Optimizing Quality Assurance In Facility Management.

Quality is an element of assurance that we all look for or strive to deliver in our daily lives. In facility management, quality is a vital part of the responsibility that helps us to conform to the highest quality service standards organically and inorganically. It is to create an experience and offer a feeling of delight and comfort for the clients, whether occupants or visitors while providing an ecosystem that makes them feel safe and secure.

Quality assurance is a process that measures a product or service that meets specific standards. As facility management professionals, we strive to provide facilities with well-maintained and high service standards.

This article will discuss the importance of QA in facility management, ways to improve service quality, and the pillars of an effectively and responsibly managed facility.

Building a guide to quality assurance.

Aristotle once said, “Quality is not act. It is a habit.” As FM professionals, it is essential for us that we are accountable for meeting the quality standards for our clients. When it comes to quality assurance in facility management, there are a few best practices that every organization can follow.?First and foremost, embedded?QA as organizational culture. Secondly, constantly monitor and review the quality standards applied within the facility by setting up regular audits of the facility management processes. Lastly, address any deviations from quality standards immediately.

By following these best practices, facility management companies can ensure that the facility management processes are of the highest quality.

Build checks and balances as a part of the process where supervisory control and mandatory recordkeeping ensure adherence to the guidelines as prescribed. The quality assurance program comprises well-laid procedures and techniques for each activity required on the site.

The Blue Book is the starting point of the quality management plan.

?1) Bluebook or the site field manual:

o??Develop a site-specific bluebook or a site field manual for all sites under the portfolio, which details day-to-day operations on the site in addition to the generic processes and procedures prescribed.?This has to be customized, keeping in mind the facility operating hours, construction type, and building amenities.

o??The site field manual covers all relevant procedures, formats for record keeping, documented processes, roles, and responsibilities.

o??Articulate?‘measurable’?standards expected on site and mention the outcome of each procedure or activity to ensure that the stakeholders of the process are aware of the expectations.?These are outcomes focused & linked to the SLAs promised to the end users/ client.

o??The required standards can be based on global standards like National Building Code, ISO 55000/ 45000, LEED, EEI, EPI, EHS, etc.

o??An ideal time frame for an operations manager to ensure that the bluebook or Site Field Manual is ready is within three months of the site’s live.

2) Processes:

o??Each facility requires a differentiated approach to facility management practices. Align processes to specific requirements at a property while designing a quality assurance program.

o??A process-oriented approach offers a chance for the operations team to ensure that written processes are available for all critical activities.

o??The team can use these documents as a ready reckoner to guide the critical functions associated with Standard Operating Procedures, Emergency response, work permits, Method Statements, risk assessment, escalations, Incident management, reporting, and so on.

o??The basis for developing the processes, procedures, and approaches is ensuring that a high level of responsiveness translates into the quickest resolution time in case of any breakdown, asset downtime, or other service requests.?

3) Document Management:

o??A well-formulated document management system ensures that information is easily retrieved during the infrastructure maintenance, refurbishment, or renovation, not disturbing the building systems as a whole and that any interventions in equipment maintenance correctly manifest.

o??Include and preserve all the drawings, documents, commissioning reports, and Operations and Maintenance manuals.

o??Archive statutory records for traceability, such as?building licenses,?equipment history logs, and service and audit reports.

4) Inspections and Audits:

o??Inspections and audits on the type, schedule, and hierarchy; a multi-tiered inspection approach ensures due importance to the equipment, infrastructure, or process depending on the criticality of risk associated.

o??Conduct regular inspections at various levels, such as internal or third-party audits. Prescribe checks for the task level technicians or housekeeping staff, followed by an executive level inspection.

o??Classify the inspection under the following buckets: functional, equipment, process-specific, and specific area (location).

o??Operations Managers can create a comprehensive inspection schedule built into the O&M plan with an on-ground team assigned duties and responsibilities.

o??Provide a checklist to the team or display the checklist at the inspection location as required.

o??Implement a QR code-based inspection regime, wherein a QR code identifies each location/equipment. The team scans the QR code at the location on their mobile devices, in conjunction with the checklist, and records each activity’s completion and observations, if any.

o??Review the inspection report online to ensure the system works at its best.

o??Conduct the audits by internal teams (Corporate/Head Office SMEs) or third parties (external agencies) with the complete support of site teams rendering to the auditing staff.

o??Verify the efficacy and compliance to processes or to gauge equipment’s health, environmental performance, health and safety audits, and asset condition assessments.

o??Track all observations, whether from inspections or audits and assign a priority/criticality rating to each point. The liquidation of all observations/issues must be taken up as per designated priority and tracked to closure.

5) Risk Management:

o??Process checks and balances also go a long way to contain risks related to compliance, legal and financial, regular audits, and inspections.

o??Document and review various processes, strategies, and actions taken as part of the risk management process at regular intervals for business continuity plans, health & safety, financial audits, job safety analysis, risk review and registers, safe work method statements, and emergency response plans.

6) Performance Benchmarking:

o??Benchmarking drives action and is one of the motivators toward quality performance and assurance.

o??While a service level agreement is to manage vendor partners, a performance benchmark acts as a self-assigned target to understand and judge the site’s performance based on the metrics assigned.

o??Evaluate the performances based on previous months or years and the market benchmarks for similar properties and scope of services.

7) Induction and Continuous Training:

o??The new workforce joining the site or redeploying from one location to another must be inducted into the system with the generic and site-specific induction training that covers the site layout, infrastructure, policies, house rules, and fire evacuation plan.

o??Conduct ongoing refresher training to ensure that the workforce is updated and aware of any changes in infrastructure or procedures.

o??Re-iterate crucial points to the staff, which serves as a reminder of all the aspects of the facility.?

8) Business Continuity:

Many factors contribute to business continuity in facility management, and quality assurance is one of the most important. A well-run quality assurance program can positively impact a company’s bottom line by reducing costs and improving efficiency.

o??Maintaining a high level of quality control can be challenging while ensuring that facilities meet the demands of a constantly changing landscape.

o??Additionally, it can be challenging to implement quality assurance measures that do not disrupt the regular operation of facilities.

o??By developing and implementing a robust quality assurance program, companies can ensure that their facilities can run smoothly and efficiently, even in the face of potential disruptions.

In conclusion, quality assurance is one of the essential factors in running a successful facility management operation. In addition, the success of quality assurance does not work in silos. It is a combination of various stakeholders coming together to develop and implement standards of quality that offer clients a safe and secure environment, operational efficiency, end-user engagement and delight, infrastructure reliability, and superior reporting and optimization standards on every single aspect of facility operations.

?To know more about Denali Assets Quality Assurance programs and strategies and ISO 41001 implementation; write to us at?[email protected]?or visit us at?www.denaliassets.co.in?