Facilities Management Projects

8.1 Introduction

In Module 7, we focused on some of the more day to day and routine aspects of facilities management, such as the operation and maintenance of key systems

and assets on your premises. Business as usual operations constitute a large part of the role of a Facilities Manager on a day to day basis,  but we should also not overlook the importance of the Facilities Manager's role in larger, one-off projects, which are likely to take place from time to time in your organisation. This module will therefore focus on the business discipline of project management, aiming to provide you with the skills and knowledge to lead or participate in a facilities-based project in your workplace.

8.2 How can we define project management?

Although it has many different definitions and practical uses, project management can be described as a specific process, usually within a commercial or business setting, which initiates, plans and executes a piece of work, with the aim of achieving specific objectives for the good of the organisation. What makes project management so universally relevant in the business world is the fact that, in many ways, it is a skill in its own right and can be utilised across lots of different industries and sectors including retail, construction, tourism and healthcare, to name but a few. It is also used within different departments within all of these industries, such as HR, IT, Marketing and Finance.

Naturally, it lends itself well to facilities management, as the facilities team is often at the front line of business change initiatives which manifest themselves in projects. We will discuss the types of projects that you might come up against in your role, as we progress through this module. An important feature of project management is the fact that it is usually short-term in nature, with a specific set of agreed objectives to be delivered within a set time period. Generally, this is the characteristic which differentiates it from the business as usual operations of an organisation.

Recognising the differences between these two ways of working is important, in order to understand the unique nature of project management and the fact that it requires a certain process and specific criteria to give it a greater likelihood of success. A clear understanding of the principles of general project management will prove to be very useful for those embarking upon a career in facilities management and will give you a head start in some of the theories and practices that you are likely to fall back on when you are involved in a project of your own.

8.3 The five main phases of project management

The 21st century has seen an increase in the use of project management as a discrete commercial discipline and it has coined many types of terminology, methods and approaches.Most of these approaches have been developed to suit or appeal to particular types of project or sector in particular and there is a constant stream of new thoughts and ideas in the area. Generally, however, these different approaches usually follow the same or similar base structure and steps of the traditional approach, albeit with a particular focus or emphasis.

Below is a summary of the five most common and universal steps in a typical project management scenario. Try to apply these steps to projects that you have been involved with in the past.

Project conception and initiation

The main objective of this first stage is to set the context and purpose of the project. This is likely to include the background as to the current situation, as well as the justification or business case for making changes or improvements. The scope is a principal element in this stage - essentially, which areas of the business the project aims to influence/change and which it doesn't. This is important for setting realistic expectations right at the beginning stages. This initial stage should also clearly define what success looks like and also what risk factors could arise and how to overcome them. The overarching budget for the project is usually set at this point and there is a discussion of the key individuals that will be involved and/or affected by the project.

Project definition and planning

Following the conceptual, brainstorm focus of the first stage, the project definition and planning stage is more specific in nature and aims to get into the detail of setting out and planning each part of the project. This is where the key project objectives will be set, together with the backup detail that is needed to make them happen, including the resources that are required (people, materials, equipment, etc), as well as the setting of the more specific timescales for each project stage.

Each part of the project is likely to have a set number of deliverables, broken down into key actions and accountabilities and they will be shared out amongst those individuals involved in the project.

Project launch or execution

This is the point at which the planning process ends and the work to deliver the objectives set out in the stages above begins. It is difficult to go into too much detail about this stage, as it will differ dramatically depending upon the type of project and its size and scope. Needless to say, this stage is where most of the action in the project happens and is generally the longest part of the project management cycle. Although the planning stage has technically concluded, it is important to retain an overview of the progress of the project and, if it is necessary to return to the planning stages to re-think an idea or make a change of focus, this should be done - see the stage below.

