Tim Tucker and Dr. Jeffery Campbell, Facilities Management
One of the greatest difficulties a manager has in the current economy is being able to validly show the value that is being created by their efforts. After human resource and related issues the greatest expenses an organization faces is the total cost of ownership of their fixed assets. Many organizations both private and public are coming to the understanding that a plan must be developed for the care of facilities and other capital assets. As one looks for information on how to proceed in the development of these plans one thing becomes clear, there is no single source that can provide information on best practices, benchmarking, and current research in this discipline. To remedy this discrepancy in information an organization must be established to act as a leader in the field and have sufficient credibility to be able to teach the best practices in such a way that those who learn them will be intellectually compelled to implement and execute them.
Brigham Young University has a competitive advantage for the establishment of such an organization. The knowledge, resources, and experience held at BYU combined with the relationship infrastructure that is already established would allow this organization to hold a great deal of credibility with both the private and public sectors. To this end the Facility Capital Investment Laboratory or FaCIL has been established.
The first step that was necessary in this project was to discover what the requirements were to establish an entity such as this on BYU Campus. Then it was required to find a physical location where the FaCIL could be based. The final location that was decided on was SNLB 221. This location was previously a graphics lab that had fallen into disuse. As of the time of this report the area has been purged of old equipment and cabinetry and is being prepared for a remodel. Most of the labor and materials for the remodel are being donated by organizations which have strong ties to the School of Technology.
The FaCIL has been created with close ties to the Facilities Management Major within the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering and Technology. It was established to meet the needs of organizations and individuals seeking to establish facility asset management plans. To insure that the FaCIL was able to meet the needs of its future cliental a detail research study was conducted in an effort to understand the needs of the cliental. The research involved a literature review, interviews, attending lectures, reviewing research from others, and conversation with individuals who are responsible for physical assets. The gathered information was then presented at a round table discussion where many industry leaders were present.
The round table discussion was held in mid-October after the International Facilities Management Association’s World Workplace. The purpose of the discussion was to receive feedback on the processes and ideas that have been developed for the purpose of establishing the FaCIL.
The first part of the discussion focused around the basic constraints that are placed on the facilities management field. Those constraints are that there will be no more long term future cash inflows for facilities, all future cash flows will be required to show the level of value added to the organization, and the recognition of the communication disconnects between Facility Managers and Budgetary Officers.
After presenting the problem those in attendance were invited to share their views on how to best overcome these constraints. After sharing their ideas it was now time for the members of FaCIL to present the system they have developed to overcome the above constraints. The over all reaction from those in attendance was positive. The feedback that was given to the members of FaCIL allowed for future clarification of organizational direction, goals, and research.
The greatest concern was that the process of education that was being implemented is very similar to the methods used by Tradeline Inc.. While the ideas and concepts that are presented are a unique synthesis of both industrial and academic thought, there was a concern that FaCIL was trying to become a nonprofit Tradeline.
The over all results of the round table discussion left the members of FaCIL with additional ideas and a new goal to discover points of differentiation between FaCIL and other educational entities.
The results of the ORCA sponsored research have allowed FaCIL to establish an integral foundation for future success. The next milestone will happen during the last week of February when FaCIL holds its first Facility Capital Investment Workshop. After the workshop, future milestones have been established for additional workshops and an annual symposium. This combined with the continuing research conducted by both FaCIL Staff and Students will create exquisite opportunities for students and organizations to find more economical efficient remedies to their capital investment woes.