Ed Sullivan

Having Good Information Isn't Enough for Facility Managers

2012-02-06T20:07:55Z

I heard some really good news not too long ago. I was at a presentation for top executives, and the topic was sustainability. One of the speakers started describing tax deductions for energy efficient upgrades in buildings. The takeaway, and I quote: “You can pretty much get a tax deduction for anything you put in.”

If you’re familiar with EPAct tax deductions, does that make you laugh? Cry? Or just shake your head?

I’m not sure there’s anything new about top executives getting bad information about facilities. What is new is the level of interest that senior managers are showing when it comes to facilities.

It’s easy to understand why facilities are drawing more attention. Take a look at a whole range of important business issues — control of capital and operating costs, productivity, organizational flexibility, corporate culture, and of course sustainability — and you’ll find significant facility considerations in every case. Some issues can’t be addressed seriously if facilities aren’t a big part of the plan.

So it’s no surprise top executives are keeping their ears open for information about facilities. The real question is, will the information they get be accurate and complete?

The facility managers who can answer yes to that question are ones who have access to top management and are the trusted source of facility information within the organization. Of those two — access and information — my sense is that the typical FM would say information is more important, and so devotes more time and energy to keeping up to date than to gaining access. I won’t argue with that. (Indeed, helping you stay up to date is the idea behind this month’s cover story.) But at the same time, the door to the boardroom isn’t going to open on its own. And having information that could help top management isn’t enough if you never get the opportunity to share it.

To Expand Network, Ask the Right Questions

2012-01-02T22:10:48Z

In case you forgot to make a New Year’s Resolution, here are some retroactive resolutions to consider: Get more exercise. Save more money for retirement. Expand your network across the organization.

Good ideas, right? And what better way to start 2012 than by resolving to improve yourself. Still, those resolutions by themselves don’t seem very useful. They may qualify as good advice, but they don’t really help you get anything done.

That’s not to say that the idea behind New Year’s Resolutions is a bad one. Even if you don’t make New Year’s Resolutions yourself, you likely have goals, or just ideas you’d like to act on. The trick is going from thought to deed.

Take the resolution about expanding your network. Facility managers often hear that’s a good thing to do. Let’s say it made your list.

OK. Now what?

The first question is, who do you want to network with? A peer from IT or HR? A business unit leader? You might begin with someone you’re on good terms with and try to strengthen or expand that relationship. Or you might start with someone whose department has caused problems for the facility staff in the past.

To some extent, who you talk to depends on what you want to talk about. One approach is simply to get to know others in the organization and start to educate them on what your department can offer. Another tack is to ask your peers if there is any way the facility staff can improve its service. A third route is to ask about challenges they are facing and identify ways that the facility organization can help tackle those issues.

No matter what your resolution is, it’s probably a good idea to think in terms of small concrete steps. Expanding your network is a great idea, but without some specific actions attached, it’s not much more than that — a great idea, not a plan of action.

Building Occupants Do Care About Facilities

2011-12-05T22:56:00Z

When it comes to facilities, there are plenty of opportunities to complain — it’s too hot, it’s too cold, this is leaking, that isn’t working. But if you ever start thinking that no one notices the good things about facilities, consider the following thought from a software engineer who works for a giant tech company. He’s describing the workspace of his former employer, another well-known tech company.

Workspace is one of many things he says he likes better about his new company than his old company. He describes his former workspace this way: “Their facilities are dirt-smeared cube farms without a dime spent on decor or common meeting areas.” (His comments were meant for internal distribution only, but he inadvertently shared them publicly over a social network. Oops.)

Dingy cube farms, crummy decor — no one likes those. But common meeting areas — that’s what struck me. He noticed common meeting areas. And he thought highly enough of them to put them on a list that included pay, benefits and social responsibility.

I suspect he’s part of a silent majority of building occupants who recognize the importance of facilities. (I bet the first time facility managers at his new company heard he liked the facilities was when they read that post about his old company.) Facility managers know, if top management sometimes does not, that facilities send a message about what the company is and what it values, a message that comes through loud and clear, all across the organization.

The message goes beyond matters of appearance, though appearance certainly matters. More important is how well the space serves the needs of the people who use it. That should be the message the facility manager carries up the chain of command and out across the organization. That function-first approach pays off in all sorts of ways, including more satisfied occupants. Though they might not say a word to anyone in the facility department, people do notice.