Project performance and control

It is crucial for the project team to have the ability and foresight to constantly monitor the different variables throughout the duration of the project, as it is unlikely that everything will work out as predicted in the original planning stage. These fluctuating variables may include cost, time, quality, etc. When caught up in the fast-paced work of the project execution phase, it can be easy to overlook project performance and control. It can be all too easy to end the planning stage prior to project execution and then stick rigidly to the original plan, without checking or monitoring that the project is meeting its key deliverables satisfactorily. Sometimes, due to what develops in the execution stage, it may be considered that the original project's aims and objectives themselves need to be changed for a variety of factors and a culture of honesty and continuous improvement should be built into the project team to ensure that, if things aren't working out, a return to the planning stage can happen to reassess the original objectives and make changes where necessary.

Project close

The project is deemed as closed when the overall aims and objectives of the project have been met and/or the original timeline for the project has expired, with no extension sought. Post Implementation Reviews are a great way of pulling together the successes and learnings from the work, to make future projects even more successful. Feedback is usually asked for from different stakeholders, both within the project group itself and external to it and compiled into a report format.

Other common types of project management

Lean project management

This style of project management has the objective of minimising key resources, including time, costs and wastage at its centre. It believes that the main objectives of any given project can still be effectively achieved, but in a less complicated fashion. This method originated in Japan and was originally used in car manufacturing, but has also found parallels in other areas. As minimising wastage and costs is a key objective for the vast majority of projects, it is common for most projects to incorporate elements of a Lean project approach, although the extent to which this is utilised varies depending upon the project in hand.

PRINCE2

This is a particular project methodology, which focuses heavily on process and can be easily tailored to different types of project, industry and area. There are training courses available on PRINCE2, to enable you to become suitably qualified to lead a project using this particular method.

Fact

77% of companies use project management software

Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Insights and Trends

8.4 Types of facilities project

There are many different types of one-off projects that you may be involved in as part of your role as Facilities Manager. Most of them relate to some sort of business or organisational change. What's more, some projects may be discrete projects, relating only to the field of facilities management, whereas others may be more all-encompassing and you may find that you are part of a larger project team to support a bigger project from a facilities perspective, such as facilitating an increase in space, a change to systems, etc.

Here are some examples of the type of projects that Facilities Managers can expect to be involved in during their career:

A relocation of premises, such as office, shop, or factory.

A growth in the number of employees working in the organisation, such as taking on a new department.

Downsizing or closure of a business.

A re-configuration of office space, or a change in working style, such as the use of hot desking, or a better way of using space.

A change in equipment, technology, system, or working arrangements, such as the implementation of new IT infrastructure.

A change in the infrastructure of the building itself, such as a new HVAC, electrical, or plumbing systems.

Addition of new catering, cleaning, or security services.

A move from in-house services to outsourced services, or vice versa.

8.5 Step by step planning of a facilities management project

Earlier in this module, we broke down the five key steps to successful project management in a universal sense, that is, steps that are applicable to all types of project across the board. We will now focus more specifically on these steps from a facilities management project perspective.

Planning

Why is good planning important in a facilities project?

Planning is key to any project, but is particularly crucial within facilities management, due to the varied nature of the role and the fact that you are often co-ordinating a number of different stakeholders and managing their expectations. Thorough planning is likely to lead to a more orderly and organised approach to your facilities project and is also likely to reduce or eliminate costly and ineffective duplication of work - that is, where more than one person or team deal with a specific area or process, often achieving differing or conflicting outcomes.

Effective planning can save both time and money. By realistically forecasting in advance factors such as the volumes of materials needed, the amount of manpower required, etc, you can benefit from economies of scale and big efficiency savings, versus working in a more reactive manner. Remember to involve stakeholders from all areas of your project, including management, contractors, staff members and customers, in order to ensure good “buy in” with the project as a whole and encourage better participation and co-ordination of work, to reduce unnecessary wastage or duplication.

SMART Objectives

You will also have noticed that we refer a lot to the concept of objectives in this module - essentially, the specific targets or aims that a project is striving towards. Although the setting of objectives is vital in a project capacity, to be truly effective and meaningful, they should have certain characteristics. The term SMART objectives refers to objectives which have the following features:- 

Specific - Your objective must be specific and not general.

