Preventive Maintenance, Proactive Facility Management

By David Lewek

Identifying maintenance needs, prioritizing deferred maintenance, and strategizing for long-term building and equipment requirements is at the core of facility management. The goal of a facility manager is to proactively manage the growing list of maintenance needs associated with the facilities he or she oversees.

Planning for facility success includes looking at the past needs, present backlog, and future expectations. This is accomplished through determining the current status of the facilities, planning for any needed repairs and maintenance, and implementing a long-term plan that keeps maintenance schedules on track and funded for years into the future.

Over time, as new technologies are integrated and the needs of the users change, facilities age, and the condition of the buildings and assets may be compromised beyond normal wear and tear. The best way to understand what has been happening with a building portfolio and to predict future needs of those buildings and assets is through a facility assessment.

A facility assessment can be as informal as a walkthrough, or as comprehensive as a thorough inventory and conditions analysis that examines each building, major building components and specific pieces of equipment. Once the status of the facility is known, there is a clearer understanding of the impending maintenance and repair needs, and an opportunity to plan and schedule out capital renewal projects, preventive maintenance and repair needs, and create a schedule to attack any backlog of deferred maintenance issues.

Facility Assessments

There are two ways to assess a facility’s needs to proactively prepare for and manage future issues. The first is by relying on the knowledge and prior experience of the facility manager. The facility manager knows the building, walks the halls, and has equipment records to know when the assets were first installed, their expected life, frequency of maintenance, when and why they last failed, and what repairs or maintenance needs may have been deferred. Facility managers know the buildings better than anyone else, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of their portfolio, and may have a good idea on what’s in the immediate future for asset performance.

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