Facilities Management Strategic Plan
Facilities Management Strategic Plan
Introduction
Real estate provides City Technical College with investments that support a variety of the institutions’ activities. Facility management entails providing supportive services that facilitate the core activity of the institution. Facility management is the process that focuses in enhancing an institution’s supporting services and integrating them with the core activities of the college in order to generate a competitive advantage. Facility management helps organizations to protect their capital investments and ensure that the efficiently utilized in supporting the core activities of the organization. It focuses on developing an optimal environment for the institution’s core activities. It entails the management of space, people, infrastructures and services. Managing facilities requires the institution to have an elaborate strategy. This report provides guidelines on how to develop facility management strategic plan for City Technical College.
Developing facility Management Strategy
A strategy is a plan that expresses an organization’s ambition, direction and initiatives for realizing the organization’s goal (Duke Education, 2009). It defines the path that an organization needs to follow in order to realize its mission. Thus, a facility management strategy can be described as a plan that stipulate the institution’s ambitions and initiatives for realizing the goals of facility management (Duke Education, 2009). The facility management strategic plan comprises of three essential stages; analysis of requirements, development of solutions and implementation of solutions
- Analyzing Requirements
The first process in facility management is the analyzing requirements. The purpose of analyzing requirements is to provide a comprehensive picture about the existing situation within the organization (Duke Education, 2009). It entails gathering facts about the organization. Analyzing requirements begins by providing a distinction between the institution’s core and non-core businesses. This will enable the institution to define its needs. The core business of City Technical is to provide high quality education services. However, City Technical needs to provide other services in order to facilitate the provision of the key goal of the organization (Duke Education, 2009). An example of non-core services is security. The institution needs to provide safe environments for students in order to enhance learning. The institution also needs to provide basic utilities such as electricity, water and sanitation facilities. The institution also needs to provide information technology infrastructure. Evaluating the non-core services will enable the management team to understand the college’s essential requirement.
One of the essential requirements for developing a business strategy is to deliver effective and responsive services. The core mission of City Technical College is to provide superior education experience to it students (Duke Education, 2009). Facility management strategy needs to focus on ensuring that the services provided are effective and responsive to the students needs. In order to facilitate the provision of education services, other services are required. These services include; catering, communication, transport, library and many others. The business strategy should focus on delivering these services that support learning.
The second essential requirement for the business strategy is to provide a safe and efficient learning environment (Duke Education, 2009). One of the essential determine of the learning experience is the learning environment. Desired learning outcome are best realized when the learning environment supports the learning process. The environment should be safe, comfortable and conducive to all the stakeholders of the institution (Duke Education, 2009). The environment must also provide essential utilities such as water, power, communication networks and many others. Developing security and safety measures should form a central focus of the facility management plan.
The third essential requirement is to plan for changes in the use of space in the future. Space is vital resources in any organization (Duke Education, 2009). The institution needs space in order to plan for future expansion. Therefore, the strategic plan should focus on ensuring efficient utilization of space during the expansion process. Another requirement is to make institution assets cost effective. High education institutions operate in constraint budget. Facility management can be a vital avenue for the organization to cut cost (Duke Education, 2009). The facility management strategy should focus on ensuring that organization resources are utilized efficiently. Creating energy efficiency is among the areas that the strategy should focus in order to enhance efficiency.
Another essential requirement for the strategic plan is to enhance the organization culture and image. Image is an essential element in any organization (The Facilities Society, 2012). Organization with a negative image experiences operational difficulties. Facility management is can help an organization to enhance its image and the culture of the organization. These are the most essential requirements for facilitating City College’s core goal.
- Developing Solution
The first stage has provided has provided comprehensive information concerning the institution’s needs (The Facilities Society, 2012). This stage of the strategic plan focuses on interpreting this information with an aim of developing ideas on how the institution needs will be met. The first step in finding solutions for the institution’s needs is to generate options. The planning committee needs to make a thorough analysis of each of the organization needs (Bartlett, 2004). These needs include; delivering responsive services, providing a safe environment, planning for use of space, promoting cost effectiveness and enhancing organization image. The analysis will enable the committee to identify options that can help the institution to meet these needs.
