The main question we have been pondering since our October blog has been – how can my sustainability and facility management teams become analytic-driven? While we’ve focused on technology as a key ingredient in this process, this time we consider two more, equally important – resources and culture.
Resources
Let’s first consider time, our most valuable resource. Is enough time dedicated to the understanding of existing challenges in facility operations and maintenance? Are implementation time frames realistic? Is there time allowance for additional steps like the standardization of naming convention in the building automation system? Does the training period allow enough time for everyone to understand the value of analytics and its practical use? Are there clear expectations in terms of priorities between the facilities and implementation teams?
Next, consider the people in your organization. Clearly, the prospect of becoming analytic-driven hinges on how engaged the team is at adopting new processes. How involved is your key leadership in this journey? Remember that a building analytics platform is not meant to replace site engineers, operations personnel and building experts along with the wealth of knowledge and understanding they have on their facilities. It is rather a tool to empower them to be more effective at executing their most complex tasks, while gaining a better perspective on energy management and building comfort, leading to more proactive decision making.
In terms of financial resources, evaluate how maintenance budgets are used. Comprehensive building analytic platforms deliver system performance metrics that lead to proactive identification of low-performing systems, putting aside traditional maintenance programs that are costly and time-consuming, and thus redirecting spending to targeted maintenance aimed at fixing faulty systems. This is just one example of many on this subject.
Culture
Culture, another important ingredient when considering becoming analytic-driven, speaks of organizational attitudes and behavior. In a Forbes.com post on Big Data Adoption, the author acknowledges that the greatest challenge “is not technology, is the process of cultural change”. In facility management, this likely represents a paradigm shift. Is the required change management aligned at all levels in the organization? Is the facilities team empowered to follow proactive methodologies, engaging daily with its building analytics platform? Is a champion or team of champions appointed to oversee its implementation?
For those considering building analytics, focusing on technology, resources and culture should help pave the road towards a successful analytic-driven organization.