The dynamic nature of the business environment is clearly taking a new turn as technological innovation is gradually differentiating organizations in today’s competitive marketplace.
Interestingly, this applies to the execution of both core and non-core business operations.In the case of the latter, Facilities Management (FM) has a pivotal role to play in support of the core business and must be closely coupled with the organization’s strategy overall.
Trends have shown that FM contributes most to an organization when it is approached from the strategic level. To be fully effective, your FM strategy must be aligned with the corporate objectives. To ensure that this is achieved, the FM department needs to work collaboratively with senior management.
Ideally, your FM strategy should include a number of key components, such as:
Management strategy: This defines your FM business unit objectives and describes how it operates and how it is structured. Key competency requirements and associated professional development plans should also feature.
Performance Management strategy: The Performance Management strategy of every FM should carefully outline the measurement metrics of the FM department and a sustainable approach to continuously improve the set targets.
Support services strategy: This is a very key component of the FM strategy because it ensures that the operational needs of your customers are met and they are satisfied. This is further reflected in the most appropriate way of delivering service with regard to in-house or outsourced resources.
Accommodation and workplace strategies: It is essential that your organization understands its current and future accommodation requirements. This is to ensure that it neither runs out of space nor carries the burden of excess space. This strategy informs decisions regarding your property portfolio and guides the organization’s attitude towards workplace design, specifically in relation to alternative workplace strategies.
Maintenance strategies: This strategy responds to a range of factors including: your corporate image, condition and age of your buildings, lease period remaining, etc. Given these variables, it is important to fully understand the life cycle of your assets and to find the most appropriate balance between planned and reactive maintenance.
Although listed distinctly, these strategies are all interlinked and interdependent. Changes in one area of your FM strategy will more likely influence the other.
To gain insights into the effective development and deployment of these strategies, register to attend the Ghana Facilities Management Masterclass 2.0
