Are you seeking ways to improve your facilities management strategy? The global market for facilities management is projected to reach $76.3 billion by 2026, indicating the rising recognition of its significance for businesses. However, with numerous factors to consider, how can you ensure that your facilities management is effective for your business?
Facilities management encompasses various disciplines, such as ensuring your buildings' and infrastructure's safety and functionality, sustainability management, and technology integration. Combining all of these factors can enable businesses to create a built environment that caters to the needs of their employees and customers and supports their broader goals and objectives.
This article delves into the best practices and essential techniques for optimising your facilities management strategy, including implementing a proactive maintenance approach and leveraging the latest digital tools and technologies.
Adopting a strategic approach to facilities management can streamline operations, reduce costs, and establish a more productive and sustainable workplace. So, let's explore and discover how to unleash the full potential of your facilities management strategy.
How to Properly Implement Your Facilities Management Software
Facilities management software implementation involves five phases that must be carefully executed to ensure a successful outcome. The five phases of facilities management software implementation are essential to ensure businesses take full advantage of the capabilities and functionalities of the software they wish to adopt.
Phase 1 - Identifying Personnel and Stakeholders
To successfully implement a facilities management solution, it's crucial to consider which personnel will be involved in the process. While the list is extensive, it's vital to identify key players and their specific responsibilities.
Ground-level employees primarily submit fixed tickets through the CMMS portal, while department managers are tasked with updating the employee directory. Planning executives rely heavily on insightful dashboard data to make crucial real estate and financial decisions, while facility managers gather and analyse this data to improve the overall workplace. Additionally, IT administrators play a pivotal role by integrating office devices through the system.
To determine which features, benefits, and functions will simplify the implementation process, it's essential to understand each personnel group's unique needs and goals. Doing so will streamline and succeed in the next phase of the process.
Phase 2 - Selecting a Software
You have two options when selecting the most appropriate software for your business. You can either look for facilities management software companies that offer pre-made software solutions or seek the help of custom software development service providers to create software that meets your specific requirements.
This phase is crucial as it involves accurately implementing your facilities management software. Make sure the software you go for meets the criteria for your business needs and expectations. Validate your software in terms of every facet, like user interface, integration opportunities, report tracking, etc.
If you want to demo facilities management software, try the Mind That Facility.
Phase 3 - Build Out and Define the System
After choosing your custom software, planning out the workflows is essential. Follow the steps below to successfully integrate the software into your existing operations and create a system:
- Identify which processes and tasks can be automated using the platform
- Reassess data collection and analysis using the software
- Establish communication and collaboration modes that are integrated into the software
- Revise any manual processes that need to be reinstated within the software
If you’ve chosen the Mind That Facility software, don't hesitate to contact us so we can assist in setting up your business and streamlining each aspect of the system.
Phase 4 - Testing and Deployment
To ensure a successful system deployment, it is crucial to carry out the wash, wax, and polish stage, also known as the deployment phase. However, taking final steps beforehand is essential to prevent disruptions to existing systems and avoid employee frustration. These steps involve testing workflows and processes, setting up employee credentials based on permissions and admittance requirements, identifying cross-departmental connections like portals and workflows, conducting a security audit, and ensuring accessibility between multiple applications.
Phase 5 - Normalising Usage
Now that your facilities management system has been successfully implemented, it's time to make it a standard practice for all organisational activities. Your software should be the backbone of your day-to-day operations and decision-making processes. To achieve noticeable returns on investment, it's essential to use it across all aspects of your facility.
Setting up a facility management system is an ongoing process that helps you meet the growing demands of the workplace. Investing in this tool can significantly benefit your organisation. Its various features and functionalities can streamline workflows, increase efficiency, and reduce downtime.
What are the Best Practices to Optimise the Use of Your Facilities Management Software
Automate Processes and Improve Workflows
To effectively manage FM activities, it is essential to establish workflows that can be customised and streamlined. Every facilities management software has features and capabilities that can be tailored to meet your specific needs.
Identify the key areas where you can customise your workflows to automate repetitive tasks, simplify data input, and increase visibility for your team. Automating emails and work orders can enhance visibility, ensure consistency, and promote efficiency.
For example, utilising facilities management software to create and send electronic work orders eliminates the need for physical paperwork. This process provides a more comprehensive view of maintenance tasks, promoting teamwork and enhancing overall facility productivity.
Carry Out Planned Preventive Maintenance
As a facilities manager, you can utilise predictive maintenance techniques to evaluate the state of your equipment. This allows you to anticipate any necessary repairs and avoid unexpected disruptions. Not only does this approach prevent these disruptions, but it also has the potential to save costs compared to the traditional method of scheduled preventative maintenance in facilities management.
Leverage Data Analytics, Reporting and Accuracy
Installing critical systems can be expensive, but managers, architects, and engineers can comprehensively view the facilities on a single dashboard with facilities management systems. This enables them to design a more efficient layout for system installations.
Facility managers utilising reporting and analytics gain more insight into facility operations. This information can aid in identifying patterns and making well-informed decisions regarding asset maintenance, staffing, budgeting, and overall facilities management.
Using performance reports, energy audits, and analytics can help business stakeholders make better decisions that ensure the optimal performance of critical systems and result in a higher return on investment.
Integration with Other Software
When managing your facilities, it's essential to have software that can work well with other systems. Integrating your facilities management software with other platforms like finance, procurement, and accounting systems can help you access more data and share insights with your team.
With these integrations, you can streamline data collection, get real-time information, and collaborate more effectively across functions. The Mind That software is an example of facilities management software that integrates seamlessly. This makes it easier to manage facilities and keep track of essential data points. Having everything in one place saves time and avoids the hassle of navigating multiple systems.
Use Communication Features in Your FM Software
Communication is essential for success. You must maintain clear and effective communication among team members across departments and outside vendors.
Keep everyone up to date on any changes happening within your facilities, relay any emergency repairs that have occurred and always be open to listening to your team members’ concerns by answering any questions they may have. This means that your facility management software should make it easier for you to communicate with everyone across the board.
An effective facilities management software should communicate the following information and updates to your contractors and vendors:
- Invoicing
- Service requests
- Training programs
- Equipment
- Planned and ongoing maintenance and projects
This could be in the form of alerts, notifications, and a built-in messaging or notes system for the fast relay of concerns.
Customised FM Approach
Facilities management practices vary from one organisation to another. Customising your workflows according to your specific facilities maintenance requirements, whether you prioritise preventive maintenance, special projects, asset management, event scheduling or other aspects, is essential.
A tailored approach to facility management software enables managers to capture, track and report on critical details about their facilities' processes. This provides them with the necessary resources for operational success and ensures that all facilities decisions align with their organisation's best interests.
Final Thoughts
It’s clear that successfully managing a facility isn’t just about repairing problems; it necessitates a proactive and multifaceted approach. Facilities managers must be able to make strategic decisions to support their employees and customers. Understanding the essentials of building management is critical to creating an effective facilities management strategy.
With all this in mind, why not turn your holistic facilities management vision into reality? To see how Mind That Facility – our leading software solutions – can help you do that, book a demo today and see how we create tomorrow’s workplace now!