Measurable - You should consider and detail a way in which to measure your progress against your objective. Generally speaking, the more quantitative that this method of

measurement is, the better, although there is also a place for qualitative measurement too.

Achievable - The objective should not be beyond the scope of your abilities.

Realistic - You should be both willing and able to work towards the objective.

Time bound - The objective should detail the time that it will take to achieve.

Imagine that you are involved in a project to install a new IT infrastructure system across your business. An example of a SMART objective for this project could be as follows:-

To replace the existing IT system with X IT system, incorporating the total transfer of all data, system usage and software in a phased approach with less than 1% data loss and less than 5% business downtime. Partial transfer to be achieved within 30 days from project launch, with total transfer to be achieved within 90 days from project launch.Whilst not detailing every single element of the project at hand, this objective summarises the main outcomes that the project should achieve and serves as a useful reminder for those involved in the project to refer back to, in order to keep them on track.

What factors are taken into consideration at the planning stage?

As a Facilities Manager, you are likely to be heavily involved in the planning stage of a project. Different types of project will necessitate different types of plan.

Below are some suggestions of some areas that are likely to be considered during the planning stage of most projects:

What equipment and materials are required, in what volumes and their availability, delivery lead time, etc?

Labour requirements - can existing manpower be utilised, or is there a requirement to hire additional temporary or permanent support?

Impact on key stakeholders to the organisation, such as customers, employees, local residents, etc.

If building is required, it is important to consider the local environment, including planning permission, land, wildlife, protected areas, zoning requirements, traffic and transportation restrictions, local regulations, etc.

What the timescales are and any anticipated problems meeting the timescales.

Cost considerations.

Activity 1

Estimated time: 15 minutes

Consider the most recent project that you were involved in from a facilities perspective, either in a professional or personal situation.

Re-visit the five steps of project management and summarise the steps that you took under each heading.

Come up with at least one area of improvement or something that you could have done differently, at each stage.

8.6 Scheduling in facilities project management

We have already recognised the fact that the planning stage is a critical part of the ultimate delivery of a successful project. However, even plans which are thorough and well thought out can fail, unless they meet the SMART objective criteria of being specific and time-bound in nature. It is in this area that effective scheduling can make all the difference. Scheduling is the addition of a timescale to your agreed plans. The schedule details all of the specific targets and deliverables of the project, adds in their anticipated duration and, crucially, the order in which they should be carried out. Your planning process deals with “what” needs to be done, whereas the scheduling process works out “when” it is done.

Why is good scheduling important?

Yourself and other key stakeholders in the project need to have a means to track progress against important milestones and deliverables and scheduling breaks down the tasks and activities of the project so that it is clearer to see where things are going well and vice versa, plus any changes that need to be made due to hold ups. Scheduling breaks down the overarching aims of the project into bite-sized pieces, which are easier to manage, co-ordinate and assign to individuals and are also easier to evaluate. It will enable yourself and other managers involved in the project to know where to assign key staff, in order to prevent gaps, staff shortages, or duplication of work. Scheduling will enable the effective procurement of materials and equipment, so that they are available when needed and therefore, do not cause a delay to the project.

A beneficial effect of effective scheduling is that it can create a culture of teamwork and engagement throughout the workforce, as it highlights areas where teams or individuals either need to work together or where each other's work is dependent upon the success of somebody else's. This helps everybody to think of the wider project as jointly owned and inter-dependent,where everybody has an important part to play in its success.

Useful scheduling strategies

Depending on the scale and complexity of your project, you may want to consider implementing a structured approach to scheduling.

Here are some of the more common methods:-

Critical path scheduling

This method is useful across all areas, although is particularly popular in the engineering and construction fields. It works by listing all of the activities involved in the project, determining which are the most business-critical and prioritising them in your schedule, planning the other, less crucial activities around them. This technique is popular, due to the fact that it is easy to use and its focus on the most business critical elements gives it a more commercial focus.

