Facilities management is a professional management discipline that focuses on the efficient and effective delivery of support services for the facilities, businesses, or organisations that it serves. It encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionality, comfort, safety and efficiency of the built environment by integrating people, place, process and technology in a harmonious balance, with the purpose of improving the quality of life of people and the productivity of the core business.. They're vital in large businesses, retail, and corporate spaces as they're responsible for maintaining the organization’s largest and most valuable assets - property, buildings, equipment and other environments that house personnel, productivity, inventory and other important elements of operation.
In the most basic terms, facility management encompasses all activities related to keeping a complex business operating, from grocery stores to auto shops, sports complexes, jails, office buildings, hospitals, hotels, retail establishments, and all other for-profit or government institutions.
The facilities management team overseas a wide range of function and support services like janitorial services; security; property or building management; engineering services; space planning and accounting; mail and messenger services; records management; computing, telecommunications and information systems; safety; and other support duties. Other roles include managing health and safety, risk, business continuity, procurement, sustainability, space planning, energy, property and asset management, as well as catering, cleaning, building maintenance, environmental services, security and reception.
There are two overarching areas to Facilities management - Hard Facilities Management (Hard FM) and Soft Facilities Management (Soft FM). The former involves the space's physical assets such as plumbing, heating and cooling, elevators, while the latter deals with tasks performed by people such as custodial services, lease accounting, catering, security, and grounds keeping.
Facilities management can also incorporate the management of systems and software. They work by leveraging the power of the vast amounts of data — often called Internet of Things (IoT) data — generated by built environments through sensors, meters, gauges and smart devices to predict and automate maintenance tasks, improve efficiency, generate energy savings, reduce costs and optimize investments, improve operational utilization, availability and flexibility, address environmental standards and concerns, maintain regulatory compliance, enhance safety and reduce risk, and provide engaging, productive environments.
The job differs with the space. The facility needs of a hospital, theatre, museum, school and bank, though similar in the fact that they share a need for furniture, office space, air conditioning systems, light fixtures, etc, are still markedly different. Good facility management is concerned with addressing those needs in the best and most cost-effective ways possible.
Facilities management also involves:
Monitoring organization efficiency and coordinating personnel, machines, supplies, work in progress, finished products, and deliveries Ensuring that the business receives the most it can for its facility-related expenditures (by standardising company-wide needs so that products can be purchased in bulk) Real estate procurement, leasing, and disposal (or facility construction, renovation, and relocation). Ensuring that the divergent processes, procedures, and standards present in a business complement rather than interfere with one another. Monitoring all aspects of facility maintenance and upkeep so that the business can operate at highest capacity. Tracking and responding to environmental, health, safety, and security issues. Ensuring facility compliance with relevant regulatory codes and regulations Anticipating future facility needs in areas as diverse as fluorescent light procurement, new space for expanded assembly lines, automation, and wiring for new computer networks. Educating the work force about all manner of standards and procedures, from ordering office supplies to acting in the event of a disaster.