Lean Facility Management

What is Lean Facility Management?

Lean facility management (Lean FM) is the application of the lean methodology to operating and maintaining buildings and facilities. The lean methodology is an established set of principles that has driven manufacturing for decades. 

Organizations apply lean principles to processes in order to improve the overall value of operations. The lean facilities management approach draws from the lean manufacturing philosophy which focuses on eliminating waste and streamlining operations without sacrificing productivity.

Principles of Lean Facility Management

While various organizations may use different terminology to describe them when applied to facilities management, these core concepts drive lean practices. 

Optimize Value

Facility managers seek to define and map the value stream by identifying areas where they can maximize the value of activities and laying out processes to add value. Value optimization includes understanding facility user needs and formulating ways to improve processes to more efficiently meet those needs. Processes should deliver exactly what’s needed when it’s needed in the right quantities.

 Feedback from occupants and staff help refine practices, while performance indicators and maintenance metrics enable facility managers to make data-driven improvements to enhance their strategies. 

Minimize Waste

In lean management, reducing waste involves eliminating unnecessary steps and activities to maximize the use of time, as well as reducing the amount of material waste and scrap generated during operations and maintenance practices. By focusing on what’s necessary and eliminating what’s unnecessary, facility managers can reduce waste, improve operational efficiency, and reduce costs. 

Regular audits help drive continuous improvement in waste reduction, identifying areas of inefficiency and ensuring resources are effectively directed for the right tasks. 

Continuous Improvement

Lean facilities management seeks to foster a culture in which every team member actively looks for ways to improve processes by regularly evaluating operations and identifying inefficiencies as they come across them. 

Small incremental changes can lead to significant quality improvements over time. Encouraging collaboration, innovation, and feedback empowers staff to contribute to an environment where continuous improvement is integral to daily operation. 

Flow Optimization

Lean management involves designing efficient workflows to help reduce bottlenecks and pain points. By locating exact points at which operations slow down, managers can direct additional resources to improve overall efficiency. 

For example, a facility manager finds that many preventive maintenance tasks are taking twice as long as expected. By adding another member to the maintenance team, preventive maintenance times reduce significantly, enabling production to resume more quickly.

Employee Empowerment

Whereas lean manufacturing discourages predictive and proactive activities with the pull-based systems principle, this philosophy doesn’t fit well in facilities management practices. Companies frequently rely on predictive analytics and preventive measures to maintain systems, structures, and assets. 

Lean facility management replaces the pull-based system core principle with empowering employees. By getting staff engaged in the lean mindset, you can encourage workers to identify improvement opportunities and solve problems by utilizing their knowledge of facility operations.

Applying Lean Facility Management

When putting lean facility management into practice, there are a number of elements to consider. When employed together, these practices can significantly improve the efficiency of facility maintenance tasks and operations without sacrificing effectiveness.

Map Processes

Create detailed documentation that outlines all facility and asset management processes. Locate unnecessary tasks and identify steps that can be consolidated. Eliminate non-essential redundancies and look for other areas for improvement.

Standardize Work

Develop standard operating procedures for all facility operations and maintenance tasks. Define common terms to ensure all team members are on the same page. By standardizing terminology and task execution, facilities managers can ensure consistent job completion and efficiency in routine tasks.

Visual Management

Employ visual cues, such as signs and floor markings to convey information to occupants and staff. Utilizing visual management techniques streamlines communication and improves workflow. 

Conduct Preventive Maintenance

Implement a proactive approach to maintenance. Predictive analytics are a tremendous tool for anticipating future assets and building upkeep needs, and scheduling preventive maintenance tasks can help you tackle potential operational and equipment issues before they escalate into larger problems.

Optimize Resources

Make a detailed outline of all facility resources and their function, including staff, equipment and materials. Compare available resources against your facility’s needs and reduce unnecessary inventory. Look for areas where resources are being overused or underutilized. Adjust procurement and redirect resources and balance their use to better align with facility requirements.

Benefits of Lean Facility Management

More companies are catching on to the benefits of integrating key principles into their operations, especially when it comes to day-to-day facility management practices. Adopting lean FM principles can provide your organization with numerous advantages.

• Cost Reduction: Eliminating waste and consolidating activities can lead to significant savings in operating costs.
• Productivity: Streamlining processes typically results in a decreased production times and quicker turnarounds.
• Service Quality: By focusing on value optimization, lean facility management typically leads to a higher quality of service and greater consumer satisfaction.
• Sustainability: Lean FM’s emphasis on waste reduction promotes sustainability through green practices that encourage less resource consumption and reducing waste generation. 
• Engagement: Employees become more involved in lean activities by encouraging their input, which often leads to higher job satisfaction and improved talent retention.

Challenges of Implementing Lean Facility Management

Implementing lean FM can provide its share of obstacles. Remain vigilant of these potential challenges when adopting lean practices in your organization.

• Cultural Change: Staff may initially resist attempts to shift the organization toward lean practices. Encourage buy-in at all levels of the organization through open communication and incentives.
• Training and Education: While the concepts may be simple, there is a learning curve that may require training to help staff understand and effectively implement lean principles.
• Initial Investment: Training and process reengineering often require significant upfront costs when rolling out a lean strategy.

Strategies for Effective Lean Facility Management

By using these strategies, you can effectively integrate lean FM into your organization’s culture.

Engage Leadership

Present the benefits that lean implementation can provide your organization to senior leaders. Securing support from them will fuel the engine that drives all future lean integration efforts.

Focus on Small Wins

Begin with small, manageable projects that deliver visible results. As you achieve each goal, your efforts will build momentum and long-term benefits will begin showing themselves.

Empower Teams

Cross-train teams to expand their skill sets within your organization. Cross-functionality ensures your organization has additional support in urgent staffing situations. Focus new training efforts on areas of waste and inefficiency, enabling staff to point out opportunities for improvement and address them. 

Leverage Technology

Take advantage of advanced technologies to streamline operations. Internet of Things (IoT) networks, equipment sensors, and data analytics can all work together to make informed decisions on everything from budgetary allocation to maintenance scheduling. A powerful computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) can help organize assets and tasks, enabling teams to take an informed approach to maintenance and functional activities.

Monitor and Adjust

Diligently track lean processes and regularly review their outcomes. Identify each initiative and define the base measurements for acceptable results. Be prepared to adjust strategies if metrics aren’t going in the direction you expected.

Lean Facility Management in Conclusion

The lean facility management approach prioritizes efficient functionality, value, and continuous improvement. Lean concepts enable facilities managers and company leadership to create a more sustainable, cost-effective environment that performs at a high level in all departments. Incorporating lean LM addresses the needs of users and consumers while adapting to their changing demands, improving the bottom line and contributing to a culture of excellence and innovation.