Work Orders – The Essential Role of Communication
Dominic Murnane
I help CEO's, Facility / Property Teams change how they use their CMMS with the potential to save 100k's per year. Multi-award winner for bespoke FM problem solving solutions & CMMS software innovation.
Welcome to this newsletter where we will look at the role of good communication in Work Order Management.
Processing work orders should follow a well-defined process otherwise it can easily become one of the most stressful and time expensive areas of facility management.?(The following is based on an actual event – names have been changed).
This event which is a fairly common, starts at 8:30am on a cold frosty November Monday morning. Staff starting work in a bank find their workplace cold as the boiler failed to fire. The bank is in a different town than the banks HQ. The boiler is the primary source of heat except for a door air curtain.
1. Fault Discovery (08:35am)
James (a junior manager) arrives and opens the bank before other staff to arrive. The bank is cold, and the doors are due to opened to the public in less than an hour. James tries switching on the boiler manually from a wall panel to no avail. He informs the bank manager when she arrives.
2. Fault Reporting (08:50am)
The manager also only tries manually switching on the boiler, does not carry out any further checks (was fuel delivered) and determines the fault should be reported and tells James to report the fault to HQ via the CMMS. The issue is described as “Boiler not working, no heat in bank”.?Communication has started to fail!
3. Fault Logging Part 1. (09:05am)
The facilities department has just seen a fault logged from one of their banks about a boiler not working. Let’s examen the scenario from their viewpoint.
4. Fault Logging Part 2. (09:10am)
Mary in the facilities dept., telephones the bank for more information. After a brief conversation she determines they have done little to try to remedy the fault. She looks up the asset register in the CMMS to find out more about the boiler and fuel supply (kerosene). It is a busy morning, and more faults are rapidly being logged from across the bank network so she needs to get this fixed and move onto the next issue.?
She now tries to get the bank manager to try other remedies but learns she knows nothing about the heating system, the ‘ball’ is passed by the manager to James who says he has a boiler at home and should be able to find the re-set button on the boiler and check the fuel level in the tank. He reports back with no success and the tank appears to be empty.?Communication failure 2.
Lack of communication has put James at risk by all 3 parties including James himself. It was unacceptable for both the bank manager and Mary to allow James to access an item of plant without knowing if he had received suitable training. Also, there was a lack of communication and break in process that allowed the fuel tank to be empty coming into the winter season.
5. Fault Logging Part 3 (09:30am)
Mary is feeling under pressure, what should have been a simple situation has become more complex. She now must decide to whom to assign the task. Should she just get the tank filled, but there might still be a problem or contact the banks boiler servicing contractor which will be expensive. She decides to go with the latter, sends an email via the CMMS and then moves onto the next fault waiting to be seen.?Communication failure 3.
6. Contractor Arrival Part 1 (11:40am)
It was a busy morning for the contracting company so deeming it to be a simple issue they send a 1st?year apprentice (Martin) rather than (as per contract) a certified boiler engineer. Martin arrives, says who he is and is straight away shown through the bank to where the boiler and fuel tank located to the rear of the building. He is wearing a yellow non-branded safety vest and trainers.?Communication failure 4.
7. Contractor Arrival Part 1 (11:50am)
Martin’s first check is the fuel tank where the filler is above eye level, so Martin drags over an object to stand on. As luck would have it, he slips due to his trainers and badly cuts his ankle. He hobbles back inside, and a doctor is called and the manager contacts Mary in HQ. The doctor decides Martin needs to go to hospital. Mary’s day has got worse.?Communication failure 5.
8. Aftermath
The internal investigation revealed numerous serious issues involving both lack of communication, lack of written processes and procedures and lack of training. It was also discovered that there was an unwritten policy within the facilities department of “don’t contact me unless the world is ending” among the chain of command.
The CMMS used by the bank was found to be “unfit for purpose” as it did not allow the user to add additional data on plant, access requirements etc. in certain layouts. It did not have an efficient contractor tracking or staff training functions.
The boiler contractors and Mary no longer work for the bank
Martin’s Achilles tendon was badly damaged in the accident making it difficult to continue his apprenticeship. He decided to sue both his former employer and the bank.?
Imagine…
a thriving facilities department where you experience minimal stress and enjoy peace of mind. Our Facilities Management Coaching Program CompassASSIST is designed to help you achieve just that.
领英推荐
As an expert in the field, you know that stress can be a significant challenge in facilities. The demands of the job, coupled with the pressures of meeting deadlines and ensuring smooth operations, can take a toll on your well-being. If you can relate to this struggle, you're not alone.
You've sought advice from others, read books, and even attended seminars, all in an effort to find ways to manage stress and workload. Yet, despite your best efforts, you still find yourself feeling sometimes overwhelmed.
Well, I'm here to tell you: You CAN reduce stress and achieve your goals in facilities management!
CompassASSIST?is a bespoke coaching / implementation programme that ensures the best possible financial and administrative results from your investment in either your own CMMS software or our own?FacilityManager??CMMS. We will develop the plan parameters and assist in the tasks that your facilities team and all other ‘parties’ should take to achieve this objective.???
It is an essential programme to determine if incidents such as in the above event can happen within an organisations and then to build in the policies and procedures to ensure the prevention of such events.
Through our CompassASSIST program, we have helped numerous facilities management professionals successfully reduce stress and fulfilment in their roles. Our tailored approach, combined with practical techniques and ongoing support, ensures that you can effectively manage stress and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
If you would like more information, request our CompassASSIST prospectus.
FacilityManager??v 6.0 Release
Over the last couple of years, we have progressively modified our own CMMS solution FacilityManager, so it is now at v 6.0.
We are continuing our goal to make it even more user friendly and easy to use. We have added many new features since v 5 and
have also made it more affordable by introducing a per user payment scheme.
Why not try out our fully functional?90 day VIP Trial?and see if FacilityManager is a good match with your organization.
Upcoming Events
????3 Day Facility Management Masterclass
FREE, from 18:00pm to 19:00pm each day over Zoom
?????????????????????????????????????????????????’???????????????????fire-fighting, difficulty working within budget, never enough time????????lack of clarity??????????????facilities department,?????????????????????????????????????????!?
We are running The Free 3 Day Facilities Masterclass: From Over-Worked and Stressed To Control and Confidence.
Next Masterclass – July 2023
I hope you enjoyed this newsletter. If you would like more information on any of the above topics, please contact us to find out more.
CompassAFM,
Killarney Road, Macroom, Co. Cork, Ireland
Ph. 00353 87 6076565?
Web. www.compassafm.com
Dominic Murnane CEO