The next step in developing option is to establish criteria for judging options. City Technical College’s planning committee need to select the best option among the list of options (The Facilities Society, 2012). A systematic framework is required for judging the option so as to make the process consistent. The criteria should consider various factors. One of the factors that should be considered is whether the option supports the institution goals. There is a need to align facility management goals with the overall goals of the institution. The criteria should also focus on the extent to which the options satisfy the facility management needs. The criteria need to award first priority to options which are most effective in solving the needs. Another essential consideration is the financial implication of implementing the option.
The third step in developing solution is to evaluate the options (The Facilities Society, 2012). The planning committee should use the established judging criteria to evaluate the options. This will enable the committee to select the most suitable option. The selected options become the facility management strategies.
- Implementing Solution
Implementation is an essential stage of the facility management strategic plan. Most failures associated with facility management fail at the implementation stage (Bartlett, 2004). This stage entails the actualization of the identified solutions. One of the essential components of the implementation plan is the implementation program. This program provides a list of activities and actions that need to be implemented in order to realize a given solution. The program breaks down the broad facility management strategies into focus activities and action plan (Kohli, 2006). The activities may include purchase of inputs, hiring of services, training of human resource and many others. The program also indicates the time within which each activity need to be implemented.
Another essential component of the implementation plan is the milestone. Milestones are interim goals that provide the implementation team with an indicator to evaluate the progress of the implementation process (Kohli, 2006). The goals should be realistic, measurable and defined by time. The milestone stable may divide the interim goals into short, mid and long term goals. Milestones facilitate timely completion of project because they provide a time scale for each activity (Kohli, 2006). They also facilitate accurate implementation of the project by breaking down the plan into convenient tasks.
A financial plan is also an essential component of the implementation plan. The City Technical College’s project requires massive investment of financial resources (Kohli, 2006). A financial plan is required in order to manage the financial requirements of the project. The financial plan identifies the financial resources required to implement the project (Convention and Community Investment Forum, 2010). It quantifies the entire project in financial terms. The financial plan also identifies the sources of finances. Without an adequate supply if financial resources, the facility management strategy is likely to stall. The financial management plan also provides a mechanism for allocating financial resources. Finances are scarce resources and, therefore, prudent allocation of resources is required. Poor allocation of resources may interfere with the other activities of the institution or effect the implementation of the strategic plan. The financial plan identifies a mechanism that will enable the planning committee to allocate resources in an efficient manner.
Another essential component of the implementation plan is risk management (Bartlett, 2004). One of the issues addressed in the financial plan is the source of finances. Risks are factors that are likely to affect the implementation of a project. Risks are part of any projects and, therefore, project implementation teams need to be prepared to deal with these risks once they occur. Risk management begins with the process of analyzing risks (Bartlett, 2004). The planning committee needs to identify risks that the project is likely to encounter. The planning committee should identify criteria for assessing risks. The criteria should give priority to risks with the highest possibility of occurrence and high impact on the project. The next step in risk management is to identify contingency plan for addressing the risk (Bartlett, 2004). Once the most vital risks are identify, the planning committee needs to establish stand-by plans that will be implemented once the risk has occurred in order to mitigate the impacts of the risks on the project. The implementation phase should also comprise of an assessment plan.
Aligning Strategic Plan with the College’s Business Strategy
Facility management is an essential process in modern organizations. This makes facility management strategy an essential element within an organization (Oracle, 2010). Despite the significance of the facility management strategy to an organization, this strategy will have little meaning if it is not constituent with the business strategy of the college. Business strategy refers to the plan that stipulate the organization’s intentions and initiatives directed towards the realization of the corporate goals of the organization. Corporate goals define organizations (Oracle, 2010). They are the reason for the organization’s existence. Thus, if the facility management strategy is not aligned to the overall goals of the college, then the strategy add little value to the organization.
Developing a clear understanding of the colleges’ business strategy is the opening step in the process of allying facility management strategy with the college’s business strategy (Oracle, 2010). Since the business goals define the existence of the organization, the business strategies should provide a foundation for the establishment of the facility management goals. The facility management goals should seek to reinforce the business goals. The second step in the strategic alignment process to establish a concise understanding of the external and internal influences (Oracle, 2010). This includes an understanding of forces within and outside the institution that are likely to affect the institution.
