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Floods, fires, active shooters, and other catastrophic events. Constant pressure to deliver better, faster service. Timely, cost-effective maintenance and repairs. The risk of losing your most knowledgeable employees — these are the problems facility managers, owners, and operators face each day. The solution is having a great team and quick reliable access to critical facilities information. And yet, too often information is damaged or can’t be found—or it’s just too difficult to find and understand when it’s urgently needed. This makes facility teams rely on their most experienced staff. Yet, their decades of experience can leave or retire with that person, putting facilities leaders at risk.
To better understand the knowledge of seasoned employees, capture and document their knowledge before their retirement or job change. With older facilities, senior staff should update documents and notes consistently. Set up a method and a process for this sharing to take place. Everyone working on a project should be on the same virtual page, even if they don’t all use the same tools.
Most facilities teams use CMMS software to track work orders and assets, thinking it serves as the central information and document database. This is incorrect—CMMS doesn’t handle critical document management requirements. For instance, CMMS systems cannot update as-builts with the TI layers that show the current building condition or its emergency and safety information. They also have difficulty with handling updates for O&Ms, warranties, photos, and videos. CMMS systems are legacy products that lack document search and touch-based mobile access. CMMS are not a long-term solution. What is really needed is a strong document management solution that is compatible with CMMS, while providing mobile and offline access to critical facilities information.
Start by aggregating your facilities documents into a living library including all the changes to structures and details of the building systems. Create a central repository for up-to-date facilities documents that are available from any device, anywhere, anytime— and which pays for itself in the first year. Remember, once it’s recorded, it can help everyone.
For more information about cost-effective facilities information management, visit www.e-arc.com.
