Managing Facility Information: From Cradle To Grave
Crucial information is often lost during facility
life cycle transitions.
By Tom Condon, RPA, FMA
Facilities, like people, go through various stages
of life. There are the growing pains of construction,
the hectic days in the prime of life, and finally
the end of the facility along with its inevitable
decommissioning. Each one of these phases has its
own kind of associated information. Yet, while facility
managers spend a good deal of time thinking about
the best way to guide their facilities through these
phases, many are not even aware that it is necessary
to manage the facility’s information from one
phase to the next.
Information has a life cycle just like the facility
itself. This information can provide substantial benefits
or cost a lot of money, depending on how it is managed.
Consider the phases of the facility’s lifespan,
and think about how the different kinds of facility
information relate.
- Design: The majority of facility information
is created here. Drawings, specifications, and equipment
information are all created or gathered in this stage.
- Construction: The transition of information
from design through construction phases is the most
reliable, since it’s essential to have access
to the design information in order to build the facility.
- Management: The transition from construction
to management is probably the most neglected—and
the most crucial for efficient management.
- Decommissioning: Information from the facility’s
management stage during decommissioning or deconstruction
can be extremely important. For example, demolition
of a facility that once contained toxic chemicals
must be carefully managed. If this information is
readily available, it can reduce the pre-demolition
research and testing that’s required.
The penalties associated with poor information management
can take many forms. A simple example might be the
inability to find facility blueprints, thus forcing
someone to spend extra time investigating problems
that could have been easily detected, had the blueprints
been available.
There’s also the cost of manual data re-entry
at various points in the facility’s life cycle.
For instance, once I implemented a computerized maintenance
management system (CMMS) for a large facility that
had hundreds of pieces of equipment, and I had to
hire people to look through blueprints, interview
staff, and physically inspect the facility just to
get a complete listing of all the systems and components.
This was only necessary because the original computer
aided design (CAD) files were not available. Those
CAD files contained equipment tables that could have
been easily copied out and imported into the CMMS,
yet we spent hundreds of hours re-creating information
that had been gathered during the design phase. Time
and money were lost due to poor information management
during the transition from construction to management.
Waste of this type really adds up. Unfortunately,
the cost of lost information typically comes right
from the facility management budget. Aside from the
out-of-pocket costs, lack of good information can
simply be the difference between the success or failure
of facility operations.
So, if the evidence in favor of proper information
management is so overwhelming, why isn’t it
happening? One reason is lack of understanding. Remember,
facility management as a formal profession is relatively
young, and many of the associated concepts are still
new as well. Also, there are numerous players who
assume different roles in different phases of the
project. The construction manager focuses on the construction
phase and the facility manager on the operations phase.
All too often, the facility manager doesn’t
get involved until it is too late to ensure effective
information transitioning from one phase to the next.
Another problem is the lack of standards for information.
Construction data takes many forms: CAD drawings in
several different vendors’ proprietary formats;
digital spreadsheet and word processing files; and
then there are bits and pieces of paper. These habits
are starting to change as the IT industry gradually
adopts universal information sharing standards like
XML, but the pace is slow.
Finally, the sheer number and different types of
assets (along with their distinct characteristics)
make any kind of standardized data model extremely
difficult to create. For example, the characteristics
that might be tracked on an HVAC system are very different
from those of an escalator; each one requires a different
data model.
So what should facility managers do? First of all,
get involved in the process as early as possible.
Some may be lucky enough to become involved during
the construction phase; if that’s feasible,
get to know the people in charge. The architect will
still be involved at this phase, and the construction
manager will be very knowledgeable. Pick their brains
to get crucial information. Attend the construction
meetings whenever possible. It’s amazing how
many construction issues will find their way into
the daily management of a facility after construction
is complete.
Next, gather information. Don’t wait until
construction is finished and that giant package of
documents is delivered. This “popular”
method results in a mountain of information so overwhelming,
that it typically just gets thrown into a drawer.
Technically, the construction manager does not need
to turn over any of this information until the job
is finished, but many construction managers are willing
to share information during this phase as long as
it is returned promptly.
Try to obtain the following essential elements:
- CAD drawings: Get all versions if possible;
the first set and the final set are always different.
- Equipment lists: These may be available in
digital format from the architect or engineer.
- Manuals: They can sometimes be difficult
to find after construction is over, so get them now.
- Specifications: Gather whatever engineering
specifications are available. These can be valuable
later, when it becomes necessary to replace components.
Use these to write RFPs and get a reliable comparison
of prices.
- Commissioning documentation: There are a
lot of tests that occur at the end of the construction
phase, and the documentation can be valuable when
diagnosing problems later on.
Request digital versions of everything, but, if
paper is the only thing available, have it scanned
whenever possible. And if the proper CAD software
is not available, there are low cost (or even free)
viewer programs available, such as Autodesk’s
DWF Viewer.
Those serious about managing information efficiently
should consider a full life cycle management software
system. This is a new class of system that provides
cradle-to-grave management capability. This continuity
is lacking when standalone systems are used in different
phases of the facility’s life.
These systems allow users to collaborate on drawings,
track construction issues, and memorialize facility
information in a system that can then be used to manage
the facility. Some systems can even import CAD drawings,
read them, and then create location lists inside a
built-in CMMS that is then used to manage the facility.
Two good examples of this type of system are Meridian
Systems and Tririga.
No matter how it’s done, handling information
is just as important as any other aspect of facility
management. In fact, since so much hinges on this
information, it actually needs special attention—regardless
of whether the facility has just celebrated its grand
opening, or it has one foot in the scrap yard.
This Month’s Useful Links:
Condon, a Facility Technologist and former facility
manager, is one of the contributing authors for BOMI
Institute's revised Technologies In Facilities Management
textbook. He works for System Development Integration,
a Chicago, IL-based firm committed to improving the
performance, quality, and reliability of client business
through the use of technology.
Send your questions about this column
to tcondon@sdichicago.com.
Past columns of The Facility Technologist are available
online at www.TodaysFacilityManager.com.
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