Facility Managers Have to Make LEED Buildings Work

2011-11-11T23:19:19Z

No one really wants to say this out loud, but the fact is that a LEED design alone won’t give you an energy-efficient building.

Architects don’t want to say it because it sounds like they’re not doing their jobs when they design LEED buildings. The U.S. Green Building Council doesn’t want to say it because it sounds like LEED guidelines are no good. And facility managers don’t want to say it because it’s asking for trouble.

Wrong, wrong and, well, right.

Architects alone can’t ensure that a building will be more energy efficient. They don’t control the entire construction process, much less the way the building is operated. Moreover, each new building is in some ways a prototype. In a manufacturing company, no one expects a prototype to be ready for use. But buildings have to be just that. Is it surprising there are often bugs to be worked out?

With the launch of LEED, USGBC transformed the building market. And with successive revisions, USGBC has addressed weaknesses and toughened LEED. A LEED-certified design is a big first step toward a green, energy efficient building. Still, a first step doesn't get you all the way to where you want to go — a building that operates sustainably.

Facility managers know better than anyone that a new building can be full of surprises. But it’s hard just getting money to commission most new buildings. Now imagine telling top management that, even after commissioning, it may take a year of hard work and some additional investment to get the building operating at peak efficiency.

A big part of the problem is that the facility manager has to go into that meeting alone. No one else really wants to say that the way a facility is built and operated is just as important as the way it’s designed. If you don’t believe that good design isn’t enough, check out this month’s cover story about LEED buildings with initially disappointing energy performance. All of them had the potential to be energy efficient. It just took some hard work by facility managers to unlock that potential.

You can learn more about tools and strategies to bridge the gap between sustainable design and sustainable operations by clicking here.

Start Convincing Top Executives that Facilities Can Add Value

2011-10-04T15:59:58Z

Facility managers get handed so many problems that it’s no wonder some adopt a sort of fullback mentality. Take the ball, put your head down and try to plow ahead. That works, up to a point, but you take a lot of pounding along the way — from occupants, other managers, even top executives. Over time, they may even come to seem like the other team.

So why not quit? Not literally. But think about retiring that old image and taking on a new one: a coach.

It’s a big step.

Unlike a fullback, a coach can’t be judged by individual performances on the field. A coach is evaluated by how the team performs. And in the eyes of the rest of the organization, that’s how a facility manager is judged, too.

So the next question is, what makes a facility department effective? Part of it is how well the department does what it is supposed to do. But doing what you’re supposed to do may not be enough. In many organizations, the facility department is expected to clean up messes — including ones caused by other departments.

It’s hard to say that’s really the best way for facility staff to be spending their time. A better goal is to prevent those messes. That calls for a new playbook. The facility-manager-as-coach has to figure out how the facility department can add value, then convince the organization to support that new role for facility staff.

And then in your spare time....

Clearly, building a new role for the facility department is a long-term effort that will take a lot of work. And it’s not like you can just ignore the problems that are currently taking up so much of your department’s time. One reason to get started is to improve the chances of getting facility projects funded. Check out this month’s cover story. You’ll find tips that can not only help you get more money, but also change how the organization sees your department.

New Look for Building Operating Management

2011-09-07T21:33:08Z

What I want to ask all of you, of course, is, “Well, what do you think?” We’ve spent months working to improve Building Operating Management, and now, ta-da, here it is. I imagine you feel much the same way when you renovate a building or upgrade space. But as editors we can’t even see the expressions on your faces as you move through the redesigned pages of the magazine.

As a substitute for seeing you in person, I’ll point out some of the principles that guided us as we worked to make a good magazine better.

• One thing facility managers always want to know is what other facility managers are doing. We’re going to focus more attention on the experience and expertise of individual facility managers. We’ll tap other knowledgeable sources as well, but we want to make sure that we’re sharing the current practices of leading facility managers. To that end, we also updated our Editorial Advisory Board. We’ll use that distinguished group as a sounding board for our ideas as well as for feedback on topics we should be addressing.

• From square feet to kWh to ROI, numbers fill a facility manager’s day. To reflect the environment you work in, we’re going to highlight numbers that can help shape your decisions, including numbers from our own surveys.

• Over time, magazine designs, like building furnishings, start to show their age. We’ve given the magazine a cleaner and more contemporary look.

