Perfecting
The System
Recent software advances allow facility manager to update
building information more quickly and accurately.
By Brian Kraemer
Managing a facility is an art. The needs of employees
have to be balanced against the budget, and the lighting
system has to be considered against the context of the furniture
in the office. But finding a way to juggle all the competing
needs of a building is the essence of the facility manager’s
job. Fortunately, help is never far away. New software technologies
are constantly improving, making this task a little easier
from day to day—if a facility manager has enough foresight
to consider how a building is going to change over its lifetime.
Some facility managers find the idea of adopting new technology
daunting, and rightfully so. If there has never been a problem
with how the lighting or security systems have been running,
there is no reason to make a change. But this attitude is
similar to doing advanced calculus with an abacus: the correct
result may eventually be found, but there are faster and
easier ways.
By concentrating on early integration into a building,
software technology has the potential to reduce operation
costs in a facility while freeing up more time for the management
staff to concentrate on the most immediate concerns rather
than problems that can wait.
Finding The Right Software
Software in a facility should be chosen and implemented
because the product is going to help the facility in one
way or another.
Dave de Sousa, vice president of the Ames Corporation,
based in Portsmouth, NH, explains, “Software should
aid in enabling the occupants of the building to produce
more and better quality products and services in less time.”
In order to find a program that fulfills these requirements,
some research into exactly what an application does and
how it will affect the facility needs to be conducted.
John Johnson, senior vice president of Tulsa, OK-based
TMA Systems, says, “The key to software adoption is
references. If a vendor has excellent references from a
similar industry, the facility manager will feel more secure
in the company’s recommendations.”
By listening to what a software company has to say and
comparing the sales pitch to real life results, facility
managers can begin to feel more comfortable with the process
of transitioning to software driven systems.
Filling In The Gaps
Preparing for new or retrofit construction creates new
problems for a facility manager. It adds more paperwork
to a desk that is inevitably covered in print outs and maintenance
reports. Specially designed software can help to reduce
the piles and create new, efficient databases to manage
all that information.
“It
is quite common that during a construction project some
items will fall through the cracks,” says Doug Rawson,
CEO of the Reno, NV-based Base Builders. “This may
be due to a communication gap or possibly a lack of protocol.
By taking advantage of existing software, the facility management
department can start to implement protocol, check systems,
and then begin to putty the cracks that things seem to fall
through.”
These items that are missed may, at first, not seem important—it’s
unlikely that a cooling tower or access control system will
fail to be ordered and installed. But as the construction
project continues, the little things may become more important
and cause delays. If, for example, the proper motor for
the cooling tower does not get ordered, the HVAC system
will not run properly. This would result in delaying the
building from being operational, which would cost the entire
company money from lost days.
In addition to the minutiae, the entire scope of the project
can be monitored and tracked by everyone participating in
the build or retrofit.
“There are several key features that a good program
will have that will come into play,” says Rawson.
“The first thing to be considered is budgeting capabilities
in helping define scope and funding needs. Of course, the
tasks, milestones, and correspondence will play key roles
as well, along with documenting, project programming, systems,
materials, and building codes. A good piece of software
will be able to track and include all of these details.”
But the scope of the software doesn’t have to end
with data tracking and archiving past correspondences.
“Some systems can show life cycle cost information
for similar pieces of equipment from different manufacturers.
This can be valuable during the construction phase when
submittals are provided by contractors,” says Stephen
Schneider, director of product management for Meridian Systems
based in
Folsom, CA.
Including life cycle assessment and cradle to cradle comparisons
from the outset of a construction project will, undoubtedly,
be useful further into the life of a building. Because these
comparisons and estimations are stored and kept on hand,
facility management will not have to invest time and resources
into a lengthy research project. Instead, the information
is on hand and, after consulting the program, an informed
decision can be made. [For more information, see “Managing
Facility Information: From Cradle To Grave by Tom Condon,
page 18; also available online at www.TodaysFacilityManager.com.]
