Facility Management - Essay Example

Facility Management Name Institution Date Facility Management Introduction Facility management is mainly involved in the coordination of the people, infrastructure, space and the organization. The concepts of facility management involve various disciplines such as management and security and the reason as to why it is considered a multidisciplinary field. It entails management of facilities within institutions and business premises. This may include high rising buildings as well as simple building facilities. The coordination of activities is important during the process. The security of the facility is also a top priority during the process of facility management. It is for this reason that the coordination of the facility management and other disciplines is important. The facility manager plays a significant t role in facility management. The work of the facility manager requires a lot of professional training. This is because the facility manager will also be required to work with other personnel like security managers. The security managers also play a central role in facility management because they are mainly involved in the security of the facility in order to ensure the facility manager and other personnel carry out their duties (Craighead, 2009). Modern equipment and technology are also increasingly becoming popular in facility management so as to deal with the modern challenges that face management. The paper discusses the concepts of facility management in relation to the roles of a security manager and a facility manager in a high rise building. Integration, interaction and interdependency of security and facility managers The concepts of security management are closely integrated to that of the security management. This is for the purposes of equipping the facility managers with important information that enables them to perform their duties effectively. The security managers as well as the facility managers always undergo the same training regarding certain issues on a regular basis regarding several issues. Loss prevention is an important concept that is integrated in both security and facility management. The security managers have to ensure that a company does not suffer any losses and hence the training on loss prevention. This is also applicable to the facility managers who are also required to prevent losses as managing the facility is their main priority (Langston, et al, 2002). On the other hand, the high rise building always has a lot of properties and serious losses may result incase of failure by the facility manager and the security manager. Risks and hazards may also occur within a high rise building leading to loss of property and life. It is for this reason that the facility managers have to integrate the aspects of security in their operations. This in turn leads to close working relationship between the facility and security managers. The security manager also has to interrelate some concepts of facility management in their work plans. This is for the purposes of ensuring that their schedules which are closely related are not interfered with by the operations of each if the department. It is thus evident that the concepts of security management is always integrated with the concepts of facility management in terms of training and operations and hence the close working relationship between the managers. The security manager and the facility manager in a high rise building have to interact from time to time during their operations. During the safety training, the facility manager always undertakes the training with the facility manager. On the other hand, the facility manager has to interact with the security manager during emergencies (Wubben, 2004). The emergencies may include incidences of fire outbreak within the building. The facility manager has to work with the security manger in order that the people in the building are evacuated and no one enters the building. The operations within the building can only be undertaken if the building is secured. This is the role of the security manager who has to manage his staff. The facility manager is thus required to liaise with the security manager in order to enforce the policies and procedures that ensure the safety of the people within the premise. The facility manager cannot perform some of the operations without informing the security managers. The security manager has to be informed of major maintenance works taking place within the building. This is for the purposes of enabling the security officers to secure the area and prevent the entry of unauthorized personnel. Training of the personnel within the security department in relation to handling emergencies within the facility is usually organized by the facility manager. This means that the facility manager must interact with the security manager in order to organize for the training. The enforcement of the rules and regulations within the building is usually the role of the security manager. The formulation of the rules and regulations is however the role of the facility manager. However, the facility manager does not have the capacity to enforce the rules and regulations. The facility manager therefore depends on the security manager to enforce any rules and regulation (Payant, 2010). Some of the security devices within the building are usually maintained by the facility manager. This includes alarms and locks which enables the security of the building. The security manner thus depends on the facility manager to ensure the proper functioning of such devices and equipment. The facility manager also depends on the security manager to ensure that the people or employed working within the building is protected and safe. This is a duty that cannot be carried out by the facility manager. On the other hand, the facility manager also depends on the security manger to ensure that properties within the building are safe. The safe working conditions of the security personnel are also an important consideration within the building. The security personnel have to be allocated adequate space within the building so as to enable them to carry out their duties effectively. The security manager therefore depends on the facility manager to make such arrangements. This is because the security manager does not have the authority and capacity to make such arrangements. Criminal activities may also interfere with the facility. This may involve breakages or total destruction of the building by the criminals. The facility manager therefore depends on