Posts Tagged ‘fm’

Space and Occupancy Planning Tools – Do you have what you need to manage your space efficiently?

I recently had a chance to talk about space planning with David Spence from OfficeSpace at The Facilities Management Show in the UK where I was an invited speaker.

His experience confirmed my own observations – I see that for many companies, space planning in Facility Management hasn’t progressed much beyond the manual process I was using 20 years ago.

Very few Facility Managers and Office Managers seem to get the tools they need to properly manage and track space and occupancy. These tools are critical for a more efficient operation and more importantly, they are critical for collecting, analyzing and using information to make occupancy decisions that can save your company money. After all, the cost of space, whether you own it or lease it, is among the top expenses for most organizations.

Posted by Michel Theriault Jul 21, 2011

1 Comment

IFMA Facility Fusion 2011 Panel in Boston – The Evolution of FM

Recently, I was invited to be on the panel at the opening session of IFMA’s Facility Fusion conference in Boston.

The focus of the panel was the ‘Evolution of Facility Management’, a topic I am very passionate about.

My recent business trips to the Middle East and Aftrica re-emphasized to me the need to develop Facility Management beyond its original roots of a very technical and tactical function into a profession that while still grounded in technical requirements, leverages strategic business skills to make a difference for the companies we serve.

It was a privilege being on the panel with the other panelists, all senior FM leaders. You can watch a video of the panel further below.

Posted by Michel Theriault May 15, 2011

0 Comments

The Developing FM Profession: Middle East

I learned about the Middle East Facility Management Association (MEFMA) when I was in Abu Dhabi delivering a workshop on Strategic FM. (read what I said about FM in the Middle East)

At the time, I heard that they were developing a “Foundations in FM” course for local facility practitioners. Recently, they decided to provide a copy of my new book “Managing Facilities & Real Estate” to each participant in the course.

As a result, I decided to learn more about what MEFMA was trying to accomplish in the Middle East so I asked the Membership & Event Director, Sinead Bridgett, a few questions, which are answered further below.

On the subject about developing the profession, I’ve just returned from Abuja, Nigeria, where they have a strong IFMA chapter and quite a few FMP certified Facility Managers. I gave a short speech about the “Sustainable FM” at a chapter meeting and will do a future item on my trip.

Posted by Michel Theriault May 10, 2011

0 Comments

Facility Management Magazines Listing : A Great Source for Information, Solutions and Ideas

Magazines are a great way to learn and to keep up-to-date with what’s happening in the Facility industry. Even if you can’t read every article, you are likely to find something you can use, and if you pass your magazine around your office, everyone will benefit.

Many have on-line content so you don’t necessarily need a subscription. Some are free to qualified FM professionals, some are association publications provided to members and others require a paid publications.

This is a fairly comprehensive list of magazines from around the world, directly from the ‘References’ section my new book, “Managing Facilities & Real Estate”. In my book, I also list associations and conferences.

The list is alphabetical and mostly includes magazines that deal with FM in general with a few that focus on specific facility types, such as hospital, retail or corporate.

Whether or not you’re in the specific industry or country where the magazines are from, check them out on-line and you may find useful information, ideas and solutions you can use.

If you know of others, even specialized magazines targeting suppliers and contractors in the industry (such as janitorial, plumbing, etc. ), please feel free to add them by adding a comment below with information about the magazine.

Posted by Michel Theriault Apr 10, 2011

0 Comments

Finding Facilities Management Information Online for Asset Management and FM Systems like CMMS, CAFM and IWMS

Facility Management Information Online The best way for Facility Managers to get ahead is to keep on top of the latest issues, solutions, technologies and processes. The internet has made it much easier to access information, with the availability of content from magazines, online portals and blogs. But finding good resources isn’t always easy, since the internet can be cluttered with content.

Two organizations are helping Facility Managers with the search by issuing their own list of resources. I was curious why they did it and of the many resources on the internet, how they narrowed it down to a handful, so I did the easy thing, I asked them.

Steven Hanks, from IWMSnews.com and Stuart Smith from Mintek Mobile Data Solutions gave me some insight into their methodology and process, as well as a little more information about themselves.