Implementation
Taking advantage of new technologies is something that
facility managers are willing to do, albeit reluctantly.
Being the leader of the pack, or the first to try and take
advantage of something new isn’t a hallmark of the
profession. That doesn’t mean that things like software
integration or biometrics aren’t making inroads. Instead,
it is a matter of weighing the benefits against the drawbacks
and figuring out the most successful way to integrate the
old into the new.
“The typical facility manager is slower to adopt
new technology. This is partly due to the fact that they
are usually under a tight budget and must do significant
analysis to justify IT investments,” says Schneider.
“Additionally, many facility managers still work
within a paper intensive system and have not gained confidence
or comfort with computer systems,” Schneider continues.
“There is also some hesitation to implement these
systems because it removes some autonomy from the way they
are able to manage their facilities. Costs become readily
accessible to executives as well as maintenance backlogs.”
But a balance needs to be found. Having a department shuffle
papers and rely on outdated filing systems to plan HVAC
maintenance is silly in this modern, technology driven era.
“New technology provides advantages in terms of
managing costs, productivity, and customer satisfaction.
In this competitive marketplace, companies with advanced
technologies have a greater chance of succeeding,”
says Schneider.
Putting It To Use
A software program can significantly ease the burden a
facility manager bears in running the department; however,
it typically is not a plug and play fix. Ordering and installing
a new data management program will not mean that every piece
of data will immediately be accounted for and ready to be
used. Entering the information into the system and completing
proper training will always be a very large factor to consider—someone
will have to incorporate the data into the system and learn
how to navigate it successfully.
This shouldn’t be daunting to a facility manager,
though. As the software improves, the learning curve may
still remain sharp, but short.
“The implementation is the most time intensive part
of installation, because it takes time to transfer records
to a database,” Johnson notes. “However, not
everything has to be added at once—it can be done
in stages and gives the users a chance to master the basic
functions.”
Surfing The Facility
Once a program has been installed and integrated into
the facility, using it is becoming an increasingly easier
task. Most companies offer an easy, recognizable interface:
a Web browser.
“Users typically access the system via an Internet
browser and can manage all maintenance activities and asset
management right there,” says Schneider.
“Companies are placing a high importance on the
ability for any user to use the system easily,” Johnson
adds. “At the forefront of development is the idea
that no matter how technologically advanced a new feature
may be, it is worthless if the end user finds it difficult
to use.”
A facility manager can open a Web browser, log into the
management software, and peruse the lighting or security
system. These instant updates keep staff members aware of
work orders and let them know where a problem exists. Instead
of going down to the boiler room and manually checking every
piece of equipment for a defect, the CMMS features of new
software provide reminders for when a motor needs to be
replaced. And since these functions are programmed in when
a part is added or replaced, it can be forgotten about until
the a reminder appears on the interface.
“System users, based on their roles, are continuously
aware of what maintenance is needed at their organization,”
says Johnson. “The importance of this is seen through
the requesters feelings are properly and promptly being
taken care of by facility management. Plus, from an economic
standpoint, company assets are getting the proper attention
to extend their useful life.”
De Sousa echoes these sentiments, adding “every
dollar that is not paid to fix something which broke because
of inadequate maintenance goes right to the bottom line.
Every time a better management decision is made because
of better information, the cash saved goes right back into
the facility.”
A better management decision includes knowing when not
to fix something because it isn’t broken. However,
that does not mean that because an air conditioning unit
is still managing to crank out just enough air to keep a
building cool, it cannot stand to have maintenance work
or to be replaced.
Just like old equipment, old systems of management need
to be renovated from time to time. In this case, relying
on old fashioned, paper intensive facility management can
do more harm than good. In fact, many times the switch over
to new technologies, while intimidating, can make a world
of difference. Costs can be reduced, the building can be
kept in better shape, and the productivity from the facility
management department can multiply as well. It is a matter
of finding a good vendor, gathering reliable information,
and deciding to take the first step toward a more modern,
technologically savvy building.
For feedback on this article, please send
email to bkraemer@groupc.com.
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