What is facility management?
Facilities management (FM) is a professional discipline dedicated to ensuring the effective and efficient operation of the built environment, including buildings, infrastructure, and the services that support them.
It involves coordinating the use of space, people, and processes to maintain the functionality, safety, comfort, and sustainability of facilities, ultimately supporting the core objectives of an organisation.
Facility managers are responsible for integrating business administration, architecture, engineering, and behavioural sciences to create productive and safe environments, managing everything from maintenance and operations to environmental stewardship and compliance with regulations.
This broad scope covers both hard services, such as building maintenance and systems management, and soft services, like cleaning and security, making FM a critical function in both public and private sectors.
An asset management system is essential for controlling the complex processes within facilities management because it provides a centralised platform to track, maintain, and optimise all physical assets throughout their lifecycle. Recording vital information such as:
- Maintenance history
- Condition assessments
- Warranty details
- Ensuring timely repairs
- Efficient resource allocation
By integrating asset management with FM, organisations can reduce downtime, extend asset lifespan, comply with regulatory requirements, and minimise costs through proactive maintenance and lifecycle planning.
This holistic approach not only streamlines operations and improves productivity but also supports financial planning and risk management, making asset management systems indispensable for modern facilities management.
Difference between building and facilities management
Building management and facilities management are related but not identical concepts. Building management typically refers to the day-to-day operational oversight of a specific property or complex, focusing on tasks such as maintenance, repairs, security, and ensuring compliance with safety regulations.
Managers are responsible for the smooth running of a building, overseeing common area maintenance, managing contractors, handling resident issues, and ensuring that the property remains in good working order. Their role is generally tactical and operational, dealing with the immediate needs of the property and its occupants.
Facilities management, on the other hand, encompasses a broader and more strategic scope. It integrates people, place, and process within the built environment to improve the quality of life for occupants and support the core business objectives of an organisation. Facilities management includes all aspects of building management but also extends to long-term planning, budgeting, compliance, space management, sustainability initiatives, and optimising the overall functionality and productivity of the facility.
In summary, while building management is a subset focused on the operational aspects of a property, facilities management is a comprehensive discipline that addresses both the strategic and operational needs of the built environment.
What is facility Management software?
Facility management software provides a comprehensive view of your entire asset portfolio, encompassing all assets and facilities, accessible anytime and from anywhere via mobility solutions. Tracking maintenance and resources is crucial for facility maintenance management. Hardcat’s facilities and asset management software solutions provide complete visibility of all your assets, enabling you to efficiently organise your resources to support both routine and reactive maintenance of all physical assets.
Mastering Facilities Management: Optimise Assets and Reduce Costs
With Hardcat’s facilities management solution, you can monitor consumables inventory to ensure accountability for parts and track tools and equipment usage, gaining a clearer understanding of the complete cost of facility management. Our software also supports tracking a wide range of assets within the facility, including vehicles, furniture, fixtures, building equipment, and more.
Hardcat’s facility asset management software features customisable dashboards that create an engaging user experience and offer a single source of truth for all assets, from procurement to disposal. These solutions generate rich, actionable intelligence to help you plan, operate, maintain, renew, and retire any type of asset sustainably.
Facility maintenance
Discover the transformative power of facility maintenance with Hardcat. Our modern maintenance management module allows for templated, repetitive maintenance tasks for efficiency and consistency. These qualities are key to success for building management teams worldwide. Hardcat empowers businesses to operate with great efficiency. It combines tasks and centralises operations in a unified process.
Parts and tool usage
In addition to managing maintenance, Hardcat’s facility management software tracks parts inventory to ensure accountability. This feature not only helps in understanding the full cost of facility management but also promotes responsible usage and inventory and tools. The software’s tool management and tracking capabilities extend to various items within the facility, from equipment to vehicles, ensuring comprehensive asset management.
Customisable dashboards
Hardcat’s software has customisable dashboards. They enhance the user experience by providing an engaging, easy-to-use interface. The dashboards offer a single source of truth. They provide a clear and cohesive view of all assets throughout their lifecycle. Our solutions provide actionable intelligence. It aids in planning, operating, maintaining, renewing, and retiring assets. This makes informed decision-making easier.
Mobility solutions
Inspections and audits become effortless with our mobile applications, which are compatible with specialised hardware and mobile devices. The Hardcat mobile application assists workers in asset data capture, audits, issue and return of assets, managing work orders, and recording images. Our application can work in both connected and disconnected states. It provides offline capabilities when wireless (mobile or Wi-Fi) connections are unavailable.
Get started with Hardcat solutions
Discover the cutting-edge capabilities of Hardcat’s software solutions, delivering actionable insights for asset management. An essential tool for contemporary facilities management, our advanced CMMS surpasses traditional tools, becoming a crucial asset for facilities and building management teams worldwide. By consolidating key tasks and streamlining operations, Hardcat empowers businesses to achieve exceptional efficiency and productivity.