The third step in strategic alignment is to develop a statement of facility management strategy (Oracle, 2010). The strategy needs to have measurable objectives and concise performance measures. The strategy should be based on the facility management goals and the overall goals of the business. The next step entails communicating the strategy to other stakeholders within the institutions. All members of the organization need to comprehend the strategy in order to facilitate the implementation process. The strategy must be understood by employees of all levels. This is because all have a significant role to play in the implementation of the strategy (Oracle, 2010). Studies reveal that less than 5% of organizations’ workforces have an understanding of the organizations’ strategy. The planning committee needs to make certain that the aspirations of the facility management strategy are well understood. They need to generate a visual image of the strategy.
The fourth step is to develop the workforce skills in order to prepare them for the implementation process (Oracle, 2010). It requires various skills and competences in order to implement facilities management strategy. Lack of these skills among the workers will hinder the strategy’s implementation process. Thus, training of employees becomes an essential process in aligning facility management goals to the business strategy (Oracle, 2010). The training process will ensure that all the employees support the strategy and have the capacity to act on the strategy. The training program should define the role of each employee and address the skill requirements.
The final step in aligning strategy to the college’s business goals is to establish efficient feedback mechanism (Oracle, 2010). The purpose of the feedback mechanism is to provide a report concerning what other stakeholders think about the strategic plan. The feedback mechanism seeks to promote the participation of all members of the institution in the strategy implementation process. It is essential to ensure that all stakeholders make contributions towards the development of the strategic plan because the strategic plan affects each stakeholder in different ways (Oracle, 2010). Participation ensures that the strategic plan covers the interests of all stakeholders within the organization. The feedback mechanism should define the stakeholders. There are different types of stakeholders within an organization. Since each stakeholder plays different roles, the strategic plan may need to involve these stakeholders in the plan implementation process at different levels (Oracle, 2010). Primary stakeholders need to be involved at the empowerment level. This is the highest level of stakeholders’ participation. It entails not only consulting the stakeholders concerning the plan but giving them the power to direct the plan implementation process. Secondary stakeholders may be involved at the consultation level.
Evaluation Plan
Monitoring and evaluation are vital elements in the strategy implementation process. Evaluation is a systematic process of evaluating the success of the strategy implementation (European Commission, 2010). Evaluation defines success in both quantitative and qualitative terms. Quantitative evaluation focuses on assess the degree at which the implementation process was able to achieve the objectives of the entire process (European Commission, 2010). Qualitative strategy focuses on establishing the degree at which the outcome of the implementation process has met the need of the consumers.
Evaluation may also be categorized into formative evaluation and summative evaluation. Formative evaluation is conducted during the course of the project (European Commission, 2010). The goal of formative evaluation is to provide a continuous assessment of the implementation process. It focuses on evaluating whether the milestones are achieved or the project is on course. Formative evaluation assists the implementation team to identify and address discourses in the strategy implementation process. Summative evaluation is executed at the slam of the implementation process (European Commission, 2010). Summative evaluation focuses on verifying whether the strategy implementation plan has met its objectives. The goal of summative evaluation is to enable the organization to learn from the strategy implementation process, thus enhancing future implementation processes.
The evaluation process needs to be planned at the onset of the strategy implementation process. This is because this process is conducted throughout the strategy implementation process (European Commission, 2010). An effective evaluation plan identifies aspects that will form the focus of the evaluation process. The plan should consist of several key components. One of these components is a set of evaluation questions. The implementation team needs to establish a set of evaluation questions (European Commission, 2010).
The evaluation plan should also comprise of the evaluation indicators. Indicators refer to variable that point out the level at which the project has reached its objective. The indicators quantify the evaluation questions, thus providing a quantitative means of evaluating success. Indicators may either be process or performance indicators (European Commission, 2010). Process indicators measure the progress of the implementation process. They focus on evaluating the timeliness of the implementation process in realizing the milestones. Performance indicators measure the outcome of the implementation process. They focus on establishing whether the process was successful in the realization of the projects’ goals.
