Forget Big Data for FM Decisions – Start With Little Data Instead

You’ve probably heard about Big Data. That’s what your credit card company collects, Google has and even your grocery store uses. For Facilities Management, it’s best to start smaller. Many FM’s don’t even have the basic information they need to manage and make good decisions, mostly because they either don’t have an FM system or…

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Satisfaction Surveys – Critical Information for Decision Making

I’m always amazed how many facility managers don’t use Facility satisfaction surveys as an important information tool to make decisions, find areas for improvement, and even provide them with information and data that they can use with their senior management to support initiatives. I think there are two main reasons for this problem, and Facility…

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Sparring Partners – At The Facilities Show, Birmingham, UK

I 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…

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Do you use the Carrot & Stick approach to managing Outsourced or Subcontracted suppliers? Think Again.

There’s a lot of evidence that the typical Key Performance Indicator (KPI) methods of trying to ensure you get performance from an outsourced or subcontracted service provider don’t work the way you think. In this Video (see below), Daniel Pink, author of “Drive : The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” presents research that tells…

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Now Available: “Managing Facilities & Real Estate” Book by Michel Theriault

My 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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When the Lights Go Out – Is your organization prepared with a Business Continuity Plan?

It 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.

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KPI’s aren’t the answer to getting Performance in Facilities Services

Having been on the supplier and the client side in the past, I know that Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) themselves don’t result in performance. While some people like the carrot and stick approach, you need a management approach that uses measurements (and other techniques, not just KPI’s) to get performance. Don’t just rely on a…

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Managing Performance for Project Management Services

Performance measures are relatively common in outsourcing arrangements where project management services are included. Whether you manage projects internally or use third party project management, you can manage results with a good performance management framework, just like you would apply to other outsourcing company, subcontractor, service providers or internal staff. Whether performance management is effective…

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Manage Performance, Don’t Just Measure It at the IMEC Conference

Performance isn’t just about measuring results. You must implement management techniques that use performance measures proactively to drive behaviour and improve results. Start with measurement data and KPI’s, understand their impact on employee and subcontractor behaviour and implement a management approach that influences behaviour and drives results.

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