You probably practice facility management regularly. What you may not realize, however, is what you are a facility manager of. For instance, if you are a homeowner, you are a facility manager of your house. Some of us are facility managers by profession. Others steward facilities, such as a home, because it is our responsibility.
As I have studied facility management and stewardship, I have seen obvious patterns and traits among those who have facilities operating at peak levels and those who don’t. Specifically, there are four I believe to be a direct correlation to successful facility management.
Below are four tips for successful facility management and how you can be proactive:
Willing to Learn
I have never met a successful facility steward who knew everything or was up-to-date on methods and tools. However, successful facility managers are insatiably curious, always looking to expand their knowledge. The world is at our fingertips. There are no excuses to stop learning. In fact, we recommend these outside resources to help get you started:
- Facilities Management & Real Estate
- The Facility Management Handbook
- HPAC Engineering
- Cleaning & Maintenance Management
Engage with Others
Successful facility stewards lean on others for support. Find a trusted advisor, ask questions, grow your skillset, learn as much as you can, and then become a trusted advisor to someone else. Check out a few resources below to help:
- Church Facility Management Solutions Group is a free Facebook community of church facility practitioners, professionals, volunteers, paid staff, pastors, deacons, trustees, and nearly every type of church personnel.
- International Facility Managers Association is a fantastic trade association for facility managers that produces helpful resources and training.
- FacilitesNet is a great site about facility and maintenance management that offers cost insights, product research, education, salary information, job postings, discussions, and more.
- National Association of Church Facility Managers is a national organization for those who have full-time jobs in church facility management. Patrick Hart and his team do a great job connecting their members and offering education and certification.
Plan for the Future
"People don't plan to fail, they fail to plan." This is what separates great facility managers from mediocre ones. Are you proactive or reactive? Are you planning for the future or just dealing with what is urgent?
You have been entrusted with your facility. Therefore, you must be proactive with stewarding your assets. If you are unsure where to start, our Facility Condition Assessments will provide you with what you need to maintain your facility well.
Another important part of future planning is addressing your capital reserve plan. It is so important to remember capital renewals and replacements are not an “if” question. Instead, they are a “when” and “how much” question. These costs are inevitable; you will replace every HVAC unit, every inch of carpet, every square foot of roof, etc. Plan for the future to avoid financial shortfall!
Check your Toolbox
While you can use a hammer to drive a lag-bolt, there is a better tool to use for that job. What tools are you using to manage and steward your facilities? How do you track and process work orders? How do you increase efficiency within your team? Are you using tools to increase energy efficiency? The list could go on. Here are several tools to consider to help answer these questions:
- Our Life Cycle Calculator is a great tool designed to help you project future costs. Want to avoid financial shortfall as we mentioned above? This tool is definitely something worth checking out.
- Facility management software, like eSPACE, reduces the workload on your team so you can focus on your mission
- Event scheduling software will help you eliminate double bookings and plan for future events strategically
- Major system integrations with your event management software, such as HVAC integration, will allow you to automatically control your units based on your approved event. Our integrations also include door access and digital signage.
I hope this gets you on the right path to intentional facility stewardship. Our team is also here as a resource for you. If you would like a full assessment done by our facility specialists or have questions about the right tools for your “toolbox”, contact us today!
