Facilities management is a constantly evolving field. What was formerly thought to be a primarily manual profession is now becoming increasingly digital, with a greater emphasis on analytics and data to assist decision-making. As a result, facility maintenance scheduling software has become more integrated, simplified, and project-specific.

Facilities management is a field that requires ongoing education, whether you are a new or seasoned professional. To remain competitive, you must stay current on the latest best practices and technology. Therefore, to assist you, we have gathered several insights to share best practices of Facilities Management seen across some high-performing facilities management programs. Let us get started.

Automation in FM Activities 

You need to develop a flexible and optimized workflow to handle FM activities. A streamlined and automated procedure will help to increase visibility, consistency, and efficiency. Increase operating efficiency by automating equipment such as facility lighting and HVAC systems. 

Connecting HVAC schedules directly to the building automation system will give you more control over your facility's heating and cooling. This will result in more efficient energy utilization. Similarly, automated lighting solutions can help the company save energy and money. Using facility management software to generate and submit electronic work orders minimizes paperwork and provides detailed visibility into maintenance activities, promoting collaboration among team members and improving overall facility efficiency.

Create a Preventive Maintenance Plan

Predictive maintenance approaches help facility managers determine the condition of in-service equipment, making it easier to estimate when repairs are needed and reduce unnecessary downtime. This technique offers cost savings over the traditionally specified time plan for all best practices in facilities management preventative maintenance. To save maintenance expenses, facility managers strive to keep assets in good functioning order. Maintaining preventive maintenance data may take a lot of work for facility managers. It streamlines maintenance activities with the right technologies.

Invest in Technology

The facilities sector is continuously evolving and becoming more innovative. Facility managers should stay updated on the latest product releases and consider how they might assist your team in resolving current issues. Facilities management software, for example, helps teams become more streamlined and effective, reducing expenses and boosting decision-making.

With so many cloud-based facilities management software alternatives on the market, selecting the best one for your firm can take time and effort. Examine our facility management software checklist to see which one is ideal for you. Facility managers no longer have to trawl through paper work orders, chase down forgotten request data, or waste time preparing schedules for their maintenance team thanks to FM systems.

Utilize the Power of Data Analytics

We have discussed using data to make facility decisions, which will be the last. Whether it is asset data that helps facility managers predict and prevent breakdowns or financial data that helps them budget more effectively, decisions will improve.

Using BI and analytics tools is critical for continuously validating the FM department's performance of the overall brand. As facilities become more integrated, facility managers will require the assistance of other departments. When investing in new technology and obtaining approval from the chief financial officer, it is best to have the right analytics on hand to back up your proposal. Many facility managers must fully understand what they say to make broad statements about their FM program. It is critical to understand your organization and how it operates. Using reports and data make accurate decisions and form opinions.

Managers who use reporting and analytics for facility management had better understand how their facilities operate. This information will help you analyse trends and make informed decisions about facility operations, asset maintenance, staffing, and budget needs.

Take advantage of the Internet of Things and predictive analytics

Facilities management firms can use IoT solutions in novel ways to manage heterogeneous networks of sensors, control panels, and other devices. Legacy devices can also be monitored, allowing institutions to connect decades-old equipment to a centralized monitoring system.

You can use IoT to unlock the power of predictive analytics. Because of predictive analytics, FMs can predict when something is likely to fail before it happens. Aside from a provider arriving to handle an issue, failures may not even necessitate human interaction.

IoT enables your facility's maintenance personnel to communicate and access all of its activities and schedules directly from their smartphone or tablet, allowing them to work anywhere at any time.

Get Analytics for the C-Suite

The use of analytics tools to continuously validate (to the C-suite) the FM department's performance/value to the overall brand. Not a performance booster but a department image booster.

As facilities become more integrated, you will need the support of other departments. You will be glad you have the right analytics on hand to back up your proposal when it comes time to invest in new technology and need outside approval from the Chief Financial Officer.

Allow Mobile Access

Putting mobile devices in the hands of all end users and technicians. - Doug Ingraham, Vice President of Product Management

The workplace is becoming increasingly mobile as society becomes more mobile. Why? It enables us to be more efficient, multitask, and communicate more effectively while on the go. In addition, in facilities where team members are frequently dispersed, and there is only sometimes time to pull out a laptop to enter a work order, mobile is the way to go.

Enforce vendor check-in/check-out

It is critical to keep track of when contractors arrive and leave. When this needs to be done consistently and accurately, the invoice approval and payment process are slowed. - Pasquale Magneri, Solutions Consultant

As a facility manager, you should know when your contractors arrive and leave a location to validate that they were present for a work order and how long it takes to improve labor invoicing accuracy. Many facilities teams have succeeded with a mobile app that includes GPS check-in and checkout features, allowing contractors to enter a PIN and work order number to check in on site.

Use Analytics to Your Advantage

They are investing in analytics to understand their data better. Knowing where and how they spend their money can help them identify areas where they can cut back. The power of analytics manifests itself when you apply and analyse the data at your disposal. Users can start drawing better insights to improve performance with several facilities management platforms that offer analytics capabilities.

Create an Asset Inventory.

FMs must first understand what assets are used at each location to make informed decisions about their investments (whether they are tagging assets or not). Once this information is obtained, they can begin tracking repair and maintenance costs, performing preventive maintenance, and deciding whether to repair or replace each asset. 

Understanding which assets are in use at each location relates to the concept of visibility. There is only one way to track important data like cost history or warranty with visibility into the records of all your assets. This can result in an incorrect repair or replacement decision and costly consequences. To assist with this, we recommend Asset Manager, which accurately tags and tracks assets across multiple locations within multi-site enterprises.

Conclusion

While managing facilities may appear simple at first glance, effective management can mean the difference between an organization's large-scale success and failure. 

Rather than making your own rules, it is best to follow practices that facility managers have tried and tested over time. These include choosing the most cost-effective facility management software or developing the most effective preventive maintenance plan. 

These Best Practices of Facilities Management can help you maximize the efficiency, potential, and return on your company's facilities.