Digital Facility Data & Risk What Every Manager Should Know

Facility management and risk in the time of digitalization is developing at a frenetic pace. Many trends and innovations play into this development - some of them we can easily understand and assess in their effect on the work of facility managers, others may not be so easy to grasp in terms of their possible risks. That this trend also concerns “Digital Facility Data & Risk” is merely a fact of life. A plan of operation missing here, and outdated information on statutory requirements there. A needed repair to be carried out on yet another occasion. No-one has any particular notice of this at the time. However, if an emergency were to arise when a plan of operation is missing and the building and its installations are not adapted to current statutory requirements, then it is too late to catch up. And as far as repairs are concerned, the consequences are more than likely to become serious if the damage is allowed to develop unchecked for even a few hours, let alone days. Therefore, in our view, the work of today's and tomorrow's facility managers above all else must include an effort to achieve control of their digital facility data and risk. In this article, we will shed light on what “Digital Facility Data & Risk” entails for facility managers and what it means that it is significant to assume responsibility for this area of activity in order to benefit the efficiency of the department, improve management and provide a basis for the best possible possible preparedness for incidents in the facilities.

What is Digital Facility Data & Risk?

Digital Facility Data & Risk The term Digital Facility Data & Risk is more than just a marketing term, it is more than just having an “Digital Building Blueprint” (as seen with BIM). At its core the term means ensuring the building and facilities you occupy or manage are run safely, compliant to regulation and standard, and that the operations of the facilities are both efficient and effective. What then is digital facility data? The simple answer is any documents, drawings, compliance records, or history of maintenance or technical information required to fully describe how a facility was constructed, how it is to be maintained and how it will be renovated or re-purposed in the future. What then is risk in this context? Well, the term really means anything that could occur on the sites that you have control of; be it in the case of an emergency or code violations, and even at its core includes risks of missing or lacking critical information on your sites.

At ARC Facilities we think of digital facility data and risk management as a way to centrally collect, digitally store and make the information available when and where it is required by the teams involved in operations of the facility. This could be anything from fire alarms to as-built plans for modifications, operating procedures for emergency shut-offs or even a record of warranties from the original manufacturers. Making this information easily accessible to our operations teams helps to reduce potential risks associated with operations of the facilities. It helps prepare our facilities for the inevitable inspections that have to be performed at various intervals and aids in the mitigation of operational issues when they arise thereby reducing downtime. It is part of a comprehensive management approach that helps reduce non-conformance with regulations, fines from non-compliance with laws and also un-planned operational shut-downs due to unexpected operational issues or safety concerns.

Why Managing Facility Data Matters

Managing facility risk is about more than just the minute it turns into an actual emergency. It is also about the mundane. Everyday. Without end. What we do with the building data on a daily basis impacts not only emergency preparedness and response, but the day-to-day operations of our facilities. We all know how frustrating it can be to search through mountains of legacy documents and PDFs for blueprints and specs to repair something or source a parts replacement for example. The time we waste searching for these documents and looking for a manual can add up. More importantly though, it can also be entirely avoided. All of it.

Digital facility data and risk management touches every aspect of our work:

• Rapid Emergency Response: Seconds can be the difference between life and death in an emergency. Being able to quickly access a digital version of the building’s floor plan or emergency contact list enables a rapid and effective response to the emergency to protect people and property.

• Regulatory Compliance: Compliance checks can feel like a chore, but it feels even worse when they become a lengthy and invasive process due to the amount of paperwork required. The proof and amount of information required for compliance checks is increasing rapidly, so having digital records that are easily accessible and up-to-date can make the process of compliance much quicker, less stressful and can give you a sense of security in the event of a compliance audit, leaving you feeling ready and prepared.
• Cost Efficiency: Field maintenance repairs are quicker and less expensive. The maintenance team is able to service field operated equipment more quickly by referencing PDF drawings and O&M information online and are less likely to have to make multiple visits due to lack of information. This is especially a problem on older assets where no drawings are available or documentation is lacking. The maintenance personnel spend much less time searching for information as all documents are available with a couple of mouse clicks. Also the management team and operations personnel are no longer being called to approve unnecessary expenditures due to lack of up-to-the-minute documentation.
• Knowledge Retention In today’s fast-paced world, turnover is an unfortunate but inevitable aspect of facility management. Electronic documents helps to prevent the loss of crucial building information when employees depart. Information is preserved, ensuring business continuity and a seamless transition to new staff. Your new team members will hit the ground running with easy access to building blueprints, historical repair records, critical vendors and more.

