What are the 4 Main Functions of Facilities Management and Why are They Important?
There are many reasons to get your facilities management right. While the roles will vary between industries, focusing your efforts on improving four essential functions common to all enterprises will yield the best results. Keep reading to discover what the four main functions of facilities management are and why they are critical to the smooth operation of your business.
1. Establishing & Streamlining Processes
You may not have a crystal ball to show you what happens next but improving facilities management and making the workday more efficient is the next closest thing to predicting productivity levels.
Well-maintained vehicles ensure on-time deliveries and satisfied customers. A tidy work environment and an organised production system will help everyone do their job faster, safer, and to a high standard.
The ability to create order from chaos can be achieved through systems that can accommodate similar scenarios in the future. Streamlining processes can be accomplished through a variety of strategies, including:
Digital Tools: Integrating digital tools into your workflow can significantly improve results. A digital key management system can, for example, tell management where keys are and who has them.
Databases: A database is essential for managing every aspect of facilities management, where vital information is available at the click of a mouse or a tap of your mobile. You can keep track of repairs, maintenance, work orders, contractors, employees, and more from one convenient (cloud) location.
Online Calendars & Schedules: Switching to digital schedules will provide a range of advantages. They are vastly superior to pen and paper versions because they operate in real-time and can send reminders, updates, and schedule changes instantly.
Maintenance software like Ticked Off takes the above strategies one step further by combining all features into one Computerised Maintenance Management Solution, or CMMS system. Contractors, staff, and employees are always on the same page, so the left hand always knows what the right hand is doing.
2. Upkeep and Improvement of Facilities
Maintaining facilities to a high standard is essential to effective facilities management, but there is always room for improvement. A company's products are not the only area that can benefit from refinements because there are many ways to innovate internally as well.
You can see the advantages of continual innovation in the smartphone industry. Year after year, smartphone manufacturers maintain momentum by continually finding new ways to do the same thing, but faster and more efficiently. When you use the right tools to manage your facilities, you will always find new opportunities for making improvements.
Data is a valuable commodity in today's digitally connected workplace, but it's useless without the ability to analyse, dissect, and make sense of it all. Incorporating facilities management into one platform provides managers with deep insights that make locating bottlenecks, and managing maintenance more straightforward by keeping everyone on the same page.
Imagine how much time you could save by not having to coordinate between a bunch of separate applications like spreadsheets, email, chat, and contact management software. An ad-hoc system makes it impossible for the right hand to always know what the right hand is doing.
Facilities management is continually evolving. Tracking and managing data is key to keeping pace with the changes and making timely adjustments to processes.
3. Facilities Upkeep and Improvement
Properties are expensive and often the largest investment made by a company. As such, maintaining a property is critical to the profit margin, because it ensures the safety, efficiency, and productivity of employees.
Technology in a digitally connected world plays an increasingly prominent role in managing facilities. The Internet of Things (IoT) is delivering new opportunities for real-time monitoring of assets and tracking maintenance roles across multiple departments and locations.
Complete visibility for stakeholders is now a reality as CMMS systems deliver access to up-to-the-minute reports on critical KPIs like maintenance costs, repair schedules, and machine downtime. Commercial properties can be made more efficient and safer for occupants with informed management.
Smart building technology is becoming increasingly relevant for facilities management. A smart building that uses AI, for instance, can predict typical outputs based on past performance data. Artificial intelligence can also assist with planning preventative maintenance and analysis of labour costs.
Energy expenses can be greatly reduced with AI and smart thermostats that work together to sense inactivity in an area and turn heating or cooling on or off accordingly.
Even if you don’t use AI (yet), at the very least having high visibility into your maintenance data for fast and accurate decision-making is critical in maintaining competitiveness.
4. Staff Support
People are the lifeblood of every company, and getting the maximum performance out of your staff is always positive for business. Facilities management plays a key role in creating and maintaining a work environment that promotes productivity and efficiency.
Facility managers are often responsible for ordering stock, ensuring all facilities comply with Australian standards, and coordinating services like cleaning, waste disposal, mail, and recycling.
They will also manage office space, furniture, and equipment to ensure minimal disruptions to workplace activities. Essentially, facilities management ensures employees are always productive by giving them the tools they need to perform.
Risk assessment, enforcing health and safety procedures, and ensuring these processes are up-to-date are necessary roles for developing a safer work environment.
Another essential role of facilities management involves regular maintenance and repairs to ensure employee and visitor safety is never compromised because of damaged equipment.
The role of facilities managers in an organisation cannot be understated. They are responsible for managing the business on a day-to-day basis and planning the company's long-term goals. Further, they will ensure your office runs efficiently, meets targets, and adheres to a strict budget. Using the right tools will significantly enhance the ability of your facilities management team to reduce costs, improve efficiency, manage schedules, and eliminate bottlenecks.
Every business needs the right tool for the job, which includes CMMS systems. If you've had enough of trying to run your business through a collection of disconnected apps, there is a better way. Ticked Off provides a comprehensive, all-in-one CMMS solution to keep your operation running smoothly and everyone connected. Book a Demo now to find out more.