Facilities Management

 Introduction

                                 Facility Management is a professional management discipline focused on the efficient and effective delivery of logistics and other support services related to real property and building. It encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionally, comfort, safety and efficiency of the built environment by integrating people, place, process and technology, as defined by the International Organisation for standardization (ISO). The profession is certified through Global Facility Management Association (Global FM) member organisation. The facility management is also known as FM.  

                      Facilities Management can be defined as the tools and services that support the functionally, safety, and sustainability of buildings, grounds, infrastructure and real estate. Facilities management includes: 

a) Lease management, including lease administration and accounting.

b) Capital project planning and management

c) Maintenance and operations

d) Energy Management

e) Occupancy and space management

f) Employee and occupant experience

g) Emergency management and business continuity 

h) Real estate management

Types Of Facilities Management

There are two basic areas of facilities management :

1) Hard Facilities Management - It deals with physical assets such as plumbing, wiring, elevators, heating, maintenance in cooling towers.

2) Soft Facilities Management - It deals with on tasks performed by people such as custodial services, lease accounting, catering, security and ground keeping.

                       The definition and scope of facilities management can be boiled down to organizing the people, places and process within a building environment, with the overriding goal to most welcoming environment for employees and boost the productivity and efficiency of the business as a whole.                                Facility management maintaining the facility and overseeing the daily administrative operations. Overseeing the cleaning, landscaping and parking teams. Instructing team members on the best practices to maintain the property. Creating and maintaining budgets for maintenance, repairs, and contracts. 

Responsibilities of facilities manager

                            Facilities Managers are responsible for the security, maintenance and services of work facilities to ensure that they meet the needs of the organisation and its employees. Facilities managers essentially look after all of the services that helps a business or other organisation do its work. The important responsibilities of facilities managers are as follows. 

a) Overseeing and agreeing contracts and providers for services including security, parking, cleaning, housekeeping, catering, technologies, etc.

b) The facilities managers ensuring that basic facilities, such as water and heating, are well maintained. 

c) Managing budgets and ensuring cost effectiveness. 

d) Facility manager allocating and managing spaces between buildings. 

e) Facilities manager must be ensuring that facilities meet government regulations and environmental, health and security standards. 

f) Advising businesses on increasing energy efficiency and cost effectiveness. 

g) Facility manager overseeing building projects, renovations and refurbishments. 

h) Facility manager helping businesses to relocate to new offices and to make decisions about leasing. 

i) Facilities Manager in an organisation is required to identify, analyse, evaluate, control and manage many environment, health and safety related issues (EHS).

Key Skills Of Facilities Manager

1) Analytical and problem solving skills. 

2) Decision making skills 

3) Facilities managers must know the commercial awareness / terms and conditions.

4) Facilities manager must be the good team player.

5) Focus on customer service oriented.

6) Communication and influencing skills, in oral and in writing.

7) A good knowledge of IT sectors / packages.

8) Organisation, time management, prioritizing, and the ability to handle a complex and varied workload. 

9) Make hiring decisions.

10) Focus on team member growth. 

11) Facility manager must have clear vision regarding growth of company and team members. 

12) Provide goals and feedback.

13) An understanding of legal and compliance obligations. 

14)Ability to engage the workforce. 

15) Operational and property management skills.

16) Strategic mindset.

Scope Of Facility Management

                             According to the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) "FM is the practice of coordinating the physical workplace with the people and work of the organisation. It integrates and principles of business administration, architecture and the behavioral and engineering sciences". The major scope of facility management are as follows - 

a) Leadership And Strategy

b) Operations And Maintenance

c) Finance And Business

d) Environmental Supervision And Sustainability

e) Project Management

f) Human Factors And Ergonomics

g) Real Estate And Property Management

h) Facility And Technology Management

i) Risk Management

j) Communication

k) Quality And Performance

Importance Of Facility Management

                                 Facilities Management ensures that the business remains in operating order, the employees are safe, productivity is increased, and the workplace remains a friendly and inviting environment for both employees and clients. Facilities Management is a vital part of successfully operating a business. Therefore, when we incorporate a facilities manager into the day to day running of our business, they will be doing very important role, they are as follows:

1) Improve Health And Safety

                                      Facilities management enforces health and safety procedures and reduces the risks of workplace hazards. It involves the handling of on-site emergencies, monitoring procedures, and detailed inspection of facilities to ensures everything is up to standard. It also involves proper management waste disposal to create a serene working environment for employees. 

2) Ensure Compliance

                                When an organisation is fully compliant, its data reflects it. Facilities management teams must comply with various global, national, and industry regulatory standards that address health and safety issues in a working environment and ensures that data related to compliance is accurate, consistent, timely, complete, and secured. Compliance helps to protect properties and employees and prevents unauthorized access to a facility. In this activity, the facilities manager doing a very important role. He ensure that the building meet legal requirements. 

3) Increase The Life Cycle Of Assets

                               The one more importance of facilities management is that it increases the lifespan of assets through proper organisation of maintenance, repairs, and security of buildings and premises. Facility managers are responsible for taking care of the entire site, assessing its condition, determining if repairs are required, so do that on urgent basis.

4) Increases Cost - Efficiency Of  A Business

                              The proper facilities management is crucial to improve the efficiency and productivity of a business. It ensures a more cost-effective working process within the facility. E.g. carrying out planned preventive maintenance on assets reduces the amount of money spent on repairs by having essential resources readily available at our disposal. And also, a comfortable and safe working environment motivates employees, making them more productive. 

5) Strategic Planning

                                   A facilities manager will help us to define long-term and short-term objectives, such as cutting costs and boosting productivity, as well as help us to meet these goals. Strategic planning provides a clear direction for our business and will help us to evaluate our progress as time goes on. Therefore, strategic planning is essential to the successful and manageable growth of our business. 

6) Managing Day-To-Day Operations

                                 The facilities manager operating our day to day operations such as order stocking, ensuring all facilities compliance, legislation and guidance. Planning, directing and coordinating central services such as reception, mail, cleaning, waste disposal and recycling. Keeping staff safe. a good facilities manager will improve the overall operational efficiency of our company. 

Conclusion

                             We hope, this article is provides a much more detailed information about , the meaning and definition of facilities management. Importance and roles of facilities manager. Key skills and scope of facilities managers.