A facility management or FM software assists in tasks set aside for facility managers.
These include:
- Scheduling repair and maintenance
- Management of parts and supply
- Tracking of personnel and tasks
- Storage of drawings in a single digital format
Multiple FM software exists in the market, and we shall examine their differences.
Understanding the Different Types of FM Software
Building Planning and Design
Building planning and design is the arrangement of various building components to form a homogeneous structure that serves its function. There are types of building planning and design software that help you to automate the process.
Floor plans illustrate how a building is laid out and related to fixtures, furniture, as well as walls. Technology allows us to build 3D rendered models that one virtually walks through to see the final design.AutoCAD and Revit are two handy software types of Autodesk. The older generation may remember AutoCAD from way back in 1982.
AutoCAD was among the initial computer-aided programs used on PCs. Engineers and architects create and modify various geometric shapes to create designs, blueprints for computer chips, buildings, bridges, etc., on both the mobile as well as the web. It has, however, undergone a lot of transformation since its inception.
Revit is a single app that creates geometry but with real-life data, launched in 2000. It is a 3D BIM (building information modeling) tool with structural engineering, construction, and architectural design features. The review allows you to create a smart building model in a virtual space.
Building Construction
With all construction projects, documents accumulate. Multiple projects generate a considerable amount of documentation that needs storage. The relevant people must have access to these documents, such as facility maintenance as well as construction management teams.
Construction project management software helps companies perform communication, budget management, job scheduling, as well as decision-making processes. The software also aims to make construction business processes more straightforward via automation. Examples include:
- Jonas Premier
- Acculynx
- ProContractor
- GanttPRO
- eSUB Subcontractor
- Knowify,
- eSUB Subcontractor
- Buildertrend
Building commissioning software digitalizes, optimizes, as well as tests equipment, and replaces computer and paper spreadsheet methods. It also streamlines workflows by using drawings and removes any inefficiencies in the conventional methods. Examples include BlueRithm and Quicx.
Building Maintenance
Without proper maintenance, even the best-constructed building won’t last. Back in the day, before technology was a thing, this maintenance was all manually done. The process was long and arduous, and luckily, we now have FM software that automates the process.
Building management falls into two categories: soft and hard. Soft services include landscaping, janitorial jobs, as well as other tasks that do not involve being a physical component of the building. Complex services include door locks, fire alarms, windows, doors, etc.
Building management software should manage the building’s maintenance. It is a specialized computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) solution. It automates your maintenance processes and helps the maintenance manager with performing day-to-day tasks.
The solution also centralizes repair scheduling, enterprise asset management, managing costs, maintenance work orders, etc. Examples include Akitabox, Optergy Building Management System (BMS), Upkeep, etc.
Space Planning and Management
Space planning is the proper utilization of physical space in a facility. A space planning and management system include various software that improves physical spaces’ supervision in the facility.
The software deals with floor plans, providing features that assist in capacity, occupancy maintenance, as well as property management. Ideally, a company should use every available space for its intended purposes, such as storage, meeting rooms, or desk space.
Space planning and management software also provide you with real-time and accurate data. You can use this information to determine if you can use the available space more effectively to cut costs.
It means you can re-allocate unused space for other purposes and even make a case for expansion or downsizing, depending on the real-time data. When you have accurate data, you can make better-informed decisions that cut your costs.
If you rent extra unused rooms in your facility, let them go by sub-letting them. The software also enables you to make sense of even the smallest spaces that you would never have anticipated. Examples of space system software include Wisp, iOffice, as well as Spacewell.
Asset Management Software
The asset management system is a system that allows you to track critical details about all your assets in real-time. It drastically reduces your administration expenses, enhances your services, as well as enables you to understand asset use, maintenance, and costs. This software manages both hardware and software assets. Examples include:
- Asset Panda
- ManageEngine AssetExplorer
- InvGate Assets
- Ivanti IT Asset Management
- MMSoft Pulseway
- GoCodes etc.
Drawing Management (echo)
echo is a class apart from other available Space Management and FM software. echo and FM software is different. It is exclusively a drawing management solution whose purpose is to capture, then catalog all your organization’s current and past blueprints, documentation, and technical drawings.
The software audits documents and enters the documents into a version control system and is accessible to your staff through a web-based frontline. echo also makes it easy for anyone in your firm to locate any drawing they need within seconds. The system also guarantees that the drawing version they lookup is the latest and updated version.
echo has several benefits, such as:
- The software identifies outdated or missing documents and is thus either created or found.
- The software finds low-quality or damaged drawings and puts them up for redrawing.
- You can use the software to create up-to-date and accurate Baseline master CAD drawings from many as-built drawings.
echo also has colossal ROIs (returns on investment) for people who only depend on blueprints as they can save a lot of valuable time used to maintain a centralized digital or hardcopy drawing library. Searching for a specific drawing may take you ages, and also ensuring the drawings are updated is another hassle.
Facility Managers in Canada and the world have taken to using echo and its unique features. After using echo’s automation features, it becomes easy to track drawings without the hassle. Nobody wants to go back to the dark ages of manually searching for drawings in dusty storerooms. Make your life infinitely easier by digitalization. See more information on echo from DCM Inc.