the security manager to ensure that such activities are prevented through the operations of the security personnel. Use of technology by facility and security managers The use of technology in facility management is increasing becoming popular in most of the high rise building. This is because the use of technology increases the efficiency of the work within the department. Most of the facility managers use technology for the purpose of communication wit the employees and other departments like the security department. The use of Smartphone makes communication easier as information is usually broadcasted wirelessly and can be easily accessed by the employees. This smoothens the flow of information as the manager can easily communicate with anyone in any floor of the high rise building efficiently. On the other hand, wireless technology is used by the facility managers for the purposes of managing the inventory system. This makes it easier for the manager to detect problems within the facility and hence repairs. Hand held mobile computers and palmtops are also useful to the facility managers when accessing d repairs. The time taken to access the drawing is thus reduced despite the complex nature of the drawing of a high rise building. The facility managers also use technology for the purposes of managing the performance and operations of the employees. This is considering that it is always complicated to monitor the employees of the department who are distributed in different sections of the high rise building. The use of the wireless technology therefore plays an important role in increasing the efficiency of the building (Booty, 2010). The use of information technology by the facility managers is also becoming popular. This is achieved through the use of software known as computer aided facility management. The software can be used for the purses of space management by the facility managers. This is for the purposes of establishing the available space within the high rise building and also to establish the people occupying each of the rooms in the facility. Strategic planning by the facility managers is also achieved through the use of the software. This enables the manager to know what other departments are planning and hence aligning the operations of the department with that of the organizations within the high rise building. Move management and churn control is also an important issue for the facility managers. This involves establishing information regarding the people or companies moving in and out of the building in terms of occupying it. This data is managed through the use of the software by the facility manager. On the other hand, the management of the assets within the facility is also important for the facility manager. The records of assets within a high rising building are always extensive. However the use of technology ensures that the facility manager is able to keep track of each asset in the facility. This plays an important role in terms of establishing what assets needs to be replaced or what asset has been lost. The concepts of information technology are thus important to the facility managers and it is useful in their daily operations (Atkins, 2009). The security managers also use technology for various purposes in order to ensure that the high rise building is secure. This involves the use of cameras for the purpose improving the surveillance of the building. The cameras are usually connected to a computer system and thus record the operations taking place in the building. The footage from the cameras is usually used by the security managers to investigate criminal activities within the building (Rattner, 2010). It is also used to monitor the operations of the security staff within the building. The analysis of risk is an important aspect of security management within a high rise building and it is usually achieved through the use of technology that monitors the internal and external aspects of risks. This is usually done by the security manager before suggesting the appropriate action. The security manager also uses technology for the purposes of liaising with the other departments. This is for the purposes of informing the department of security issues within the building. Technology is also used by the security manager for the purposes of decision making with regards to the security of the high rise building. The processing of the security data is usually done by the security manager through the use of technological equipment like computers. This enhances the decision making process and hence the safety of the building. Communication with the security personnel manning the building is also done using technological gadgets and equipment. This plays an important role in responding to emergencies within the building. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the roles of security managers and facility managers have a lot in common. The facility manager cannot operate without the security manager in a high rising building because the facility has to be secure before any operations can take place. On the other hand, it is also evident that the security manager requires the information from the facility manager so as to facilitate the provision of security of the building. The two departments are thus dependant on each other in their operations when dealing with a high rise building. It is also evident that the use of technology is important in the management of a facility. The facility manager has to use technology for the purposes of enhancing the operations within the building. This is also applicable to the security manager who is tasked with the safety of the people in the building. It is thus evident that the use of technology for facility management improves efficiency as well as the security of the building. References Craighead, G. (2009) High-rise Security and Fire Life Safety 3rd Ed. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Langston, C. et al. (2002) Strategic Management of Build Facilities Woburn, MA: Butterworths Heinemann. Wubben, E. (2004), “Assessing the innovative ability of FM teams: a review”, Facilities, Vol. 22 Nos 11/12, pp. 290–5. Payant, R. (2010). The Facility Management Handbook - Organizing the Department. New York: AMACOM. p. Chapter 2.  Atkins, B. (2009). Total Facilities Management. Chichester UK: Wiley Blackwell. p. 119 to 130.  Booty, F. (2010). Facilities Management. Amsterdam: Elsevier. p. 295.  Rattner, D. (2010). Loss Prevention & Risk Management Strategy. Security Management. Northeastern University, Boston. Read More