can easily monitor facility conditions and track maintenance activities. You’ll get alerts as issues come up, allowing for quick responses to service requests. FMX’s user-friendly interface boosts operational efficiency and helps with informed decision-making, tracking work orders and scheduling preventive maintenance — all while keeping you compliant with regulatory standards.

• An activity dashboard that does it all: FMX’s activity dashboard offers real-time updates on maintenance tasks, work orders and facility conditions, providing a comprehensive overview of tasks that are ongoing, upcoming or completed. The dashboard also lets you customize the layout to suit you best, while delivering performance metrics and visualizations to help you monitor operational efficiency.
• Timely alerts and notifications: FMX provides a host of alerts and notifications to keep you up to speed on the status of work orders. Critical issue alerts let you know when there’s an urgent problem or equipment failure that needs immediate attention, while compliance reminders keep you on track with regulatory standards by notifying you about upcoming deadlines and inspections. Plus, FMX lets you customize notifications, so you get the alerts that matter most to you based on your role and preferences.
• Real-time data enables prompt responses and informed decision-making
• Reporting features provide actionable insights that help you understand equipment repair trends and budget accordingly
• Limited customization options including restricted field customization, reporting and workflows

FMX offers pricing options typically based on subscription plans that vary according to features, user count and facility size. Pricing details often include tiered plans with different levels of functionality and support. For the most accurate and up-to-date pricing, it’s best to contact FMX directly or request a quote tailored to specific needs.

MaintainX – For On-the-Go Work Orders

MaintainX software is known for its user-friendly mobile app, which empowers you to manage your facilities from the field and beyond. The app allows you to create, assign and track work orders right from your phone, delivering real-time updates and communication, streamlining maintenance programs, enhancing responsiveness and improving operational efficiency.

• Easy-to-use mobile app: MaintainX software stands out for its ease of use, giving you the power to effortlessly manage facility operations from anywhere. Its capabilities include creating and tracking work orders, assigning tasks and accessing real-time updates. Its user-friendly interface minimizes training time and boosts productivity by enabling data entry on the go.
• Intuitive work-order creation: Its simple design makes it easy to create work orders and add procedures and checklists to them.

MaintainX pros:

• Intuitive design makes the app easy to navigate without extensive training
• Ability to make changes to multiple work orders simultaneously

MaintainX cons:

• Third-party integrations could be more intuitive for smoother connectivity with other tools
• Lack of customization options, like the ability to highlight important text and change fonts

MaintainX price:

• Basic : $0 per user/month, offers essential features for small teams, including unlimited work orders, procedures and requester users
• Essential: $16 per user/month, builds on the Basic plan with additional features such as image attachments, unlimited repeating work orders and extended analytics access
• Premium: $49 per user/month, includes all Essential features plus advanced tools for parts inventory, purchase orders, time and cost tracking, and access to a dedicated account manager
• Enterprise: Custom pricing, provides all Premium features along with advanced controls for multi-site management, asset health insights, IoT integrations, and custom security and permissions

Fracttal – For Predictive Maintenance

Fracttal’s facilities management solution excels in predictive maintenance, helping you to forecast the reliability of individual assets. Its advanced analytics and data-driven insights help identify potential issues before they lead to failures, allowing for proactive maintenance and reducing unexpected downtime. By leveraging real-time data and historical trends, Fracttal helps optimize asset performance and extends the lifespan of critical equipment.

• Stays ready so you don’t have to get ready : Fracttal’s predictive maintenance harnesses the power of advanced analytics and real-time data to help you anticipate and prevent asset failures, optimizing performance and extending equipment lifespan with advanced analytics and real-time data.
• Robust reporting and analytics: Fracttal’s comprehensive reports help identify trends for informed decision-making, leading to better resource management and cost control.

Fracttal pros:

• Fracttal’s virtual assistant boosts efficiency and cuts down on manual workload by providing real-time support and automating routine facility management tasks. 
• Easy to upload photos, videos and documents

Fracttal cons:

• Depends heavily on a network connection, can be limiting if connectivity issues arise
• Flat-rate pricing is on the high end 

Fracttal price:

Fracttal offers flexible pricing plans that scale with your organization’s growth, allowing you to choose the number of users and features that best suit your needs. Fracttal doesn’t list its prices on its website but it provides three different packages, depending on how extensive your team wants the maintenance management software to be.

• Starter: Provides digital transformation for your operation, allowing you to digitize your maintenance team and measure results in real time
• Pro: Offers advanced functionality for professional management, including linking, automating and integrating maintenance management
• Enterprise: Expands upon the Pro offerings with automated processes, integrations and advanced APIs included, and personalized support

AkitaBox – For Asset Mapping  

AkitaBox’s cloud-based software provides real-time facilities data and space management in a visual, easy-to-use format that you can customize. It can help your team simplify operations, reduce risk and tackle even the toughest facility management challenges. With AkitaBox’s location-based asset mapping, you get a detailed visual of your assets within the facility, making it easy to locate and manage them based on their physical placement. Designed for industries like commercial real estate, AkitaBox gives property managers and facility operators precise mapping and management tools to effectively oversee complex real estate portfolios.

• Location-based asset mapping: AkitaBox’s location-based asset mapping gives you a high-level view of your assets within a facility or facilities. This feature lets you view and manage assets based on their exact locations, making maintenance and operational tasks a breeze. With a clear visual representation of your assets, you can effortlessly track and maintain equipment, spot potential issues before they arise and proactively plan for future needs. This approach is especially helpful for managing complex facilities, like those in commercial real estate, where precise asset management is key to staying efficient and controlling maintenance costs.
• Quality tracking and data: This facilities management solution allows facility managers to track energy consumption of various facilities, helping companies with regulatory compliance and sustainability.

AkitaBox pros:

• Industry-specific tools enhance asset management and operational efficiency, particularly for commercial real estate
• Intuitive interface that makes onboarding easy for most teams

AkitaBox cons:

• Lacks comprehensive inventory management features, which may limit the tracking of supplies and parts
• Not as customizable as other facility maintenance software 

AkitaBox price:

AkitaBox’s pricing is calculated based on the software you choose and the square footage of your facilities, with a single annual fee that scales with the size of your building portfolio. Unlike many providers that charge per user, which can complicate reporting and limit usability, AkitaBox offers a pricing model that allows all stakeholders within an organization to access the software. This approach avoids the issues of shared accounts and user limitations, making it easier for teams across various departments to use the software to tackle complex facility management challenges.

Choosing the Best Facility Management Software for 2024

The best FM software integrates customization, maintenance schedules, real-time data, mobile accessibility, predictive maintenance and detailed asset mapping. Customization is key to ensuring the tool fits seamlessly with your existing systems and delivers the exact features you need. Coast, FMX, MaintainX, Fracttal and AkitaBox each offer unique advantages: Coast for its flexible customization, FMX for real-time insights, MaintainX for its user-friendly mobile app, Fracttal for predictive maintenance and AkitaBox for its detailed asset mapping capabilities. 

Ultimately, the best choice depends on your unique needs and priorities. To find out if Coast is the right fit for you, sign up for a free account today and explore its features firsthand.

Anya Leibovitch is a B2B SaaS content marketing specialist. She partners with tech companies to design and execute their content marketing strategy. A writer first and foremost, she harnesses the power of storytelling to build and strengthen relationships between companies and the clients they serve.

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