Maintaining an organization’s facilities and managing how they are used—from buildings to machines and beyond—can quickly become overwhelming and lead to a backlog of maintenance tasks. Tools like facility management software help companies get a better grasp on the tasks at hand, contributing to more efficient operations.
What is facility management software?
Facility management software is a tool that helps companies and maintenance teams effectively maintain and manage their organization’s buildings, equipment, infrastructure, and other physical assets.
Some variations of this tool also provide digital solutions that utilize building floor plans and data to efficiently execute, track, report, and communicate important facility maintenance activities.
Types of facility management software
Facility management software allows companies to automate and streamline their manual processes. Every organization may have unique needs for facility management software. Fortunately, several solutions with varying areas of focus and functionality are available.
CAD/CAFM
Computer-aided facility management (CAFM) software provides a holistic view of facility operations by integrating CAD drawings into various processes, including space management, layout plans, flexible workspaces, and technical management.
CAFM software is most commonly used in space management, assisting organizations in finding the best uses for their real estate. Businesses that most frequently use this kind of software include schools, HOAs, and other organizations with public facilities.
Common features of CAD/CAFM software include:
- Asset management
- Space planning and organization
- Preventive maintenance management
- Energy performance analysis
- Centralized platform for information and task management
- Regulatory compliance tools
- Cost control
- Space surveying
- Space booking and room reservations
CMMS
Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) provide a comprehensive cloud-based solution for facility management. CMMS software allows organizations to create organized preventive maintenance plans, centralizing access to data, work orders, standard processes, and more. They can also provide a simplified approach to work request management.
This system for facility management includes capabilities for streamlined communication between maintenance teams and work requesters and it is especially useful for companies that have a lot of machinery to maintain.
CMMS solutions have several facility management features:
- Asset maintenance management
- Preventive maintenance management
- Work order management, creation, and templates
- Work request management and automated communications
- Integrations with other business systems
- Mobile applications
- Centralized platform for information and task management
- Automated reporting
- Spare parts inventory management
Facility management systems (FMS)
Facility management system is a term often interchanged with CMMS and CAFM, but it really combines the two. FMS uses space management and maintenance management capabilities to help organizations effectively manage and maintain their facilities.
Features of FMS software include:
- Space management
- Energy performance reports
- Employee management
- Vendor management
- Asset management
- Preventive maintenance management
- Lease management
Office space management software
Office space management software is designed specifically with office spaces in mind. It helps businesses organize, lease, and maintain their office spaces but offers less emphasis on maintenance activities.
Common features of office space management software include:
- Space management
- Scenario planning
- Portfolio reports
- Move management
- Request management
- Room booking
- Reports and analytics
Manufacturing execution system (MES) software
MES software allows organizations to track their entire manufacturing process from start to finish, ensuring efficiency and quality throughout production. It tracks, monitors, documents, and helps optimize processes to improve productivity and profitability.
Features of MES software include:
- Quality control
- Data collection and reports
- Performance analysis
- Scheduling
- Labor management
- Inventory management
- System integrations
- Compliance management
Integrated workplace management systems (IWMS)
IWMS software is another solution that combines multiple facets of facilities management, including space, asset, resource, and maintenance management. This solution helps organizations optimize use of space and analyze and improve processes for more efficient production operations.
Common features of IWMS software include:
- Preventive maintenance management
- Real estate management
- Capital project management
- Resource management
- Asset management
- Building performance analysis
- Energy performance reports
- Space and asset allocation
Benefits of facility management software
Many types of organizations can benefit from facility management software—schools, hospitals, property managers, manufacturing plants, storage warehouses, and several others. Here are some of the most impactful benefits of using facility management tools.
Simplified work order management
Most facility management solutions provide a streamlined process for work order management, including automation capabilities. Many of these tools allow your team to create work order templates that can be replicated when the same or similar requests come in repeatedly.
With cloud-based solutions, this software also provides a centralized hub to access and view the status of work orders, making it easier for managers to keep their facilities on schedule.
Efficient repair and maintenance management
Facility management software makes repair and maintenance management processes much more efficient. They help maintenance teams stay on schedule through mobile app notifications, centralized standard processes, and reports that can help improve preventive maintenance strategies.
Accurate parts forecasting and less supply waste
With frequent analysis and comprehensive reporting, facility management software helps organizations with more accurate parts forecasting. This software has capabilities to provide reports on parts usage, send notifications when parts need replacement or restocking, and has a centralized inventory management hub to ensure teams are all up to speed.
Parts inventory management also contributes to less supply waste, assisting with compliance and environmental sustainability initiatives.
