1.1 What is Facilities Management?

If you are embarking on this course, you are likely to have a background or a particular interest in the field of facilities management. One of the most interesting aspects of this particular area is the fact that it offers a very broad and varied scope and a truly multi-disciplinary nature, giving individuals the opportunity to get involved in a great number of different areas of a business, plus lots of exposure to interesting activities and project work. Essentially, facilities management is a management discipline and support function used by organisation's, with the objective of creating and maintaining the functionality of a building or premises.

Good facilities management encompasses the two following areas:-

Space and Infrastructure

This involves the physical environment of a building or an organisation, such as the planning and construction of the workplace and space, occupancy and maintenance requirements, equipment, furniture and facilities required for job roles.

People and Organisation

This area considers the functions and services required for the successful running of a business or premises, such as hospitality, catering, technology, human resources, etc. We will dig deeper into each of the above areas as you progress throughout the course, with the aim of giving you a really thorough and detailed understanding of each area, to allow you to hit the ground running in your facilities management role.

Facilities management involves many different responsibilities and activities which are diverse and varied and can include the following points. Of course, the scale of the business which facilities management support and the size, age and budget of the building(s) or premises in question will determine many of these factors - and this canal so vary greatly across different industries.

You will find that many of the core principles that we discuss will apply to businesses across the board, regardless of their size and it is therefore important that you gain a deep understanding of the functions and frameworks involved in facilities management, to ensure your competence as a Facilities Manager. Being a key point of contact for different areas of the business, including the owners,managers and staff, contractors and subcontractors, general public and anyone else with an interest in the premises.

Accountability for the fire and health and safety procedures within the building, including the drawing up and review of robust policies and processes and regular testing and monitoring.

Maintaining security hardware such as CCTV and working with security personnel contractors where necessary, to ensure the safety and integrity of the building and its workers.

Maintenance and inspection of key parts of the facility, to ensure that equipment is working to its best capability and to minimise the risk of failure.

Accountability for general operational issues which cause an impact to the safety or the work of individuals, such as broken down equipment, leaking roof, etc. Many organisations make use of a help desk style arrangement, where individuals can log their issues to ensure that they are prioritised and dealt with effectively.

Provision and monitoring of cleaning services.

Participation in the design and ongoing monitoring of business continuity plans, such as unexpected events which cause the business to be unable to function on a temporary basis.

Supporting with the requirements stemming from business changes, such as the inception of a new department or service. This may involve allocating space, equipment, etc and making considerations around safety and efficiency, etc.

Regularly and reliably reporting progress back to key stakeholders.

General problem solving and damage limitation.

1.2 Working in-house or as part of an outsourced service

Facilities management can either take place in-house, which means that the organisation employs dedicated individuals to conduct its facilities management activities, or it can be outsourced, meaning that the service is contracted out to an externalservice provider.The latter is a common method of supplying quality facilities management services to organisations who either don't have the time, expertise or budget to dedicate to an in-house provision, or prefer to “buy in” expertise from specialist facilities service providers as and when they need them. In a career in facilities management, you could find yourself working in either of these scenarios.Here, we will briefly outline the main pros and cons to a business working with an outsourced provider instead of having their facilities management in-house:-

Advantages of outsourcing

Sometimes a business can achieve some cost savings by outsourcing their facilities service, asthey will only pay for the support that they require and the service provider will pick up additional staff costs, such as staff benefits, holidays, hiring costs, etc. Generally, an outsourced contractor is able to provide expert and specialist staff quickly and efficiently, when needed. This expertise may not be available or may not be offered at a high enough standard by in-house employees. This can offer a high degree of flexibility to the business.

The equipment, technology and materials required are provided by the service provider, meaning that the company does not have to spend time and money purchasing or leasing them, or training their teams in how to use them.Outsourcing the facilities function can often free up management time to focus on other business priorities, to achieve success and drive the business forward.

Disadvantages of outsourcing

Outsourcing generally results in a reduction of specialist facilities expertise within the business, which can be a potential cause of dissatisfaction amongst the workforce and could increase staff turnover, as employees may not feel that they can progress their career in the function.

