Good facilities management is like a good dentist or a good lawyer – someone that you can’t live without.
To ensure success, you need to understand the functions of facilities management and how they fit into your larger organization. Here are a few critical roles that your facilities manager plays for your company.
Daily (and Emergency) Operations
First and foremost, facilities managers are responsible for handling the day-to-day operations of the facilities in their care. Without them, employees cannot do their jobs and management cannot make informed decisions.
The exact day-to-day management of a facility will vary depending on the organization, but facilities managers are usually tasked with regular inspections and communicating their findings with key decision-makers.
They’re also responsible for dealing with emergencies when they arise. Anything that breaches the safety, security and usability of a facility falls within the realm of a facilities manager.
People and Project Management
However, since facilities management requires handling a team of people who help the manager execute their job, facilities managers are also tasked with people and project management.
Let’s say, for example, that there is a team of technicians under the supervision of a facilities manager. In that case, the facilities manager is responsible for managing their day-to-day tasks, including distributing workloads, managing disciplinary action when necessary, and ensuring that employees are meeting productivity standards.
This is why many facilities managers rely on software like CMMS to manage planned downtime and other key tasks. At some point or another, they’ll be in charge of a project and are responsible for planning and executing it effectively.
Planning for Future Success
In many ways, facilities managers are responsible for charting a facility’s path to future success. It’s not enough to ensure that the facility is currently operating effectively – the best facilities managers ensure that their facility will continue to be effective in the future.
As such, facilities managers must handle several tasks to ensure future performance. They need to chart their facility’s future needs so that they can plan accordingly.
Because of this, budget management is an important part of a facility manager’s job. For example, they need to plan budgets for projects in the pipeline, but they also need to account for their operating budget to maintain their current infrastructure.
Contract and Customer Management
Finally, facilities managers are often responsible for contract and customer management. Which is to say that facilities managers are often responsible for managing expectations.
Since many facilities management services are often outsourced to contractors, the manager must be able to handle those contracts effectively to ensure that a service was provided as promised. They also need to manage the schedule of contractors, which is different than in-house staff.
These relationship management skills work well when a facilities manager has to turn their attention to the customer. If a customer isn’t receiving the service they need, the responsibility for fixing the issue falls on the facilities manager.
Because of this, facilities managers must have excellent all-around people skills to gain and retain customers.
Utilizing the Functions of Facilities Management
Understanding the functions of facilities management and recognizing a great manager when you see one is half the battle. You have to be ready to invest in the success of your managers, big or small.
For more facilities management best practices, visit the CMMS Insight Blog.