Facility management is a set of managerial services performed to support a particular business to do business. This field involves the coordination of people and the work in the physical workplace.
Facility management encompasses all the activities for integrating business administration, behavioral science, architecture, and engineering science. These are activities that require complex operating.
Features of Facilities Management
This management area is mainly concerned with the management of several facilities that are included in a built environment. It is performed in a strategic and systematic manner. It satisfies day to day deliver operative objectives so that the environment remains safe and efficient.
Facilities management can be provided by:
- Managing Agents
- Provide in-house facilities management departments
- Full or partial service provided by multi-service companies
- FM contractors
Facilities management is an integral management criterion necessary to have strategic planning and thinking of day to day operation of the construction business. The basic activities involved in facility management are:
- Asset Management
- Master Planning
- Space Management
- Estates Strategies
- Maintenance, cleaning, testing, and inspection
- Refurbishment, retrofitting, and renovation
- Acquisitions and sales
- Procurement and project management
- MEP and Technical services
- Contract Management
- Sustainability
- Budget Management
- Brand Management
- Quality Assessment
- Regulatory Compliance
- Asset exploitation and income generation
- Ensuring the continuity of the business
- Deliver of new technologies
- Bringing change and efficiency in work practices
- Safety and security
- Traffic, transport, and parking
Companies in need for Facility Management
Facility management is implemented in the organization through facility managers. Facility managers work for the following types of companies:
- Large construction companies that provide facility management services
- Property management companies
- Business services outsourcing companies
- Universities and hospitals in certain situations also require in-house facility managers.
Current technology of building information modeling (BIM) requires facility management in order to ensure that the information generated during the process of design and construction is also appropriate for the operational needs as well as for asset management. In order to manage the property portfolios and for their optimum operation, there is a software, namely Computer-aided Facilities Management (CAFM).
Sustainability in Facility Management
Facility management can be more pronounced by implementing sustainable practices. This must be main objective of any facility manager. For instance, the choices made by facility managers that promote waste management and proper use of utilities are highly appreciable.
In certain situations, the FM company's knowledge of sustainability is the differentiator that can help in getting the contract from the competitor. So it is very necessary that the graduates who are interested in facility management research and demonstrate their knowledge on sustainability and their applications in the construction industry.
Top Skills of a Facility Manager
The facility managers are personnel who are very ambitious and do their best to have quality service. The top skills of a facility manager are:
- An innovative mindset
- Decision-making skill
- Interpersonal and communication skills
- Good management potential
- Good ability to handle the pressure
Benchmarking through Facility Management
The concept of benchmarking can be attained by having facility management. As per FM, the performance of a set of activities is measured and benchmarked. So that future and similar activities can take guidance. The FM manager can also compare the performance of the organization with the statistics of another organization that too employs the same technology.
Also Read: Project Planning and Management