The Magnificent Seven

When you’ve got a large portfolio of space to manage, you need a space management system which is robust, flexible and operated by people who really know what they are doing.  Richard Smith, Facilities Manager, BBC Resources at BBC Pebble Mill in Birmingham is in just such a position and his experience may provide valuable answers to some of the more common CAFM problems.

First of all, you have to choose the right system.  No matter what package you buy, it’s going to have to interface with others: allowing you to move data from one system to another.  Without this you’d have to use a number of separate packages: duplicating data entry and creating more likelihood of mistakes and inconsistent data.

Having everything in one system enables BBC Resources Birmingham to adapt rapidly to change: a necessity in today’s business environment.  Even so, it’s not just a case of choosing the right package.  In many ways, the software supplier can be even more critical.

BBC Resources bought their Drawbase system through Integrated FM and, five years on, are still with them.  So what makes for a good supplier?  BBC Resources Birmingham believes that there are seven key factors:

What to look for

1.         Help with identifying your requirements

You must be clear about your specifications up front, so that your package can do what you want it to do now, and can grow as you need it to.  Your supplier should take the time to really understand what you want and challenge any assumptions you may be making.

2.         A long term relationship

Your supplier has got to be interested in developing a long-term relationship with you.  They need to be prepared to offer you ongoing quality service while keeping their prices competitive.  BBC Resources `         Birmingham considers this the most important factor.

3.         Helping with getting your system off the ground

Any software package is a basic shell, which you will need to populate with your own plans and data.  You may therefore need to bring in expertise to review the information you are starting with, and enter your plans and data to ensure that they’re all correct from the start.  Your supplier must be able to help you do this.

4.         Providing back up resource when you need it

It’s important to have your own people in place to look after the system.  But there can also be times when the workflow hits an occasional peak.  It’s always useful, therefore, to be able to use your supplier to provide you with the expert resource you need at such times.

Also, as with any occupation, some CAFM operators are better than others.  Bad operators can make it difficult to retrieve and use the information.  Your supplier should be able to tell a good CAFM operator from a bad one.

5.         Development of your in-house skills

Developing your own in-house CAFM operators can be useful and, ideally, you could probably do with a combination of both in-house and contract expertise.  With the right supplier, your contract CAFM operators can also act as coaches to in-house staff, helping them to develop skills on the job.

6.         Helpdesk support

Of course, things can go wrong with systems, and you need to be able to access a help-line that can sort out faults for you, or help you to overcome problems you’re stuck on.  Good suppliers will often be able to draw upon the experience of their customers who’ve solved similar problems to the one you’re facing.

7.         Help with developing your system

Your supplier should be helping you identify and exploit your system’s potential to help you manage things even better.  They should also be acting as an interface with the product manufacturer, collating your feedback with that of other customers for further development/upgrades of the software itself.

Whether you’ve already bought a package or not, if you can find a supplier who’ll do all this for you, chances are you’ll rapidly get a massive payback from the investment you make in CAFM.

Richard Smith concludes that his investment in CAFM continues to pay dividends and forms a strategic part of the FM business within the BBC resources at Pebble Mill.  He comments, “Without the system I would be unable to manage the internal space charging on a monthly basis. Failing to do this would impact directly on our ability to provide our customers with the information they need”.

 

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