Facility Management Philosophy

Facility managers are so bogged down in their day-to-day work that they fail to grasp the truly important aspects of success. When all facility managers adopt below listed elements of philosophy, or if they adopt their own, the practice of FM will improve immensely.

• Facility management is a business function, and the actions of facility managers have financial and organizational impacts.
• Safety is always the first concern followed by legality, cost, and customer service.
• An FM staff member should be directly responsible for every physical asset and function.
• There is a cost of ownership of facilities; it is the facility manager’s task to ensure that management understands that cost.
• Facility managers should be cost-conscious in everything they do, and should capture all costs in this analysis.
• Every physical asset should be under appropriate life-cycle management.
• Plan with care, and always retain the capability to react.
• Cultivate long-term relationships. Remember that the successful FM organization is a team (staff, suppliers, contractors, consultants).
• The facility manager must regularly measure both the effectiveness and the efficiency of the department.
• The facility manager must be active in public relations outside the department.
• If the facility manager doesn’t promote the department, who will?
• The best way to save money is to participate in facility business planning. A facility business plan should support the company business plan. Business plans should be the result of long-range facility master plans.
• The facility manager should prioritize the development of an FM information system with the budget as the base document.
• Conduct oneself with a high regard for ethics.