• Streamlined Renovations: Are renovation and upgrade projects at your institution being delayed because you can’t find the information you need? Perhaps you have to manually track down blueprints, historic photos, or other documents to answer a property manager’s question. Organizing and making this type of information available digitally can help you move through the bid process and get projects finished faster.

By reducing each of these categories of risk, disaster recovery as a service can help to minimize the chance of a minor issue becoming something serious. In fact DRaaS also helps to prevent less severe problems from becoming disasters and even everyday complaints, in addition to a major catastrophe occurring.

Key Challenges in Facility Risk Management

While the benefits of having your digital facility data and risk management systems in place are clear, implementing them can present challenges that may make you feel uncertain about how to proceed. As we’ve supported a number of facilities and real estate teams in their digital journey, we’ve learned a few key pain points that you’ll likely experience. And to help you prepare, here are a few challenges you can anticipate and plan for as well.

• Disparate Legacy Documents: Most of the facilities in the world have disparate legacy documents that are not managed in any coherent way. They range from old paper drawings to binders of documents, thumb drives of varying files and even outdated spreadsheets.

• Facility Data Is Scattered Everywhere and Is Not Centralized: In today’s information age, there is far too much information stored in unstructured sources, such as in email archives, file cabinets and on individual hard drives. No one has the time to sift through all of these different locations in order to respond quickly or make informed decisions. The process of starting to reduce risk has to begin with some type of centralization. In the case of facilities data, the first step involves creating a common source for all information.
• Gaps in Training or Adoption: Even great technology can fall flat if teams don’t understand how to use it, why it’s important, and who to turn to with questions.
• Regulatory Complexity The practice of facility management requires an ever-growing understanding of the numerous codes, regulations and standards that are imposed upon facilities by various authorities, from municipal fire codes to safety requirements.

• Security & Access Issues: There’s a delicate balance to be struck between keeping facilities and operations secure and sensitive (sometimes very sensitive) information safe - while also ensuring that facilities remain easily accessible and convenient for those that need to access them at any time of the day or night. An especially common challenge in large organizations with numerous facilities and a diverse range of end users. Take this Facility Management Challenge now. Click here to take the Facility Management Challenge for the rest of the issues.

Our core mission at Facility Parts and Service is to help facilities mitigate the frustrations and pain points that arise when maintenance operations fall short of building and district standards. With this in mind, it is more than just an application - it is a partnership, where we help facilitate the rollout of new technology and processes, train and help develop operational practices, create procedures and equip the staff with the knowledge and competence to not only manage digital facility operations, but digital facility risk as well.

How Digital Facility Data & Risk Impacts Compliance and Decision-Making

Compliance used to be an activity we could document and then check the box. Now, our facility risk assessments, audits, and inspections all require us to be documenting information, providing real time information, and managing our activities as they relate to remediation. With the data and risk management tools available to us from systems likeFM:Systems and Progressive Property Inspector, we are able to not only prepare for changing government compliance and audit needs, but to also streamline our overall compliance activities while driving business success.

Modern risk and digital documentation solutions:

• Reduce audit panic by making every relevant record easy to find, anytime.

• Notify us when you need updated attestation or ACU status so our compliance is in real-time and always verifiable.
• Please allow us to show that our work on your property was performed in accordance with universally accepted practices of the trade for the work we performed and that we properly handled any hazardous materials.

• Let us know if you notice any gaps or weaknesses in our readiness responses - we would like to address these issues ahead of an audit to avoid any unnecessary penalties.

Using digital facility risk for more than just compliance allows for better business decision-making. Analyzing the digital access logs, incident history and facility trends reveals a wealth of information and trends, including but not limited to: repetitive maintenance, overlooked safety issues and the need for capital expenditures. Example of using digital facility risk for more than compliance

• Make targeted improvements in high-risk areas.

• Plan budgets and staffing with the big picture in mind.
• Bolster our business case for technology, staffing, or capital upgrades.

• Build a culture of safety and shared responsibility across the team.

Tools and Best Practices for Managing Digital Facility Data & Risk

Access your facility data and risk management tools on the go via mobile device and in the cloud. Our team at ARC Facilities agrees that, with modern, user experience (UX) designed solutions for the facilities team, facility data management and risk management has never been simpler or more efficient. We strive to provide the best user experience, for our employees and our partners:

• Centralization and Mobile Access We store drawings, plans, OM manuals and emergency procedures in a single, secure location, and can access it from anywhere, even while walking through a building on a mobile device.