Centralized asset management
Centralized asset management is a huge benefit for teams managing a lot of machines and various equipment. A centralized hub for maintenance tasks, data reports, and preventive maintenance scheduling allows maintenance teams to communicate better and streamline asset management processes.
Improved space utilization
Facility management software is especially helpful with space utilization. It helps organizations identify the best uses for their space, including any gaps that are under or overutilized, and perform better maintenance and management of space. Plus, this software often includes solutions for booking and tracking space reservations.
Optimized asset management and tracking
Beyond a centralized hub for asset management, facility management software also contributes to optimized asset performance and tracking. It helps teams stay on task with their maintenance activities and asset upkeep, which contributes to improved asset longevity and better output.
Enhanced reporting on resources and KPI tracking
Many facility management tools have real-time reporting and facility management KPI tracking capabilities. With better access to reports, managers can make informed decisions that contribute to improved processes within their facilities.
Budget efficiency and cost savings
With all of the streamlined processes and optimized workflows, facility management software contributes to more efficient budgets and cost savings. Better parts management allows organizations to go through less waste. Better reporting and improved asset performance prevent unplanned downtime and increase productivity, ultimately improving the bottom line.
Common facility management software features
When looking for the best facility management software, it’s important to make sure it has all of the features you’ll need to make the most out of your investment and meet your organization’s needs. Here are some of the most common facility management software features:
Work order management
Work order management is an essential feature of facility management systems. Many solutions have automated capabilities and centralized access to service requests so your team can better track work orders and ensure they are done on time.
Work order management features include:
- Work order templates
- Work order status notifications
- Mobile app access to work orders
- Capabilities to store and attach standard processes and historical information to work orders
Asset management
Organizations are more productive when their high-priority assets are functioning at peak performance. Asset management improves equipment performance and contributes to fewer instances of unplanned downtime.
Asset management features generally include:
- Preventive maintenance schedules
- Easy access to historical data
- Centralized hub for data, reports, and SOPs
- Asset performance reports
- Improved asset visibility
- Mobile access to asset data
- Asset lifecycle management
Parts and supply management
Any organization that uses spare parts for equipment or manufacturing products needs parts and supply management capabilities in their facility management solution.
Common features of parts and supply management include:
- Inventory management and reports
- Stock control and reordering
- Centralized access to inventory lists and locations
Proposal management
Many facility management software solutions come with sales features like proposal management. These features allow organizations to create, replicate, monitor, and sign proposals for potential customers. Utilizing software for this helps companies send out standardized proposals that best reflect the customer’s unique needs.
Vendor management
It’s easy to lose track of vendors as your list of contracts grows. Facility management software provides vendor management features that help organizations keep track of the vendors—allowing you to consolidate and improve your vendor list.
Vendor management features also include notifications of vendor payments and record-keeping of contact information.
Preventive maintenance scheduling
Preventive maintenance schedules are crucial for staying on task for high-priority maintenance tasks. With cloud-based software, preventive maintenance scheduling becomes a digital calendar that your maintenance team has constant, easy access to.
Reporting and dashboards
Facility management solutions include advanced reporting features with intuitive and user-friendly dashboards that anyone on your team can use.
Reports may include the following metrics and data:
- Facility maintenance costs
- Vacancies, crowds, and reservations
- Work order completion times
- Energy consumption
- Equipment locations
- Equipment warranties
- Historical asset data
- Mean time between failure (MTBF)
- Mean time to repair (MTTR)
Capital project management
Capital project management helps organizations reduce risks with improved budgeting and financial management during large capital projects.
Common features of capital project management include:
- Resource planning
- Risk management
- Asset integrity planning
- Cost analysis
- Scheduling
- Reporting
Space management
Space management capabilities are useful for organizations that have several spaces to track, including those that rent out, reserve, or have meetings within various spaces in their facilities.
Space management features include:
- Reservation management
- Energy consumption reports
- Scenario planning
- Space optimization
Environmental sustainability
Compliance with environmental regulations is crucial for many businesses. A facility management platform can assist with tracking important environmental metrics and energy consumption rates to ensure compliance and reduce your carbon footprint.
Lease management
Managing multiple facilities, particularly office spaces or properties that you rent out, requires software with good lease management capabilities. Some facility management tools provide features like:
- Lease administration
- Lease signing and status monitoring
- Data analytics
- Space management
- Financial reporting
- Compliance with lease accounting standards
- Document management
Improve facility management with Limble CMMS
Facility management is no simple task, but it can be easier to undertake with the right tools under your belt.
Want to get started with facility management software today? Limble CMMS helps organizations improve their processes, communicate more efficiently, and enhance overall operational efficiency.
Schedule a free demo to learn more about how Limble CMMS can streamline your operations.
