(Newswire.net — October 27, 2021) –As the industry shifts toward increased campus-like living arrangements, facility management (FM) professionals are at risk of falling behind. Facilities managers need to both adapt to changing company cultures and identify new skill sets that will make them an integral part of any organization.
According to FacilitiesNet’s third annual buildings survey, technology will have the widest influence on FM in 2021. The study reports that emerging technologies are expected to have the most impact on FM by 2021.
What skills will help you keep up?
Facilities management (FM) has been a stable and secure field for years, but it is now shifting toward high-tech campus-like living arrangements. Facilities managers need to both adapt to changing company cultures and identify new skill sets that will make them an integral part of any organization.
The following four skills are essential for the future success of FM experts:
- Business acumen:
- More than ever before, facility management professionals need to understand the business challenges their companies face and how these challenges relate back to facilities management’s core capabilities. Facilities managers may be asked by senior leadership teams or boards of directors about the ROI of current investments in facilities as well as proposed plans for new facilities and renovations. Facilities professionals should be able to how their area contributes to organizational goals.
- Leadership: Facilities management experts will be called upon to exercise leadership in a variety of ways, including influencing the C-suite, leading cross-functional teams, and representing FM on business development efforts. Facilities management leaders need to have well-developed people skills, including strong verbal and written communication skills, superior presentation ability, and impeccable follow-up etiquette. Facilities professionals also need to understand the importance of fairness in their interactions with clients and building occupants in order to create a team environment that is focused on meeting company goals.
- Technology expertise: With increasing frequency, senior leadership, boards of directors or even outside consultants are looking to facilities managers for input when exploring new technologies that could improve operations or service offerings. In addition, when FM professionals seek opportunities to add management layers, the facility management software platform becomes a major factor in the equation. Facilities managers need to know how to identify technology that will add value and ensure that they are able to handle any new duties that may be assigned.
- Analytics:
- Facilities managers should have some level of expertise with common enterprise-level analytics tools, including Microsoft Excel, Access, and/or SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS). Facilities managers can also enhance their capabilities by learning how to conduct basic statistical analyses with industry-standard applications like Minitab or SPSS. Facilities professionals who are able to run reports detailing cost drivers can make recommendations for capital construction projects based on data instead of gut instinct, which helps mitigate risk.
Must have skills to become Facilities Management Experts
Facilities managers in 2021 will need to learn and master new skills in order to be successful and meet changing needs of their organizations:
- Facilities management experts will need to be able to combine the best of both worlds: proactive and reactive FM
- Facilities managers in 2021 need to master technology, digital communication, and humans cognitive biases
- Facilities managers will need to learn about service design and delivery
- Facilities managers will need to master high-performance facilities management (HPFM) skills
- Facilities managers must know how to prepare themselves for the changes that are coming. FacilitiesNet, a leading FM publication, has identified four skills that facility management professionals will need to succeed by 2021: combining the best of both worlds, mastering technology, mastering service design and delivery and mastering high-performance facilities management.
- Facilities Management experts Will Need To Combine The Best Of Both Worlds: Proactive And Reactive FM
- Proactively identifying and solving issues before they cause major problems will be key for Facilities Managers in 2021. However, Facilities managers will also need to adopt a reactive mindset. Facilities managers should be able to quickly identify and resolve issues that arise at their company, once they are made aware of them. Facilities managers will need to implement proactive and reactive strategies in order to achieve success by 2021.
- Facilities managers will need to learn how to effectively pair proactive and reactive FM together in order to excel by 2021. Facilities managers should be able to implement both techniques in tandem with each other, to achieve maximum success. Facilities managers should also be able to forecast problems and identify potential opportunities within their organizations that proactive activities can address.
- Facilities managers with Excel and SQL skills can also build dynamic models that help forecast future expenditures, such as recurring maintenance or software licensing. Facilities professionals who understand the impact of decisions made by senior leadership teams on facilities outcomes create a more informed decision-making environment within their organizations.
Conclusion Facilities
Facilities managers should also learn how to forecast future expenditures, such as recurring maintenance or software licensing. Facilities professionals who understand the impacts of decisions made by senior leadership teams create a more informed decision-making environment.