Gantt charts

These charts offer a very visually based schedule, by plotting the activities in chart/graph form so that you can see the key activities, durations and milestones at a glance. They are particularly useful for more complex projects that have lots of overlapping or mutually dependent deliverables, as you can easily compare and track progress. The software also usually allows for multiple person editing, so you can share the chart with the whole project team and they can update it themselves, allowing everybody to see a real time picture of progress on the project.

Time impact analysis

This method uses an existing schedule to add in new activities which have the potential to create

changes or delays to the previously agreed deliverables. This allows the project manager to consider

a “what if” scenario on a range of activities.

Activity 2

Estimated time: 20 minutes

Do some further research into the different methods of project scheduling, such as GANTT charts and critical path scheduling, summarising their main features and pros and cons of each.

Do you think that using one of these techniques could have supported any of your previous projects and do you think you would consider the use of one in the future?

Why, or why not?

8.7 How to create a facilities management schedule

We have covered a good overview of the importance of scheduling and some common methods to support you with this. Now, let's take a more specific look at how to create a realistic schedule for a facilities project.

Identify all of the tasks involved in the project

In order to achieve this, you will need to get the input of colleagues and other members of the project team. Once you have compiled a comprehensive list of all of the activities required, you can determine their order and also, whether some of them need to be broken down further into sub- tasks.

Let's take an example

The key activities involved in the purchase of some new office furniture could be as follows:-

Decide which furniture needs to be replaced

Order the new furniture

Receive delivery of the new furniture and arrange it in the office

However, breaking these three headline activities into smaller sub-activities will give much more structure to the project.

For example

Decide which furniture needs to be replaced:-

Create an inventory of existing furniture

Evaluate which furniture is not fit for purpose

Conduct a basic needs analysis

Ask employees for feedback

Create a budget

Of course, you could further break each sub-activity down into even more detail, but this should give you an example of the importance of activities and sub-activities, in order to structure your project effectively.

Plot your tasks in a sequence of events

Once you have your master list of tasks and sub-tasks, you now need to plot them in order of start or completion. This is often not as simple as it at first appears, due to the fact that many activities are inter- dependent and it is not simply a case of one task ending and another beginning. This is where software such as scheduling charts can be very useful.

Work out the duration of each activity

Before anything else, you should firstly identify the most appropriate unit of time to use for this purpose. The length of the project itself will impact the most appropriate unit 

For example

If the length of the whole project is only likely to take two months, it would probably be more specific to use units of less than one month in duration, such as weeks or days.

Following this, you will need to consider how long each task will take and plot each time onto the schedule accordingly. Use specialists and your project team to help you to create a realistic sequence, as they will usually have the expertise within their given area to more accurately estimate the duration of each activity.

Formulate the key milestones

You may not need many milestones if your project is reasonably small and contained, but they are certainly very helpful to add some overall structure to your project and to help you and your team keep an eye on the bigger picture. What's more, Facilities Managers are often asked to report back on project progress to management or other stakeholders as the project progresses and the creation of milestones will provide a good framework in which to do this.

Assignment

Facilities management Projects

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 module, you have learned all about the principles and practical application of project management as a management discipline, in order to support you in the planning and delivering of facilities projects that you are likely to be involved in. To begin with, we defined project management in general terms and explained why a solid knowledge of it can aid you in your role as a Facilities Manager. Following this, we looked in detail at the five main stages of a project and the importance of each. As part of this, we covered some common areas of facilities management where projects could occur and an idea of the sort of work that you could be involved with in this regard.

We then moved on to looking in more detail at two overlooked stages of project management - planning and scheduling. From a planning perspective, you learned more about the importance ofrigorous planning and setting of objectives and also about how SMART objectives can help your project to succeed. Moving onto scheduling, we covered some interesting strategies or methods to help you to schedule effectively and also took a step by step walk through the main stages of how to schedule a facilities project.