Evaluation plans should also define the evaluation methods. The purpose of evaluation methods is to facilitate the process of gathering data for evaluation performance (European Commission, 2010). The methods define how the evaluation questions will be administered in order to obtain data. There are several evaluation methods. One of these methods is the use of questionnaires. Questionnaires are list of questions that are administered to target groups for the purpose of collecting data. Questionnaires may either be open or closed. Another evaluation method entails the use of records to obtain data (European Commission, 2010). Records of project activity can provide the project team with crucial information for evaluating the project. Other methods of evaluation include; interviews, focus group discussions, expert opinion and observations. The method should be effective in answering the evaluation question.
Timing is also an essential element in the evaluation plan (European Commission, 2010). The evaluation plan needs to define the time at which the evaluation process will be conducted. The timing of the evaluation will determine the focus of the evaluation process. For instance, evaluation at the initial stages of the implementation process may focus on assessing stakeholders’ views (European Commission, 2010). The timing of the evaluation will also affect the choice of evaluation methods.
Communication Plan
An effective communication plan should be based on objective. Project manager need to pass information for various purposes (Government of South Australia, 2011). The objective of communication should determine the choice of the communication strategy. The communication plan should also identify the target audience. Different audiences have different needs and level of understanding. Thus, project manager need to ensure that communication is customized to fit into the needs of the target audience (Government of South Australia, 2011). Failing to consider the target audience during the formulation of communication strategy increases the chances of miscommunication.
Communication plan should emphasize on key messages. Managers need to craft their communication based on the key messages that they would like to communicate (Government of South Australia, 2011). The plan should identify how the message will be crafted in order to enhance the effectiveness of communication. The communication plan should also identify the most suitable communication approach. There are various forms of communication with each having its advantages and disadvantages (Government of South Australia, 2011). The communication plan should identify the communication approach that best suit the existing communication needs.
Communication plan should also define the communication timeline. This refers to the time within which the message is sent to the target audience (Government of South Australia, 2011). Establishing timelines in messages helps the managers to identify the most suitable approach of communication. It also enables the organization to pass key messages to the recipients within the required time. Cost is also an essential consideration when designing a communication plan. The communication plan should promote efficiency. Finally, the communication plan should also incorporate a tangible measure of success (Government of South Australia, 2011). The success measures should assist the manager to evaluate the success of the communication process in achieving the objectives.
References
African Development Bank (2001). Handbook for Stakeholder Consultation and Participation. December 13, 2012. http://www.Documents/Handbook%20on%20Stakeholder%20Consultaion.pdf
Bartlett J. (2004). Project Risk Analysis and Management Guide. USA. APM Publishing Limited
Convention and Community Investment Forum (2010). Implementation, Management and Financial Planning. December 13, 2012. http://www.mcatoolkit.org/pdf/Barcelona/Phase4_Implementation.pdf
Duke Education (2009). Facility Management Strategic Initiatives Update. December 13, 2002. http://fmd.duke.edu/Facilities_Management_Strategic_Initiatives_Update_Report,_Distributed02.05.09.pdf
European Commission (2010). Elaborating an Evaluation Plan. December 13, 2012. http://ec.europa.eu/eahc/management/Fact_sheet_2010_05.html
Government of South Australia (2011). Guidelines for Preparing a Communication Plan. December 13, 2012. http://www.samdbnrm.sa.gov.au/Portals/9/PDF’s/People/Guidelines%20for%20Preparing%20a%20Communication%20Plan%20(K).pdf
Isakanius P. (2009). The ERP Project Risk Assessment. December 13, 2012. http://www.iaeng.org/publication/WCE2009/WCE2009_pp752-756.pdf
Kohli B. (2006). Project Management. USA. McGraw-Hill Publishers
Oracle (2010). The Challenge of Strategic Alignment. December 13, 2012. http://www.oracle.com/us/solutions/business-intelligence/064027.pdf
The Facilities Society (2012). Strategies for Facilities Management. December 13, 2012. http://www.facilities.ac.uk/j/cpd/62-facility-management/118-strategies-for-facility-management
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