The business may feel a lack of control over its facilities function, possibly due to not having a dedicated point of contact or issues with consistency and continuity of work and the inability to influence key metrics with regards to facilities. There may be issues with response time, due to the fact that there is an inevitable time lag between identifying an issue and then a contractor arriving to resolve the issue, whereas an on-site facilities team may be in a position to react more quickly and decisively.

Activity 1

Estimated time: 10 minutes

Do you think you would prefer to work as an in-house Facilities Manager for an organisation, or for an outsourced service provider? Brainstorm your thoughts around this question and consider what additional research you may need to do in order to find out more about the pros and cons of each approach.

1.3 Important personal attributes, skills and knowledge

We have already noted above that facilities management is a broad and varied discipline in terms of its activities and responsibilities and it is therefore no surprise that the skills needed to work in this field are also quite far-reaching and diverse. Below, we have summarised the essential skills that you need to be a successful Facilities Manager, though please do note that this list is not exhaustive and much will also depend on the business sector or industry that you are working in, where more specialist skills may be required in addition to the core competencies listed here.

A keen business sense

Due to the fact that facilities management touches on all different parts of the business, a successful Facilities Manager will have to build strong and lasting relationships with a variety of both internal and external stakeholders and have a helicopter view of different parts of the business that could impact on his or her work.

For example

If the IT department is set to double in size, the Facilities Manager will be intrinsically involved in the logistics of either finding a new area to house them in or adapting the existing working space. To be effective in this role, they will need to quickly get to grips with the key requirements of the team, in order to ascertain what would or wouldn't work and what risks or opportunities there may be in the plan.

Good numerical skills

Although it certainly isn't a pre-requisite to be an accountant or mathematician, you will find that you will need sharp, fast and accurate mathematical skills to excel in facilities management. You will be working with contractors and tradespeople to maintain, analyse and correct defects, so a solid ability to work basic calculations out in your head will be helpful, as well as understanding key metrics and measurements such as imperial and metric.

A good eye for the law

There are a multitude of laws and regulations that impact on facilities management and whichever business sector you work in, you will likely need to be aware of the specific regulations, both governmental and local, that apply to the day to day operations. Naturally, one of the key areas here is Health and Safety legislation. We will dedicate a module to this topic later on in this course, which aims to equip you with the foundation knowledge in this area, but in addition to this, an effective.

The ability to work under pressure to solve problems

One of the defining features of facilities management is the fact that it often works at pace and sometimes in a reactive manner, to deal with ever changing and difficult scenarios. If a fault is identified, from the minor to the business critical, the Facilities Manager is often the first port of call in a building and it is therefore essential to keep a cool head and have the ability to listen to all of the facts, analyse the situation and work to solve the problem in the most effective way. Often, this means an individual who is able to listen to different opinions and points of view and all possible outcomes, to resolve potentially risky or difficult situations.

The role of a Facilities Manager is probably not best suited to those who prefer the routine of carrying out the same tasks each day or the comfort of a desk based role, due to the fact that it is often quite reactive and fast paced in nature.

Demonstrable IT skills

It is a fact that the world of facilities management in the 21st century is more reliant than ever on technology and Facilities Managers that actively embrace this shift of focus will likely enjoy a more successful and rewarding career. Think of all of the tasks that the modern Facilities Manager can now make use of technology to carry out - booking rooms, arranging engineer visits, asset monitoring, project analysis and reporting - the list goes on and on. If you are not already savvy in the IT field, it may benefit you to upskill yourself in this area so that you can make the best use of the advantages that technology can offer you in your role.

Time management skills

In both the day to day activities of the role of a Facilities Manager and also within the project management aspect, time management is crucial to ensure that the expectations of internal and external stakeholders are met and deliverables are achieved on schedule, in order to minimise disruption, inconvenience and cost to the business. This actually involves the successful management of one's own time and also the time of others! Often, a Facilities Manager will be responsible for overseeing the work of contractors or subcontractors and therefore, they must effectively plan, monitor and support these individuals to ensure that they are on track, as failure to do so can have a direct impact upon the successful outcome of the activities at hand.

