Posts Tagged ‘iwms’

Getting Information from FM Systems

Getting Information from FM Systems In my Webinar on Information Based Decisions (see the link below), I spoke about getting and using information for your benefit.

While you need an FM system and should work towards getting approval and implementing one, if you already have one, the question is whether you use it for information, not just process management. Whether you manage space with a CAFM system manage maintenance with a CMMS system or handle other typical Facilities Management responsibilities, information is king and visibility into your operations are critical to your success.

This time, as an expansion of what I talked about in the Webinar, I’d like to focus on the two challenges to getting and using information.

Posted by Michel Theriault Feb 02, 2012

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Making Information Based Decisions – Webinar

Planon Software IWMS Recently I had the pleasure of delivering my first webinar for Facility Managers.

The webinar was hosted by Planon Software and dealt with using information for decision making. If you missed it, you can watch and listen to it on-demand for free here.

In addition to my segment, Planon’s Director of Product Strategy, Erik Jaspers, also gave some great examples of how to use information from an FM System in Facility Management.

I’ve talked before about the importance of having decisions here on my blog, and it’s been part of several of my Facility Management workshops and seminars as well as a section in my book “Managing Facilities & Real Estate.”

Posted by Michel Theriault Dec 27, 2011

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I want off the FM system acronym wagon! What’s with all the 4 letter words – IWMS, CAFM, CMMS, IFMS and more!

FM Systems I’m getting more and more frustrated with the acronyms in use in our industry to deal with Facility Management computerized systems. Yes, I you read that right. I used a non-acronym to describe the other acronyms, and you know what, you probably knew exactly what I meant.

How about simply using a general yet descriptive term “FM systems” when we are talking about computer systems used in FM. No, I don’t mean the one from that company with the same name, I mean it in the truly generic sense: computerized systems that support FM functions. What else could be easier?

Posted by Michel Theriault Sep 11, 2011

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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

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Do you have an FM System Yet? Here are 5 reasons why your organization should support it

FM System CMMS CAFM IWMS I’m constantly surprised when I talk to FM professionals who haven’t implemented an FM system to manage their responsibilities, whether it’s CMMS, CAFM, IWMS or other systems for managing processes, space or maintenance.

Having started my career over 20 years ago at a company who had an FM system back then, to not have an FM system today given the flexibility, availability, benefits and relatively low-cost of many web based systems is surprising. It’s an essential tool for effectively managing facilities.

Posted by Michel Theriault Feb 28, 2011

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