Everything that requires corporate planning relies on strategy. In the medieval times and also in the contemporary world that we are now, strategy is a focused effort toward a quantifiable goal and is frequently the key to success. Strategic facility management is critical if you want to give your facilities a competitive advantage.
Strategic Facility Management is a hybrid of facility management and facility planning that’s been merged together with certain set of goals in mind. The key to strategic facility management is to think long-term. It considers the questioning form of what, how, and the means required to achieve the set goals. It also takes into full consideration, the time frame for the goals to be achieved, which is usually long term but specific.
The application of strategy in FM also accommodates partially long-term goals but doesn’t settle less for objectives because they are short-sighted. Facilities management gives the workplace meaning and makes it a focal point of larger organizational objectives. However, just like any other strategy, incorporating facilities management requires a clear goal.
Creating a Facilities Strategic Plan
The strategic facilities plan (SFP) is a mechanism for facility managers to keep others informed about present operations, the department’s goals, and how it plans to get there. The SFP indicates in clear terms the priorities and policies that would be engineered into the system to lead towards the aims. The facilities manager can establish clear criteria for actions and ensure that operations are aligned with the business direction by using the company strategy plan as the foundation for facilities strategies. Developing an SFP for the first time for a mid-size corporation with a space inventory of one to two million square feet could take six months, or more if the process is automated. The SFP’s utility is proportional to the amount of effort put into developing it.
Things to Consider Before Implementing A Strategic Plan For Facility Management
Making use of the abbreviation C.E.R.T would guide in that. The four(4) points C.E.R.T is a certificate for successful reaching out to strategic plans:
- Comprehend
Understanding strategic facility management requires an understanding of the factors that influence it. What are your ambitions? What is your facility’s capacity to support these goals? Do you have the time, money, manpower, and stakeholder buy-in to effect change? Is there a timetable or a defined path to completion? This phase allows you to assess the desired concept and place it in context. It’s critical to comprehend the approach before attempting to put it into action. - Examine
This is the stage of strategic facilities management where you are experimenting and learning. You should now know the objectives and have a thorough understanding of the issue, allowing you to focus on how to carry out your strategy. In order to develop a facility plan, you’ll need to use a variety of experimental and analytical approaches. Scenario planning, as well as methodical layout planning, is important aspects of facilities management. A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) study aids in the qualification of specific priority areas. Ideas for facility improvements should start to bubble up after Brainstorming and Strategic Creative Analysis (SCAN) sessions. - Reaching for a Plan
The knowledge and analysis phases provide the foundation for a strategic facility space plan. You can begin developing the roadmap once you know what you’re aiming for and the steps required to get there. A facility manager will frequently bring this physical plan to the C-suite for approval. It explains the reasons for major facility changes. It outlines strategies for bringing about the desired improvements. It assigns a schedule to everything, assigns responsibilities, and qualifies the success measures. Consider it a workplace-specific business plan—it should be a detailed blueprint for success. - Take action
You’ve got a strategy in place and the go-ahead from your boss. All that remains is for you to take action. Leaders in strategic facility management must comprehend the vision, both at the facility level and in terms of how it contributes to broader corporate objectives. These executives must carry out modifications in accordance with the strategic facilities management strategy, then document improvements and adjustments to determine their impact on the company. You should track the impact of the workplace on economics, employees, culture, and other indicators that correspond with your objectives as it transforms into the asset it was supposed to be.
The following components are required to create a SFP. All you have to do is SOAK IT. This means the following:
Statement of Purpose
The first stage in writing an SFP is to create a mission statement for the facilities department, which should include policies as well as goals and objectives. The mission aims and objectives of the company should all be incorporated within the statement. If a corporation is divesting, for example, it must recognize the importance of a successful sale, divestment, and re-deployment of existing facility resources.
Objectives and Goals
Goals and objectives are derived from the facility’s mission statement and serve to define the department’s functional characteristics and operating standards. Goals are numerical assertions that are turned into measurable tasks, such as finishing a construction project. The completion of a standards program, for example, is a qualitative goal. Goals and objectives must be written down to avoid misunderstandings.
Analyze the Situation
This is the process of gathering information on external and internal events that could have a substantial impact on the facilities department in the future year, either negatively or positively. Corporate strategic planners, for example, may be unaware of new legislation that tightens regulatory compliance procedures for indoor air quality.
Key Variables
Determine the important variables that may have an impact on the facility’s success. If a planned increase in facilities financing does not materialize, for example, the installation of computer workstations may be postponed due to a building’s incapacity to improve its electrical service. For effective budgeting and operation, knowing what is going on in buildings is essential. Each critical variable should be prioritized based on its impact on the firm, the facilities, or both.
Internalize the Strategic Scenario
Scenario planning allows the facilities manager to plan based on the likelihood of certain occurrences occurring in the following year, and to prioritize and prioritize operations accordingly. The goal of scenarios is to “rehearse” possible outcomes so that you can react quickly if they occur. Develop three to five scenarios, each materially distinct from the others, realistic (plausible), and enhanced with the assumptions behind them to ensure the scenarios are viable.
Tell and state the strategy to consider
A final suggestion may be presented to decision-makers based on the scenarios, which will have a high degree of support for the decisions they must make. The following criteria should be considered while choosing a strategy:
- It must be internally consistent.
- It must fit in with the company’s culture and surroundings.
- Appropriate resources should be available to put it into action.
- It should pose a manageable level of risk to the business.
- It must be accomplished within a reasonable time limit.
- It should be useful.
Starting a SFP is an important decision for your facilities. When starting out the following question should be addressed.
What can you do today to improve your facility such that it pays off, next year, two years from now, or in the next decade?
You can also seek expert advice from an experienced facility management company when any confusion arises during the process.