So what do you think of the redesigned Building Operating Management? Take a minute to post a comment below. Even better, let me know what challenges you’re facing, what successes you’ve achieved. Think of it as a post-occupancy evaluation. Your feedback will help us know what we’re doing right and where we can improve.

FMXcellence Offers Recognition for Facility Managers

2011-09-07T21:28:00Z

When we developed the FMXcellence program, we decided that we would recognize facility departments rather than individual facility managers. It’s easy to understand why. Achievements in facility management take hard work by a lot of people. Strong leadership is essential, but it’s only part of the picture.

As we move into the third year of the program, I’m happy to report that the team approach has beeen validated, at least indirectly, by the facility managers whose departments have received FMXcellence recognition. (The cover story of August Building Operating Management has more on the achievements of this year’s honorees.)

We’ve asked those facility managers several times to tell us what made their efforts so successful. There’s no single formula for success, but one common theme keeps surfacing, albeit in different forms. At Western Michigan University, it was investing the time to nurture change from the bottom up. At the Oklahoma Department of Central Services, it was dedicating staff to educate building tenants about their role in improving sustainability. At PNC, it was keeping a wide variety of people in the loop about a massive project. At Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, it was recognizing the public interest in sustainability. At Hays Independent School District, it was telling the story of energy management to anyone who could help the program succeed.

You’re probably seeing the common thread: You need other people to get things done. Of course, saying that is easy. Actually tapping other people to accomplish facility management goals — that’s the not-so-secret ingredient in the recipe for excellence.

By the way, if your department has its own example of excellence in facility management projects or practices, consider applying for 2012 FMXcellence honors.

Training on Security Is Worth the Investment of Time

2011-07-05T15:12:00Z

This isn’t good. Two years in a row I’ve gone to visit a college campus with my son. Both times I’ve come back with disasters on my mind.

This year it was shooters. The most attention-grabbing part of the orientation program for parents of incoming first-year students was a video showing how to respond to an active shooter. The video, which cut back and forth between the shooter moving from room to room and students in different parts of the building, offered clear, practical advice to follow in the unlikely event that a student is confronted by an active shooter. There were no special effects, and not a drop of blood was shed, but the video was chilling nonetheless.

What wasn’t good about the video was the reminder that students have to worry about facing such a terrible threat. But the threat, although small, is real, and I’m glad that students were given a chance to think about how they should react. So was my son.

As this month’s cover story in Building Operating Management makes clear, there’s a growing recognition that it’s not just first responders who need to be able to respond, quickly and correctly, to an emergency. And training — even simple training — improves the odds that people will react the way they’re supposed to. The video we saw offered easy-to-remember advice framed around the word “out.”

• Get out.

• Call out — call 911, but not until you’re somewhere safe.

• Hide out.

• Keep out — lock or bar the door.

• Take out — if you can’t get away, fight back, and not just individually, but as a group.

Everyone agrees that training is a good idea. The problem is often time. The video, for example, might have been viewed as a not very pleasant detour in a busy day of orientation, advising and registration. But I didn’t hear any parents complain. On the right topic, most of us consider training time well spent.

CBECS, the National Energy Survey, Has Been Suspended

2011-06-06T14:30:25Z

Long before there was LEED, long before Energy Star, there was CBECS. The Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey, as CBECS is formally known, provides a statistical baseline for the energy consumption of U.S. buildings. Never heard of CBECS? You’re not alone. But that doesn’t mean it’s not important. CBECS data is the basis for the Energy Star rankings for buildings. Beyond that, it’s an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the energy performance of facilities.

Now CBECS, and those interested in information about the energy use in buildings, may take a double hit. First, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that results of the 2007 survey are suspect. For many reasons, including use of a low-cost but experimental design, the survey didn’t yield valid estimates. So the results won’t be released.

That news was bad enough. Then the EIA announced that budget cuts were forcing it to suspend work on the 2011 CBECS survey. The EIA will resume work on CBECS as soon as money is available — whenever that might be. The longer the delay, the greater the risk that CBECS data will become outdated.

How will this affect Energy Star? Energy Star is confident CBECS remains the best representation of building energy use in the market. But the folks at Energy Star are keeping a watchful eye on the situation and will look for alternatives if the quality of CBECS data becomes unacceptable.

