Everything you need to know about facility management: importance, services, basic areas, scope, facility management software, and free resources to help efficiently manage ground operation.
A facility management (FM) is a systematic approach to ensure the functionality, comfort, safety, and efficiency of business operations. It is the coordination between employees, business structure, and operating facilities to support the business objectives and achieve a common goal.
Facility management aims to maintain company assets such as property, buildings, equipment, and other elements of operation at its standard functional use. It helps the organization to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Furthermore, facility management can:
keep a safe and healthy working environment for employees and customers;
help eliminate damage to physical assets and costly repairs;
lessen the occurrence of unscheduled downtime;
prevent penalties and damage to company reputation;
improve environmental safety and prevent serious health-risks hazards; and
help develop the overall value of the property.
Facility management is vital in business operations; it adds value to business by mitigating risk immediately and addressing long-term needs. It helps prevent property damage that may lead to costly repairs and avoid employee exposure to health risks.
A facility management services aim to design, construct, and maintain a healthy working environment. It is subdivided into two basic areas: hard facility management and soft facility management.
Hard facility management caters to non-movable assets that are essential to the business. It is typically required by law and deals with physical assets of the business including property structures, plumbing, HVAC, elevators, and more.
Hard facility management involves a thorough visual inspection of the facility to help business owners identify areas that need repair or further investigation. A facility condition assessment can help provide details on property structural conditions and ensure the safety of employees, customers, and visitors.
The following checklists can help business owners, facilities managers, and supervisors when performing hard facility inspections and maintenance.
A Facility Condition Assessment (FCA) checklist is used to evaluate the operational status of the building. It helps architects, engineers, and skilled-trade workers to assess the physical condition of the building and ensure compliance with building codes and regulations.
An HVAC maintenance checklist is a tool that guides HVAC technicians when assessing the operational condition of an HVAC system. It helps identify signs of an HVAC failure and ensures heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems are running cost-efficiently.
A plumbing checklist is a tool used by a certified plumber to record any issues spotted during a plumbing inspection. It helps assess the condition of the plumbing system to avoid the risk of pipe corrosion, clogs, leaks, and burst tubes that can cause flooding and property damage.
A septic tank inspection checklist guides inspectors to properly maintain the septic system. It helps determine if the tank needs pumping based on scum and sludge level. It records the critical details of inspection such as cracks, visible damages, leaks, and strong odor to create actions to mitigate the risk immediately.
An elevator maintenance checklist also called a lift maintenance checklist is a tool used to identify potential risks caused by equipment defects. It guides building maintenance personnel when performing elevator inspections that help assess the inside of the car, top of the car, and machine room.
Here is an example of a facility condition assessment PDF report. The report contains every area of inspection and also images that were captured as photo evidence. Other information such as the name of the inspector and date of inspection is also included. Corrective actions will appear on the report if the inspector wrote down issues that need to be addressed.
Facility Condition Assessment Digital PDF Report Sample | Mitti (by SafetyCulture)
Soft facility management focuses on tasks performed by people such as health services, catering, security, and groundskeeping. It helps ensure facilities are more comfortable and satisfying for employees to maintain a healthy environment.
Facilities managers are in charge of the day-to-day organization and delivery of services. They aim to reduce the operational costs and ensure to meet company objectives. The following checklists can assist facility managers in maintaining the progress of soft facility management.
A solid waste management checklist is used by facilities teams to inspect the waste management systems. It helps assess the organization if they are following the waste management protocols including waste transport, sorting, and disposal.
A facility security assessment checklist helps facility security officers (FSO) in carrying out extensive internal checks of the current infrastructure of the organization. It helps assess potential threats and vulnerabilities that the organization may face to further analyze the right solutions and prevent security damage.
An office safety checklist is a tool used to thoroughly inspect the office’s compliance with safety regulations. It helps ensure cleanliness and orderliness are in place to have a safe and secure working environment.
An ergonomic assessment checklist is a tool used by competent professionals to identify risks of ergonomic injuries in the workplace. It is designed to help the organization ensure workers and their environments are maximized for comfort to prevent the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
A landscaping maintenance checklist helps property managers in keeping track of essential tasks for maintaining the landscape’s pristine condition. It is used to monitor the completion of routine landscaping tasks such as mowing, fertilizing, digging, pruning, and weed control.
Here’s a facility security assessment PDF report which contains the inspection score results, failed items, and corrective actions. Important information such as the name and location of the facility as well as the document number and inspectors are included in the report. There is an option to include detailed instructions and additional notes taken during the security assessment.
Facility Security Assessment Sample Report
Facility management encompasses a wide range of responsibilities that integrates the principles of business administration, architecture, and behavioral and engineering sciences. It keeps a clear communication between people management and property maintenance. It helps facility managers to achieve the following:
have concrete emergency preparedness and business continuity plan;
ensure the business allocates appropriate facility-related resources and expenditures;
standardize the processes and procedures that would complement the business goal;
maintain all aspects of facility management so the business can operate at the highest capacity;
ensure facility compliance with relevant regulatory codes and regulations;
track and respond to environmental, health, safety, and security issues; and
anticipate future facility needs including procurement, business expansion, operations, technology, and maintenance.
Facility management is cumbersome and inefficient, especially when traditional pen and paper forms are used. Get started with Mitti (by SafetyCulture) as a facility management software to oversee and manage facility conditions easily. Save time capturing photo evidence in-app using a mobile device and create reports easily right after the inspection with just a tap of a finger.
Take advantage of a fast and reliable app to have clearer visibility of the team and their productivity. Achieve on-the-ground facility management in real-time using mobile devices anytime, anywhere, and experience the following benefits:
eliminate the need to go back and forth to the office just to collate documents for facility management reports;
spot facility damages before they get worse and address them immediately;
collaborate easily with other professionals within the organization;
control health and safety risks effectively; and
prevent deferred scheduled maintenance.
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