On Standards

Tech integration at the facility management organization (FMO) can range from a complete paper and pencil system with manual asset registry and maintenance tracking to a completely technology-integrated function involving live view information modeling on the cutting edge of facility data analysis and everything in between. It is safe to say that the FM sector is working hard across multiple associations and areas to catch up. Paper and pencil operations, despite the drawbacks, are still the norm in a not-insignificant portion of facilities and there is work yet to be done to bring them up to speed.

One might think: “How does my FMO build 30 years of tech development and innovation into my organization overnight? Besides that, where does the money come from to achieve this?” This is often the stopping point of most FMs trying to digitally revolutionize their organization.

The first step is to understand the playing field: developing a high-level familiarity with existing and evolving tech has become a necessity for FMs wanting to stay relevant in the field. The IT and FM functions of any organization must work hand in hand. It could even be said that they provide the same core function of creating an experience for employees, occupants, tenants or guests within the built environment. Collaboration between the two functions is not only essential; the functions are also beginning to become inextricable. Some examples of this are how IT relies on FM to provide thermal maintenance of the IT stacks throughout the facility and space management input or workspace management input relevant to IT service function. FM relies on IT for on-site digital security, enabling remote work capabilities of employees, and providing a service to occupants of the facility which has become an expectation of anyone in an urban environment.

Together, FM and IT ultimately serve the same end user: the facility occupant.

As FM and IT march inevitably closer together by the process of fast-paced tech development, the reliance on each other and collaborations of such functions become imperative. The first step in the FM industry for any organization wishing to revolutionize their way of doing business is not only to gain an understanding of the knowledge base that spans across tech but also start somewhere. Whether it is a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), a badging system, a digital asset registry, or a remote temperature monitoring system for a series of refrigerators in a medical facility, the most important part is to begin at the beginning. Creating an entirely mapped out proposal for the chief operating officer of a demand organization of a five-year digital transformation plan sounds both intimidating and comprehensive, but in all, it is wasteful. Two years into that transformation, the entire landscape of available tech will have evolved, requiring FMO agile adaptation to keep the original plan and function relevant. Instead, start with a landscape of understanding, start with a short- to medium-term (three years maximum), with both a value-add project and a transformation trajectory.

This task brings light to ISO/TC 267, the ISO technical committee responsible for developing ISO FM standards. Among the documents these experts are creating are technical reports -- informational documents that provide context on topics relevant to the FM industry and the functional areas it has identified that could benefit from standards development. The TC 267 Working Group, Digital, Data and Technology has dedicated experts who are developing a new guide to the world of technology and FM. They will soon release ISO/TR 41016 Facility Management: A Digital Technology Framework. The document uses familiar FM terminology to contextualize and potentially introduce to the reader, a vast array of technological advancements and their theoretical and real applications to the world of FM. The working group brings together tech concepts currently in use in organizations and reaches beyond to lay the groundwork for what is possible to create a comprehensive summary on the nexus of tech and FM.

ISO 41016 walks readers through how Digital FM, or an adoption of technology seamlessly into the FM function, fits within the overall FM department strategy and bolsters vertical communication potential both up and down the organization:

FM Technology Strategy goes far beyond which CMMS platform is chosen for a company. It encompasses every aspect from service delivery to demand organization or end user experience.

FM Technology Strategy goes far beyond which CMMS platform is chosen for a company. It encompasses every aspect from service delivery to demand organization or end user experience. Digital FM enables fast and accurate reporting upwards through the organization, resourcing rapid decision making at the C-Suite level while simultaneously creating seamless pathways for distribution of actionable information to improve the quality of service of the FM organization.

Here, the FM Technology Strategy encompasses everything from automation and monitoring to a digitization of the knowledge base of the people within the FM function. The strategy spans across every function of an FMO and requires not only critical thought about its application to both the supply and demand organizations but also the ability to adapt either organization’s strategy with agility.

ISO 41016 highlights that the data and technological transformation that this digital strategy brings about in the long haul affects vertical communication pathways. It creates faster, more accurate, and potentially automated reporting through both the FMO and demand organization. From the top down it creates an increased level of delivery of service on the ground by leveraging digital technology and analytics to optimize the effect of each dollar spent as well as opportunities for automation to provide faster, higher quality response.

ISO 41016 goes on to use a familiar visualization tool of the periodic table of elements each element represents a technology which is contextualized within silos of relevant innovations. The table categorizes individual tools, systems, products, and advancements in information technology into six subgroups to exemplify and make interpretable the vast array of potentially usable and operations-improving digital technologies.

The world of tech is impressively vast and has a diverse range of subjects that can stop an FM in their tracks. Take it one piece at a time and remember that to get anywhere, there must be a starting point. The goal of all of this is to not only create somewhat of a technology product guide for FMs, but also show what sort of programmatic and function advancements are available when multiple units of the above ecosystem landscape are combined:

The document walks FMs through the process of actually lifting a technology program off the ground within their organization, answering questions like “How do I make the business case for a revolution in FM Tech?” and “What stakeholders do I need to align with to move my Digital FM plan forward? How?”

This document is not just for FMs; it serves as a jumping off point for transforming the FM organization, but other business units (IT, HR, etc.) can use this document as a resource to begin the brainstorming and planning process. IT and FM are inextricably linked, and it is up to the FM to drive their FMO toward this involvement with collaboration at the forefront of discussion. ISO 41016 shows what is possible in the world of technology while also laying out the roadmap to get started on the journey of launching the FM organization into the 21st century. The document’s final release is anticipated in the third quarter of 2023.