To me, all this seems crazy. The federal government invested billions in building energy efficiency as part of the stimulus package. And President Obama’s Better Buildings Initiative will add to that very sensible investment. At roughly $12 million for a 30-month program, CBECS isn’t cheap. But it is money very well spent. CBECS has survived the shifting priorities of five presidencies. Let’s hope President Obama comes to its rescue now.

Facility Managers Should Be Open to New Building Technologies

2011-05-02T21:32:26Z

Facility managers have a reputation for being skeptical about new technologies. No surprise there. If a product doesn’t perform as expected, it’s the facility manager who has to deal with the impact, whether that’s premature replacement, high operating costs or just long-term hassle.

So a little caution is a good thing when it comes to evaluating what’s purported to be the latest and greatest facility product on the market. Too much skepticism, on the other hand, can stifle curiosity about new things that are coming down the pike.

This came to mind as I read an article on “The Internet of Things” by McKinsey and Co. I’ve mentioned McKinsey before in this column — it’s a management consulting firm known for being on the leading edge of developments, as well as on the reading list of top executives.

The Internet of Things refers to networks that draw data from sensors in objects. As the number of linked sensors grows, so does the flow of information, and with it the opportunity to respond quickly, and perhaps without human intervention, to changes in the environment.

Building systems are prime candidates to take early advantage of the Internet of Things. Buildings are full of sensors, and wireless technology makes it easier to network them. One early facility example is Smart Grid.

But the Internet of Things is by no means limited to facility systems. McKinsey expects it to change the way organizations operate, so the Internet of Things is likely to gain a place on the business agenda, just as the World Wide Web did a decade ago.

Exactly how and when all that will play out remains to be seen. But the Internet of Things offers a specific example of a general point: Facility managers who keep their eyes open for technology opportunities will be ahead of the curve as new waves of technology roll in.

Facility Management Departments Receive National FMXcellence Recognition

2011-03-22T15:52:00Z

We didn’t plan it this way, but it just so happens that the 2011 FMXcellence honorees provide a pretty good picture of how FM departments are using sustainability to meet organizational goals.

The FMXcellence program isn’t limited to green efforts. The ultimate test is adding value — and sustainable programs and projects have to meet that criteria just like any other initiatives. As it turned out, four of this year’s five honorees are being recognized specifically for energy or sustainability efforts. And the fifth made energy one of the priorities in the project that earned recognition.

What’s interesting is how much sustainability efforts are linked to the needs of each organization.

• The building services department of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is meeting a Board of Education policy with sustainability efforts that are both broad-based and cost-neutral.

• Thanks to years of sustainability efforts, the facility management department at Western Michigan University was well-positioned to expand its program in response to a new president’s green emphasis.

• An audit led the maintenance and operations department at Hays Consolidated Independent School District to develop an energy program that returns some savings to schools that reduce energy use while keeping some to fund its own efficiency programs.

• The Office of Facilities Management for the Oklahoma Department of Central Services began energy efforts because of cost concerns, and the sustainability plan it developed became a model for other agencies.

• The realty services department at PNC Financial Services, with a long history of green programs, made energy efficiency one priority in a $50 million signage replacement.

A lesson for FMs is that there’s no single best route to sustainability. Congratulations to this year’s honorees for developing road maps that work in their organizations.

Obama's Energy Plan Faces Opposition

2011-03-04T22:57:00Z

President Obama came into office championing energy efficiency. But the biggest energy effort of his first two years — the cap and trade plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — never passed Congress. And the November election results mean cap and trade is off the table.

But energy efficiency is still a presidential priority, as Obama’s “Better Buildings Initiative” shows. The plan is modest, with tax incentives for energy efficiency upgrades, grants for states and municipalities, support for small businesses, a Better Buildings Challenge for top management and training.

Politically, energy efficiency would seem promising ground for bipartisanship. It’s good for the environment and corporate bottom lines. Energy projects create jobs, which is good for the economy. And the Better Buildings Initiative is certainly both less ambitious and less controversial than the cap and trade plan, which aimed to make deep cuts in carbon dioxide emissions. Indeed, the official White House fact sheet does not even list reduced greenhouse gas emissions among the plan’s benefits.

But climate change isn’t the only aspect of energy policy that can produce partisan battles. Obama’s plan calls for spending increases and tax cuts at a time of deep deficits. By contrast, the House budget blueprint would cut the Energy Star program budget by 20 percent.

