A colleague of mine likes to remind anyone within earshot of the benefits of considering issues “from 35,000 feet.” The phrase usually gets lost in a tide of similar business jargon and loses its impact.

Still, it’s a powerful idea in terms of the “big picture” challenge facing facilities managers. I talk regularly with managers about a project they’re involved in or an issue they face that week or month. Toward the end of conversations, I like to ask what other issues or projects are priorities at that moment. The list is always lengthy, and it comes with a tone of exasperation.

They — not to mention their departments and organizations — could benefit from a wider view of the situation. That’s easier said than done.

A 2006 report from APPA described managers’ predicament this way: “… facilities professionals are often so occupied with the day-to-day demands of managing the physical plant, overseeing capital programs, dealing with staff, and wrestling with budgets that they have a limited perspective on the big-picture issues essential to the policymaking level. They were, therefore, ill-equipped to present their concerns in the right context.”

That assessment might be a harsh, but most managers will see a little of their situation in that description.

So the big question is, what happens once you’ve taken in the view from 35,000 feet? The report — University Facilities Respond to the Changing Landscape of Higher Education — devotes a lot of time to outlining the challenges. But it also offers some general suggestions to address each issue and promises a more in-depth outline for action in future reports. And though it’s university focused, the challenges it discusses and suggestions it offers can apply to most institutional and commercial facilities.

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Posted 08-14-2007 8:00 AM by Dan Hounsell