With increased Process & systems within facilities management function, there is a need for facilities manager to constantly monitor the trends to analyse the broad spectrum of categories in Facilities Management. Today the key challenge for facilities manager is to build a Metric driven function where data influence decision making.
Carly Fiorina, former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard once said, “The goal is to turn data into information, and information into insight.” The concept of data mining and data warehousing is simple but the complexity, value and size of the data is the area of concern and challenge for facilities manager. As these data and information should articulate the story of how the FM function is performing through a dash board concept. CXO’s and Business Leaders look up to Facilities manager as an advisor for enabling and enhancing productivity and expect to act as a vital data information provider and not just an enabler. Considering these challenges, this is where “Big Data Analytic” in facilities management come in play.
Some of the major challenges facilities managers facing today in business environment are:
- Lack of hygiene business operation metrics to bench mark or publish to stake holders.
- Conventional systems, which is non effective to plug leakage seamlessly
- No effective information management systems to collate data or tracking.
- Lack of performance visibility.
The solution to these challenges is to have Big Data analytic process management for Facilities Management. In big data analytic, the goal is to navigate through a series of structured frame work to transform data in to information for optimization and functional and strategic decision making.
Structured Framework in Big Data Analytic in Facilities Management can be categorized in to 4 key drivers.
Activities – Plan, Design, Build, Operate and Commission.
Associated Contingencies – Financial Analysis, Cost estimation, Bid, Procurement, Construction, Utilization, Operations, Planned maintenance, User request, Repairs, Progressing.
Business Processes – Construction project delivery management, Space management, Operation and maintenance management, Inventory & Material disposition management, Capacity Planning & Functional management,
Supporting Technologies – Computer Aided Facilities management system, Building Automation system, Computer maintenance management system, Capital planning & Management system, Cost estimation & Project management system.
The Big Data environment will change according to complexities of the market. Facilities manager can gain meaningful insights to derive unique opportunities to make creative and efficient decisions that will have a long lasting impact, by learning from historical data and using technological capabilities.
Written by: Sridhar Raghavendra MRICS, Principle Consultant @ Cohub India – Project based assignment
