It’s a common misconception that Facility Managers need a seat at the C-Suite table along with the COO, CEO, CFO, CIO, and the other top executives. Quite simply you don’t. And in most organizations, you won’t. The nature of what we do as Facility Managers, while important to your organization’s success, simply won’t warrant a…
DetailsI was discussing the issues of design not working well for operations with a very experienced Facility Manager I know and he gave me a great example of how he got the Architect on-board with operational design requirements for a new Facility. You may have seen my previous posting “Architects Dream – Facility Managers…
DetailsReal Estate costs money, and money is the bottom line for any company. Facilities Managers who recognize this fact are in a better position to raise the profile of the Facilities department and contribute to the success of the company by accurately establishing facility related costs and positioning the information for better corporate decisions. With…
DetailsIt can happen – a power failure that blacks out your building or your offices. What would you do? First Canadian Place, shown here, went black for an entire day from about 7:30am to 4:30pm on October 14th, 2010. It’s a 44 story, 2.7 million sq.ft. building in the heart of Toronto’s financial district.
DetailsWhen’s the last time you got out of your office? If you don’t attend Facility Management or Property Management related trade shows and conferences, you aren’t keeping up with the industry and your colleagues and you aren’t discovering solutions and products that will benefit your company.
Here is a list of New Year’s resolutions every Facility Manager should follow over the next year. You’ll notice that the hot issues like Sustainability and Emergency Planning aren’t listed. Why? Because they are fundamentals of the job. This list reflects a new way of working for many Facility Managers who are dealing with technical…
DetailsThese Top 10 issues come from an association that focuses on educational facilities, but as you can see, they can apply to anyone managing properties.They confirm that managing physical space is essentially the same regardless of whether you are managing corporate facilities or commercial properties. The list was put forward by APPA, the North American…
DetailsI recently held a Program Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting for the Certificate in Facility Management at Ryerson University for which I am the Academic Coordinator. It is a continuing education program for people in the Facility Management industry to develop and upgrade their skills. The PAC was formed for a program review to identify changes…
DetailsSteelcase Juggler Videos Here are the original Juggler videos from the 1990’s, produced by Steelcase. While dated, they provide a very pointed view of the Facility Manager – and unfortunately, not much has really changed since.
DetailsIs the 2009 H1N1 pandemic scare good for us? Definitely. The bad thing is that people became sick or died because of the flu, yet there are a few good things that came from this recent scare. First, to put in in perspective, according to the Center for Disease Control, 36,000 people die in the…
DetailsTo get results, you need to get attention and approval for your initiatives from the decision makers at your company such as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). To do this, you need to see facilities the way your chief financial officer and the finance department do. Since facilities cost money and money is the bottom…
DetailsEffective Facility Management is all about communications. Whether you are managing office space, maintaining building systems, developing strategic asset plans or all of the above, good communication skills are essential.
Sparring Partners : Outsourcing May Not Equal Partnership Building Operating Management My latest article was the feature article and appeared on the May 2010 cover. I took a very hard look at what partnership is and isn’t as well as what needs to change in the industry.
DetailsI had the privilege of speaking at The Facilities Show in May. My seminar is based on a cover article I wrote for Building Operations Management Magazine called ‘Sparring Partners’ (email me for a copy of the article) and focused on the 3 ways we fail to develop a strong partnership with our service providers…
DetailsThe modern Facility Manager needs a slightly different mix of skills to navigate not just within the profession, but within their own organizations to be successful, especially if they want to become the Head of FM, whether for a small organization or a multi-national corporation. The FM Knowledge Grid illustration (see a larger one further…
DetailsMy recent magazine article on getting the right service level from your outsourced (or subcontracted) service provider has been published and already I’ve received positive feedback. This article came from a startling statistic from a recent IFMA research report that said getting the right service was an issue with 78% of the facility executives surveyed.
Cleaning is one of the top two services in its importance to your occupant’s satisfaction, just behind HVAC. It can also represent a significant portion of your annual facilities costs. The key to successfully procuring a Janitorial Service Provider is to understand how the business works. When selecting a janitorial service provider, the first step…
DetailsWebinar originally held February 12, 2013. Duration 30 Min. Quality Assurance helps you establish leadership in your Facilities role. It means you are being pro-active about service standards for your organization and implementing leading practices. It’s also a key way you ensure you and your suppliers are providing your organization with quality, consistent service. If…
DetailsI’ve been doing quite a few operational reviews and benchmarking exercises for facility clients recently. Something that keeps coming up is the optimal design of the facility management department’s organization structure. Through my career I’ve worked in functional, integrated and even matrix organizations. My facility clients are also a mix. In each approach, I saw…
DetailsMy Facility Management book is now available. It’s written for both new and experienced facility professionals, regardless of level, function or the type of facility managed, who want to leverage existing skills and advance their career with leading business practices, strategy, management and leadership in FM. $39.95 US Soft Cover 7″x10″ 532 pages ISBN 978-0-9813374-1-8…
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