What Is FM?

What is facilities management?

Each member association of Global FM has its own definition of facility/facilities* management (see below for FM definitions) but there are some common threads.

The description here is not Global FM's definition as such but defines the scope and potential of FM, particularly for those new to the subject:

'FM is the management activity which supports businesses, many other types of organisation and particularly the users of the built environment, through the provision of facilities and associated support services'.

Who is a facilities manager?

Again, the description of who a facilities manager is varies depending on the region of the world in which you work, given that there are various definitions. In this section, however, we have listed the various areas facilities managers work in and some of the specific job titles they hold:

Areas of work:

• People Management
• Working with Suppliers and Specialists
• Property Portfolio Management
• Building Fabric Maintenance
• Managing Building Services
• Managing Support Services
• Project Management
• Customer Service
• Environmental Issues
• Space Management
• Procurement
• Risk Management
• Financial Management
• Quality Management
• Information Management

Job titles of a facilities manager:

• Facilities Manager!
• Head of facilities
• Senior Facilities Manager
• Manager – facilities and support services
• Workplace Services Contract Manager
• Area facilities manager
• Facilities Account Manager
• Head of property and facilities (EMEA)
• Projects and facilities manager
• Facilities and purchasing manager
• Specialist facilities management engineer

Facility or facilities?

FM is generally interpreted as 'facility management' in the US, Australia and some other territories. In the UK and across much of Europe the term 'facilities management' is used.

Both are used across the Global FM website, as content is contributed from many countries and sources.

The difference is largely historical and not especially significant. However, 'facility management' tends to mean the management of a 'facility', for example a hospital or office complex, whereas 'facilities management' refers to a broader range of activities.

FM DEFINITIONS

IFMA

Facility management is a profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionality of the built environment by integrating people, place, process and technology.

FMA Australia

Facilities can be generally defined as buildings, properties and major infrastructure, also referred to within the Facility Management industry as the "built environment". The primary function of Facility Management (FM) is to manage and maintain the efficient operation of this "built environment".

The industry is also responsible for:

• ensuring that services are delivered in a way that contributes to the productivity and profitability of those people who utilize a facility;
• reducing the impact of the use of facilities on the environment;
• minimising operational life cycle costs of facilities;
• repairs and maintenance, security and cleaning as well as more highly technical services required for the efficient operation of a facility.

BIFM

Facilities management is the integration of processes within an organisation to maintain and develop the agreed services which support and improve the effectiveness of its primary activities

Source: CEN the European Committee for Standardisation and ratified by BSI British Standards

The British Institute of Facilities Management has formally adopted the CEN definition but also offers a slightly simpler description:

"Facilities management is the integration of multi-disciplinary activities within the built environment and the management of their impact upon people and the workplace".

ARSEG

No definition of FM as such, the website defines what a facility manager is.

Presentation of the trade of Director and Person in charge of General Services.

The trade of Director for General Services deeply evolved/moved these ten last years. The increasing pressure on the costs, the increase in the lawful pressures, the appearance of new risks… impacted directly and strongly, in a rather short amount of time, on the conditions of exercise of the trade.

In parallel, of new stakes appear directly interesting the experts of work environment who are the directors and persons in charge of general services in the companies: sustainable development first of all: construction and exploitation HQE (environmental high-quality) of the buildings of offices, energy saving, quality of the air and water, insertion of the people suffering from handicap and public in difficulty, co-education and diversity, purchases equitable, balance of the relations clients/providing… wellbeing in company and the fight against the stress: evaluation of the occupational hazards, ergonomics, caretaker's lodges, cribs of company, restoration, halls sports, massages… effectiveness of the teams and the appeal of the company: in a context of exacerbated competition and fight to attract and preserve the best talents, quality, adaptability and the optimization of work environment (real, fitting-out individual and collective, material and technologies, accompaniment of mobility, facilitation of daily work…) will become an essential weapon and a major competitive asset in the years to come.

An associated stake will be that of the deployment to international of work environments standardized in a multi-cultural context.

SAFMA

"Facilities Management is an enabler of sustainable enterprise performance through the whole life management of productive workplaces and effective business support services"

HFMS:

Facility or facilities management is the integration of multi-disciplinary activities within the built environment and the management of their impact upon people and the workplace.

Effective facilities management, combining resources and activities, is vital to the success of any organisation. At a corporate level, it contributes to the delivery of strategic and operational objectives. On a day-to day level, effective facilities management provides a safe and efficient working environment, which is essential to the performance of any business – whatever its size and scope.

Within this fast growing professional discipline, facilities managers have extensive responsibilities for providing, maintaining and developing myriad services. These range from property strategy, space management and communications infrastructure to building maintenance, administration and contract management.

The FM sector is now large and complex, comprising a mix of in-house departments, specialist contractors, large multi-service companies, and consortia delivering the full range of design, build, finance and management.

The facilities management profession has come of age. Its practitioners require skill and knowledge. The sector definition continues to expand to include the management of an increasingly broad range of tangible assets, support services and people skills.

Facilities management is a vital strategic discipline because it ‘translates’ the high-level, strategic change required by senior decision makers into day-to-day reality for people in their work or living space.

Excellent facilities management can, amongst other things:

• Deliver effective management of an organisation’s assets
• Enhance the skills of people within the FM sector and provide identifiable and meaningful career options
• Enable new working styles and processes – vital in this technology-driven age
• Enhance and project an organisation’s identity and image
• Help the integration processes associated with change, post-merger or acquisition
• Deliver business continuity and workforce protection in an era of heightened security threats

Successful organisations in future will approach FM as an integral part of their strategic plan. Those organisations that treat FM as a ‘commodity overhead’ will be at a significant strategic disadvantage.

Source: www.bifm.org.uk

Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facility_management