Clearly, energy policy is hardly a subject of bipartisan agreement. As a result, energy efficiency may be seen, not as an investment, but as a political bargaining chip. That’s the pessimists’ view. The optimists say that both parties need to show that they can work together, and energy efficiency is a perfect way to do that. And the realists’ take? They’re just glad that not all of the president’s plan depends on Congressional action.

Convince Top Management That Facility Projects Are Needed

2011-02-09T19:36:17Z

Consumers aren’t particularly happy with the current recovery. Unemployment won’t fall and housing prices won’t rise. Still, over the holidays, consumer spending was up.

It’s no surprise that consumers — like corporations — cut back when the economy tanks. But when the economic picture improves, people don’t necessarily go back to their old spending habits. Maybe, instead of flying to a resort, you took a camping trip last summer and liked it, so you plan to do the same this coming summer.

The point is that people will spend more on what they want now, not on things they found they can do without. Corporate managers are like that too. If they can get by without a new roof or more efficient HVAC system, they’ll probably do it.

That puts facility managers in a tricky spot. For the last couple of years, a lot of you have had to make do with repair when replacement was really needed, with emergency maintenance when preventive maintenance made more sense. But where does that leave you when corporations start loosening their purse strings?

To some extent, the answer depends on you. If you’ve toughed out the budget cuts without complaint, and now are waiting to be rewarded with funding for long-delayed projects, you may well find that top management sees no reason you can’t keep putting those projects off indefinitely.

Remember, your projects aren’t the only ones that weren’t funded during the recession. And you won’t be the only one knocking on the boardroom door once corporations start funding discretionary projects.

Who will get the cash? The ones that convince top management that their projects will do the most good for the organization. Now is the time to identify facility projects that will add the most value and make the case for them.

Facility Manager Can Be Champion of Change or Roadblock

2011-01-04T23:09:33Z

I recently heard top executives talk about the facility managers at their companies. One of the FMs took a lead role in the company’s sustainability efforts. In fact, his efforts had produced significant energy savings. About this facility manager, the CEO couldn’t say enough good things.

The second facility manager was a different story. Far from championing green efforts, this FM was such an obstacle that the sustainability team had to work around him.

I cringed listening to the second story. But I also wondered, what did this facility manager’s workload look like — and how adequate was his staff? Had other great ideas come down from above, only to be forgotten when the economy hit the skids or top management positions were shuffled?

OK. Let’s assume that there were mitigating circumstances. Even so, what an opportunity that facility manager had passed up. In most organizations, the road to sustainability is paved with bricks and mortar. From energy efficiency to indoor air quality, from daylighting to water efficiency, going green, at least in the long run, means improving facility performance. In addition to all the other benefits of sustainability, it’s a way to get a hearing for a range of facility issues. What’s more, facility managers who make an effort to address organization-wide goals are likely to have more success pushing the facility agenda than those who resist change.

Finding time and resources to tackle new efforts has become a top FM priority. This isn’t to say that a resource-strapped facility manager should cheerfully agree to impossible workloads or deadlines. Candor is a crucial quality for facility managers. But so is embracing new ways of doing things when change is for the better.

New Forces Are Driving FM Technology Innovation

2010-12-08T16:54:00Z

The past decade has witnessed a burst of product innovation in the FM arena. LEDs are a good example. After years of development, they’re clearly ready for prime time, with LED products available for a wide range of lighting applications. Another example is video analytics. That technology didn’t exist a decade ago, but now FMs can choose from a range of video surveillance products with analytics capabilities. BIM, wireless systems — the list goes on.

Judging by conversations I’ve had in the past few months, technology development is only increasing, particularly in the areas of energy, control and information. As interesting as some new products are, more important are the forces driving those innovations.

One factor is new money. From what I can tell, there has been a significant upswing in the amount of venture capital money being devoted to building products. Federal dollars have also come into play. The biggest emphasis has been on energy efficiency products — no surprise, given worldwide concerns about climate change.

Another interesting factor might be called cross fertilization, and it’s taking many forms. Video game technology is being used in building products. Big players in other industries are moving into the facility market. Fresh software talent from around the world is working on building technology. Add those developments up, and the cumulative impact is substantial.

This infusion of money and expertise will certainly produce a range of flashy new options for facility managers. Not all of the products will prove to be worthwhile, of course. But taken together, these emerging technologies are likely to help raise the bar on building performance.