Often, this means managing multiple projects simultaneously, whilst also keeping any ad-hoc or business as usual activities running smoothly. Those working in a facilities management role may wish to utilise some modern technology or techniques, in order to make effective use of their time and that of their team's, such as Gantt charts for example.

Solid negotiation and communication skills

Communication is a vital component of most roles, but is particularly key for Facilities Managers due to the fact that they must generally liaise with many different professions, roles and trades within a business. They must be skilled at the complexities of managing expectations effectively, working at different levels (commonly known as managing up and managing down) and delivering potentially difficult messages, when needed.

An effective Facilities Manager will have the ability to listen to all points of view, rationally analyse their findings and clearly articulate their thoughts, ensuring that co-operation and compromise are achieved. This, of course, also extends externally to the business itself, as a Facilities Manager will be required to liaise with other businesses, contractors and individuals and their primary goal will be to work in collaboration with them to ensure that the needs of the business are put first and foremost. We will further discuss important negotiating strategies relating to buying and procurement, later on in this course.

You will notice that the list above comprises many diverse and differing areas, which must not alarm you! Remember that a long and fruitful career in facilities management will enable you to develop andhone these skills further using real life situations and will reward you with a great deal of knowledge gained from real life experience. If you are just starting out on your journey as a Facilities Manager, focus on the skills that you do possess and consider an action plan to increase and improve your knowledge in other areas. The best overall attribute that you can possess is a keenness to learn and flexibility of mind, in order to adapt to the exciting demands of this interesting and varied role.

Fact

The facilities management sector employs roughly 10% of the UK working population.

Source: British Institute of Facilities Management report 2015

1.4 How to forge a successful career in facilities management

There is no single route into facilities management which will guarantee a successful career. Instead, you can choose from different ways of getting into the discipline, depending upon your educational background and previous experience, plus the type of Facilities Manager role that you are seeking. Naturally, a formal qualification, such as a degree or HND, can be very beneficial and looked upon favourably by employers. However, solid and demonstrable experience in an environment where you have had to use skills that are integral to facilities management is often the best way to get your career started.

Many Facilities Managers move into the field after some training or experience in a particular trade of profession, such as in the building or construction industry. In addition, those with more general management skills in fast paced, multi-discipline environments often make good candidates for a career in facilities management. If you are just starting out in your career, choosing either an apprenticeship in Facilities Management or some targeted work experience could be a great step towards equipping you with

some of the hands-on skills that you need and give you a foot in the door with an organisation. The best advice that we can give you is to just get started! Structured and targeted learning, asfound in this course, coupled with on the job experience, will provide you with the skills and knowledge that you need - and a genuine passion for the type of work will give you that edge, when applying for Facilities Manager roles.

1.5 What successful facilities management looks like

Now that we know what facilities management encompasses and some of the key skills that successful Facilities Manager should ideally possess, we now turn to some useful strategies that can be employed, in order to achieve successful facilities management.

Taking a helicopter view

A great tip for achieving success and respect in your field is to immerse yourself in other areas of the business, so that you can really understand their challenges and their risks. This will give you the elusive “helicopter view” that you will need when supporting the business to make key decisions which apply to and impact on different business areas. A helicopter view is the ability to see the bigger picture of a particular situation or project, rather than narrowly focusing on the detail of one part, to the detriment of others. Learning to take a helicopter view is a skill that must be learned and often doesn't come easily or naturally at first, as it is perfectly natural for us to focus more keenly on those areas in which we have more experience or feel more comfortable. But it is essential if you are to be a credible and well respected Facilities Manager.

Negotiating for success

We have already mentioned the role that negotiation plays in facilities management, so let's now take a look at how excellent or lacklustre negotiation can impact upon success in your role. What can good negotiation achieve?

