What Is Facility Management in 2020?

Facility management today looks drastically different than it did a few decades ago.

And it continues to evolve as “work” shifts from somewhere we go to something we do and more organizations adopt agile work environments. So what exactly is facility management in 2020?

Here’s a quick look at the role, typical job titles and how to measure success.

What Is Facility Management In 2020? Key Responsibilities

In 2016, the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) launched an updated Global Job Task Analysis (GJTA) initiative to determine what roles and responsibilities were most important for modern-day facility management.

Based on the responses of facility managers from 62 countries, IFMA established 11 core competencies of modern facilities management. Many of the competencies were consistent with those in the original 2009 GJTA report, but the new report included some updated terminology and expanded responsibilities. Some notable changes were a greater emphasis on change management, data collection and information management. According to the results of the GJTA, the following knowledge, skills and abilities comprise the full scope of facilities management:

Leadership and Strategy

• Lead, inspire and influence the facility organization, search for best practices, manage change, promote continuous improvement and provide necessary tools.

• Align the facility’s strategic requirements with the entire organization’s requirements.

Operations and Maintenance

• Manage/oversee the acquisition, installation, operation, maintenance and disposal of building systems and structural, interior, exterior and grounds elements.

• Manage/oversee occupant services (parking, janitorial services, food services, concierge, facility helpdesk, security and safety).

• Develop, recommend and manage/oversee the facility’s operational planning requirements (temperature control, lighting, equipment replacement, etc.)

• Monitor the usage and performance of all facility systems, equipment and grounds.

Finance and Business

• Develop, recommend, manage and oversee the facility’s budget requirements (expense, operational and capital).

• Administer and manage the finances associated with contracts.

Sustainability

• Manage and oversee the entire organization’s commitment to sustainability of the natural and built environments.
• Evaluate and manage the asset life cycle process.

Project Management

• Define and program projects (purpose, size, scope, schedule, budget and user needs).

• Manage/oversee projects (construction, relocation, renovation, organizational change) and evaluate project outcomes.

Occupancy & Human Factors

• Oversee the work environment to support staffing, recruitment, retention, motivation and productivity.

• Create a healthy and safe environment that is conducive to innovation.

• Provide security that meets the facility’s needs (physical site security, access control and information).

• Provide personal and professional growth and development opportunities (coaching, mentoring, training, education and career paths).

Real Estate

• Determine and evaluate real estate requirements (space utilization, facility management, highest and best use).

• Acquire and dispose of real estate (commercial, institutional, industrial, residential, leased and owned).

• Manage/oversee the real estate portfolio (owned, leased, subleased, co-owned and contract managed).

Facility Information Management & Technology Management

• Monitor and evaluate technology trends and innovation.

• Conduct assessments and/or collaborate on facility management technology needs analysis.

• Align facility management technology with organizational information technology.

• Assess the application of technology within facility operations.

• Evaluate, implement and operate integrated workplace management systems (IWMS).

Risk Management

• Develop risk management and emergency management plans and procedures.

• Manage, oversee and support the entire organization’s business continuity program.

Communication

• Develop and implement a facility management communication plan (messages, reminders, mission and vision).

• Promote facility management information and recommendations to internal and external stakeholders (facility staff, public, senior management, customers and boards of directors).

Performance & Quality

• Develop, review and compare performance metrics for facility management services (benchmarking, measuring observable behaviors, service response, resolution times, etc.)

• Collect, verify, analyze and report facility management services data from various sources (space plans, customer satisfaction and feedback mechanisms).

• Assess ways to improve workplace productivity and develop and implement process improvements.

• Audit and document compliance with codes, regulations, policies and standards.

Although IFMA developed these core competencies a decade ago, they are all still applicable today. That being said, there have been changes since they were first created that must be accounted for when defining what facility management services are in 2020.

For example, in response to the growing popularity of technology like the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart sensors, the technological aspect of the facilities manager’s role has evolved and expanded. Facilities managers must know how to use this technology in the most cost-effective way.

The ability to passively capture data about the workforce has also increased the scope of a facilities manager’s responsibilities in regard to security and privacy. Modern facilities managers must understand how to properly utilize this technology while ensuring the organization’s data remains secure and the rights and privacy of employees are not violated.

Facility Management Job Titles

Despite the shift in responsibilities, plenty of facilities managers still hold that same title, or a similar one. Some examples include:

• Facilities Maintenance Supervisor
• Building Services Manager
• Facilities System Specialist
• Maintenance and Service Manager
• Building and Grounds Supervisor

But many facility management professionals have taken on titles that illustrate the broader scope of the role. For example:

• Workplace Strategist
• Facilities Planning Analyst
• Real Estate Strategic Manager
• Occupancy and Space Planner
• Workplace Services Manager

These titles emphasize the fact that modern facility management professionals have a more analytic and strategic role in the organization than they had in the past. They better reflect the priorities of today’s facilities managers, which are based on collecting and analyzing workplace data.

Facility Management Metrics

We know facilities managers value data, but what kind of data do they care about? And how do they gather and analyze it?

In our eBook, 8 New Facilities Management Metrics You Need to Know, we outline the specific measurements every facilities professional must collect and understand.

Here are just a few of them:

1. Sustainability Goals

Corporate sustainability and environmental friendliness are becoming an increasingly higher priority for organizations, which means they’re more important for facilities professionals. In order to understand the company’s carbon footprint, facilities managers must measure electricity consumption, heating and cooling costs, water usage and recycled waste consumption — to name a few.

2. Maintenance Costs

According to IFMA, maintenance costs include not only the expenses associated with maintaining assets such as printers and appliances but also the cost of building repairs, repairs to interior building systems such as the HVAC, lighting systems and grounds maintenance. To calculate the total cost of renting, owning and maintaining assets, facilities managers must have insight into the time spent maintaining the equipment and the cost of service, as well as the comparison of labor hours to part expenditures.

3. Productivity Costs

Measuring productivity is a bit more abstract than some of the other metrics in our list. But facilities managers can break it down into metrics like total technology downtime and the average time employees spend setting up their workstations when they arrive.

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What Is Facility Management In 2020 and Beyond?

Although the practice of facilities management will continue to evolve, there will always be one constant: succeeding in facilities management is impossible without the right technology. More specifically, an integrated workplace management system (IWMS).

Without an IWMS, it’s nearly impossible for facility managers to collect, aggregate and analyze the data they need to fulfill their myriad duties. But by implementing an IWMS, facilities professionals will have the tools they need to properly support every part of the workplace.