• Seamless Updates: As space modifications occur, the online dataset of the facility’s space information is updated ensuring staff have current information rather than an outdated version that could have inaccuracies and discrepancies.
• Smart Organization: Using tags, metadata and logical folder structures to quickly find and access information wherever you are - be it on-site for an inspection or remotely coordinating a construction project.
• Security You can choose to view our permissions (we have custom permissions set for different user groups and hide certain very sensitive building data) Learn More

• Proactive Training and Support: We know that the only way to embed new habits for managing digital facility risk is by providing hands-on, on-going training and support. Our support team are here to assist you whenever you need it.

Right technology, combined with adhering to best practices will yield tangible gains in terms of: response times, safety, knowledge retention & operational confidence. By streamlining your digital facility data and risk workflows you will free up time to concentrate on more strategic activities like planning & pro-active risk management.

Need a robust system for your facilities management tools? Take a look at our products for Building Plans, Emergency Information and Legacy Documents.

Future Trends and Preparing for Digital Facility Data & Risk Challenges

The future of digital facility data and risk management is changing. What will impact this future? Automation, smart sensors, artificial intelligence (AI) and more integrated systems with other building systems, for starters. And this is just the beginning. Technologies will advance and so will the needs and expectations of building owners and facility professionals - in terms of both technical expertise and the information required to confidently assess, mitigate and manage risk to real estate and the people who use it.

Key trends we see on the horizon include:

• Predictive Analytics: With the power of AI and Big Data, we are able to identify potential risks before they become problems, optimize resource allocation, and expose hidden risks in a large portfolio of buildings and campuses.

• IoT Integration The Internet of Things (IoT) is fast becoming part of everyday life including the operations and maintenance of buildings and their systems. With more smart devices and building systems connected to facilities management software, the opportunity to gain new insights into occupant behavior, identify potential issues before they become problems and to only share the most critical information in real time is opening up.
• Cybersecurity for Facility Data: With more facility data being digital, it is essential to balance the convenience and ease of access with new measures to secure that data from ever-evolving threats.

• Improved Collaboration:** Digital documentation will help to eliminate the silos that exist between teams and enable engineers, safety personnel and administrative personnel to work together as a single team to identify, manage and mitigate risks.

As Technology Advances, Facilities Management Evolves The quick evolution of modern technology and advancements means that today’s faculty, staff and students are connected and empowered. What does this mean for facility managers? The answer is one word: Be Curious and Be Prepared. Building an engaged and digitally savvy culture, where communicating is easy and information is accessible, will prepare FM teams and operations to seamlessly assimilate future advancements in Smart Buildings, Technology and Facilities Management. Continued education, internal cross-training and engagement with vendors are some methods to prepare staff for emerging trends and digital innovations.

You’ve just completed reading Facilities Risk Management Isn’t Easy On your own, managing digital facility risk for the ever-evolving modern facility can be an overwhelming and almost insurmountable task. Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone! At ARC Facilities, we have many tools, events and partnerships in place to assist you in elevating your facilities management program to a level that inspires pride and provides tangible benefits to the organization you work for. Learn more about ARC Facilities here.

Takeaways: Leading the Way with Digital Facility Data & Risk

The future of facility management is about being proactive as opposed to reactive when it comes to risk. Our greatest asset is information. Digital Facility Data & Risk is a mindset as much as it is a goal. Having all of our digital building data in a single, available location allows us to improve our compliance, reduce the time it takes to act during emergencies, and keep our assets, people and operations safe and running.

Here’s what matters most for facility managers seeking to lead with digital risk management:

• Prioritize data centralization and access for both routine workflows and emergencies.

• Be the Champion of Continuing Training so that your whole team is enabled, not overwhelmed, by the technology we use.">
• Integrate compliance and risk insights into day-to-day decisions, not just annual audits.

• Stay Curious & Trendy! The future of Facility Management is unfolding fast. Stay curious & connected to all the trends that are shaping it.

The time to modernize your approach to facility risk has arrived. Our facility management software can help you prepare for the challenges that lie ahead. Unlock seamless, secure and future-proof risk and data management. Book a demo today and talk to one of our experts about your facility management needs.

Stay current on developments, trends and ideas offered by real estate and facilities management professionals by visiting FacilitiesNet.

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