If you are purchasing goods, materials or services on behalf of your business, you will certainly need to negotiate effectively, in order to make sure that you get the best deal! Not only can you potentially reduce the cost, but you may even be in a position to secure a superior product or service for the same price as a result of your efforts. You will learn more about this from a procurement perspective, later in the course.Negotiating effectively can help to resolve a potential conflict or difference of opinion between two

or more other parties within a project or piece of work. If this is not resolved speedily and effectively, such a conflict could have a big knock on effect on the outcome.As facilities management often touches on a number of different teams, departments and stakeholders at once, this is an important skill to possess or develop. What impact does poor negotiation have?

Those who fail to negotiate or negotiate poorly are unlikely to secure the best quality and most cost- effective products, materials or services needed, which will, of course, mean that the business pays more for them. A key performance indicator of your role may be to successfully manage a budget and/or cut costs - and you will be unlikely to achieve the targets required without good negotiation skills.

Failure to negotiate a positive and mutually agreeable outcome in a difference of opinion between stakeholders can cause issues when working on a project together and can sometimes result in the project running over budget or over schedule. What's more, such unresolved conflict has the potential to leave an unpleasant culture in the team, which can have a whole host of other impacts on the working environment.

Activity 2

Estimated time: 15 minutes

Imagine that you are being interviewed for the role of Facilities Manager with a business which employs 500 people in one office.

Take another look at the key skill sets and attributes that are needed to be successful in a facilities management role and make some notes in preparation for the interview on your competence for each point.

For those areas that you feel less confident in, how can you improve your knowledge and experience?

1.6 Thinking on your feet and acting with confidence

As much of the role of a Facilities Manager involves reacting to and dealing with unforeseen events and choosing the best course of action to take.It is crucial that you are able to strike the right balance between the following two skills:Methodically analysing the situation at hand, including taking stock of the risks, opportunities and strengths identified, to ensure that all meaningful courses of action have been considered and the correct solution is decided upon for the good of the business. Acting with pace and decisiveness - not over prolonging the analysis stage to the detriment of the business and being able to quickly consider or disregard ideas or paths forward, to decisively commit to the best course of action with minimal delay.

Of course, getting this balance right can be difficult and you will not succeed in every scenario. With experience, you will come to learn or “feel” the best fit between the analysis and the action stages and will also be able to use your experience and knowledge of other similar situations, to aid your decision making.Whilst being decisive is crucial, you must also be sure that you don't fall into the trap of sticking rigidly to a planned course of action that you know is failing, without having the confidence to examine other options and potentially move track, if necessary. Naturally, this can cause some inconvenience and delay in the short term, but it is generally the best long term solution. However, this requires a confident, flexible and credible Facilities Manager, who is able to articulate and explain the reasons to their stakeholders and support their team, to move as seamlessly as possible towards the new plan.

In addition to this, a good Facilities Manager should put some serious thought into how they can create an effective “no blame” culture across their team, giving team members the confidence to come forward and raise issues or concerns about a proposed or actual course of action, as soon as they encounter them.

Assignment

Introduction to Successful Facilities Management

Time: 30+ minutes

Hopefully, you took in as much of the information in this module as possible. To find out how well you have done, complete the following worksheet.

Module Summary

In this first module of your course on Facilities Management, we have aimed to provide you with abroad overview of the discipline itself, in order to give you a taste of some of the tasks that you will become involved in as a successful Facilities Manager. Firstly, we defined the term facilities management and then broke it down further into some of the key tasks and activities involved in the field, both from an operation and a project perspective. As part of this, we also discussed the difference between outsourced and in-house facilities management functions and some of the important considerations that organisations take, when deciding where to house their facilities support.

Following this, we looked more closely at some of the important skills and personal attributes that a good Facilities Manager possesses and encouraged you to consider this against your own personal skill set, so that you are able to proactively tackle any areas in which you need extra support or experience. We also looked at some of the different routes into a successful facilities management career. Finally, we covered some interesting strategic thoughts around what successful facilities management looks like, including the merits of good negotiating strategies.