Retaining Knowledge & Streamlining Ops

Tracking and maintaining thousands of pieces of equipment while dealing with ongoing retirements is adding stress for short-staffed facilities teams, facing massive losses of institutional knowledge.

Both issues were addressed in Solving the Hidden Asset Challenge: How Facilities Teams Can Retain Knowledge and Streamline Operations, a webinar hosted by Facility Executive Magazine, led by David Trask from ARC Facilities.

A recap of the session offered suggestions about leveraging technology to enhance efficiency and succession planning.

Technology In Action: Real World Examples

The webinar underscored the significance of leveraging technology to provide instant access to vital information about a facility. Utilizing smartphones and software solutions, teams in the field can access necessary information on-the-go, saving time and increasing efficiency.

One key point emphasized throughout the webinar was the critical importance of capturing institutional knowledge, especially as older, experienced team members retire. David Trask emphasized that this knowledge is crucial for effective facility management and should live with the building, not with individual team members who may retire or leave.

The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in modernizing facility management was also discussed in the webinar. David illustrated how AI can provide suggestions, make recommendations, and link to other systems, improving productivity and efficiency.

Here are several insights from the webinar:

• Making the transition from relying on individual team members’ knowledge to using a comprehensive and accessible system can be challenging but is essential.
• Many facilities management teams face the challenge of retaining institutional knowledge, particularly when experienced team members retire.
• Innovative technology can help in streamlining operations and enhancing efficiency.
• There is an urgent need to minimize the impacts of facility team retirements through comprehensive succession planning.
• Facilities teams can leverage technology to drive efficiency in their industry through thought leadership and advocacy. There is a need to shift from having vital information with individual team members to having it with the buildings, making it accessible to all relevant personnel.
• The use of AI and machine learning can greatly assist in the management of facilities, from identifying assets to suggesting maintenance tasks.

Memorable Takeaways

• "Your information should live with the building, not with a person."
• "Your expectation should never be that they should just remember where all that stuff is because that's an impossible ask."
• David noted that as team members retire, their knowledge leaves with them unless it has been captured and documented. “The clock's ticking. It's been ticking,” he warned, emphasizing the urgency of capturing knowledge before it is lost."
• “Think about the people on your team that know where everything is,” said Trask. “But what do we do when they leave?... I'm a firm believer the information should live with the building, not with a person.” He stressed the urgency of this issue, noting that “roughly 30% of facilities teams are in the retirement window of five years.”"
• “Your team is mobile… they should be able to click on an app, open up the floor plan, and see equipment locations,” Trask said. He also highlighted how modern tools are changing the landscape of facility management, with technology allowing for instant updates and access to critical facility information from any location."
• Trask further emphasized the advantage of having instant access to building information and how it can improve productivity. He gave examples of scenarios where having instant access to shut-off valves or equipment details on a phone could have saved time and prevented costly damages.
• The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in modernizing facility management was also discussed in the webinar. David illustrated how AI can provide suggestions, make recommendations, and link to other systems, improving productivity and efficiency."
• “AI will help with that… it's going to be able to make some recommendations or some suggestions,” Trask elaborated. He mentioned how AI could help in scenarios like equipment servicing by providing related information.
• The webinar noted that adopting AI isn't just about optimizing current processes but also preparing the team for future developments. As technology evolves, AI could play an even larger role in managing facilities, offering more advanced features like predictive maintenance. “That's how AI is going to help your team… that's what everybody's starting to do and leverage technology,” Trask concluded."

Leveraging technology and AI to capture institutional knowledge, streamline operations, and ensure instant access to facility information is critical for addressing workforce retirements and enhancing efficiency in facilities management.