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Introduction
Never get angry. Never make a threat. Reason with people. (Don Corleone, The Godfather)
Most of the day-to-day comments that you get about your facility services are probably negative. This does not mean that your services are bad. It just means that people are more likely to tell you when something is wrong than when it is working well. That is human nature. Even so, facility management departments should always be working to improve their services.
Now more than ever, senior management is scrutinizing the contributions of facility management departments to the organization's overall success. To improve, you must first understand how your group is doing--are you meeting the expectations of management and your customers? Facility managers who do not know the answer to this question will have a difficult time documenting their contributions and improving their services. That is where a facility management audit can help.
A facility management audit follows an orderly, objective process to compare an organization's FM resources--staffing, services, physical facilities, and financial performance--to internal expectations and external benchmarks. The FM audit looks at the product you are developing for customers whether it is a workstation, an office facility, or a laboratory--and then examines the quality of service which you are providing while delivering that product.
The FM audit will give your team an understanding of every part of its operations so that you can develop a holistic view of your facilities and a strategy for continuous improvement. The purpose is not to find fault--the results are more often positive than negative, more constructive than destructive. You will see the big picture and the details about your performance, which will help you recognize areas of success and chart a course of improvement. This will promote an attitude of accountability, teamwork, and pride within your facility group.
The evaluation is typically conducted by an in-house FM team, facility customers, and an independent third party. Much like a tax auditor, an outside consultant provides an objective point of view and is more willing to ask hard questions.
The audit relies on both qualitative and quantitative data. But be careful--numbers can be as misleading as opinions. As American humorist Mark Twain once said, "Make sure you got your facts right before you start...