Achieving High Performance in Facilities Management

Written by Markon Team Member | May 21, 2016 4:00:00 AM

This month, we present our third post in the series about high-performing facilities management organizations.

We’ll continue by discussing how facilities management (FM) technology provides important tools to facilities managers, so that they can build on the organizational structure and management policies they have identified for implementation.

FM technology has come a long way over the past decade and is now it is a powerful component of high-performing organizations. FM technology can be used to leverage resources, improve day-to-day management of the workplace and operations and maintenance functions, and foster employee creativity.

Tools such as Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMS), Computer-aided Facility Management Software (CAFM), and Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS), have allowed organizations to baseline and improve business processes on their way to a high-performing status.

The right tool is not always obvious, however, because the choice depends on the organization’s specific requirements and situation, as well as whether the improvements they are seeking are strategic, tactical, or operational.

To advise our clients on these matters, Markon has developed a “technology stack chart” that is useful for focusing on the issues at hand:

As FM leaders consider the decisions they need to make about technology, we work with them on four straightforward questions that often lead to the selecting the right systems:

What business goal are you trying to achieve?
What are the capabilities you need to meet that business goal?
What are the trade-offs between costs, security, and system features that you need to understand to make this decision?
What are the life cycle costs implications – procurement, programming, training, operations, and upgrades – of the system you are choosing?

With so many business challenges – whether the issue of the day is using space efficiently, improving customer service to occupants, identifying and reporting conditions, or simply constant pressure to reduce costs – facilities leaders can find the choice of which FM technology to implement daunting. Markon’s technology stack chart and assessment questions are designed to help focus on the specific improvements needed to stay on track to high performance.

In our next post, we’ll continue the series with a look at assessments and metrics, two tools useful for prioritizing organizational and process improvements. We hope you’ll join us next month!