Connecting People, Place and Process

Working in the facilities department at the MathWorks for over 15 years, we sat down with Bob Donahue, Facilities Planning Manager, at this year’s FM:Systems User Conference to get a better idea of how the company is leveraging FM:Systems BIM Integration Component to realize not only a Return on Investment, but a Return on Information, true ROI.

Q1. Tell me about your facilities?

Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, the company has more than 2,500 employees in 15 countries throughout the world.  Currently the facilities group manages approximately 25-30 sites worldwide, totaling 30+ buildings — and about 40 floors of space, which, sometimes the number of floors is more important than the number of buildings and sites.

We’re doing the opposite of what many companies are doing with the alternative workplace. We’re expanding our campus and want everyone to come to work everyday. The international offices are setup this way as well. We want everyone in the office for collaboration. Plus, everyone has their own hard wall spaces, with 50% of offices along the windows, and natural light flowing to the other spaces; it’s not “cube land.” Free cookies every Friday, too :).

Q2. What was the initial need for a CAFM/IWMS solution?

When we constructed our first building we realized it wasn’t just floors or office spaces anymore, we had to manage our own building processes. It became more serious for us. It was at that time we began handling some international offices, which is where the struggle began in dealing with conversions between square feet and square meters. At this point, we needed to think seriously about how we could effectively manage this on our own.

We went to Gartner to begin our initial research for a facility management company. In a pool of four to five companies, FM:Systems stood out to us after the first run of demos. All of our drawings were in AutoCAD and FM:Systems was equipped for that. And we could tell it was a scalable solution that would grow with us, and it did. That was over ten years ago, and today we are still using FM:Interact and FM:Space.

Q3. How are you using FM:Systems today? What benefits have you realized?

When we began using FM:Systems to manage the workplace, we got the whole company on board. We went from color-coded, handwritten maps to a sleek software system that is user-friendly enough for our staff to use. Our facilities have always had more employees than space, and with FM:Systems we make sure employees are put in the right seat at the right time.

In terms of maturity level, as far as Space Management and Move Management, we’re singing along, and probably getting an A or A+ in terms of usability of those modules. Since real estate has become bigger for us, we’re using the Real Estate Portfolio Management module as well, but this year we’re really focusing on the Facility Maintenance module and BIM Integration Component. Our campus expansion is all being done in Revit, we’ve invested ourselves in Revit and we’ve worked with the contractor and sub-contractors so that we have a delivered model to work into FM:Systems BIM integration. We’re already investing in some Wentworth Institute co-op students to help bring our old buildings from 2-D to 3D, since we will be renovating our existing spaces, in addition to the campus expansion. Our goal is to have the entire Natick headquarters working within a BIM model.

Sustainability is really important, so that’s probably the next focus on our list. The huge impact for us is having 250,000 new square feet of very high-end space. We’re implementing some high-impact, energy-efficient elements to the new space; meeting all the new codes. We’ve approached everything that we’re doing with the mindset that we’re “owners” now – a Return on Information, not just Investment.

Discussion over at LinkedIn group, BIM Experts today. The question was posed,

Are there any CAD experts that have established connectivity between either AutoCAD and Revit and online databases (assuming that is possible)?

FM:Systems’ Revit integration lets you sync type and instance properties for Revit families with a cloud-based application and database. Product catalogs can populate family properties across multiple Revit projects.

The web-based access allows anyone on the project team or the owner to participate in managing the information. For more information, take a look at: www.fmbim.com.

I recently had a conversation with Susan Smith, Managing Editor, AECCafe, on the enhancements to our BIM Integration Component with the latest release of FM:Interact.

This article originally ran May 14, 2012 in AEC Weekly.

FM:Systems, a provider of integrated workplace management systems (IWMS) and CAFM software, announced enhancements in its BIM Integration Component with the latest release of FM:Interact.  The product is designed to help facility managers capture information from Autodesk Revit for better maintenance and operations. FM:Systems is an Autodesk Design and Construction Industry Partner.

These enhancements allow AEC firms to be able to do a better job of sharing BIM data with their owner/clients by allows them to integrate data from multiple BIM models. Since so many different firms work together on any construction job, each firm may bring its own model to the project, causing confusion when the different firms need to access each other’s models. FM:Interact links all the information from the different models into one building record that ensures critical building data isn’t lost.

“FM:Interact lets the entire project team and the owner accessed detailed information about building assets with an easy-to-use Web site.”

Marty Chobot, vice president, BIM Initiatives, FM:Systems said, “We are trying to solve the problem of how information gets handed over to the building owner. Towards the end of the project, the AEC people gather information and get it to the owner, and the owner takes occupancy and maybe gets handover information if they’re lucky three months after occupancy. It takes them a year or more to go through that information they need to maintain and operate the building properly. What we’re doing is helping AEC firms and the owners collaborate around that info even before the owner takes occupancy of the building. The big benefit to the building owner and facility manager is they can start planning maintenance before they get the keys to the building.”

One of the big challenges Chobot noted, is preventive maintenance — making sure you keep up with all the manufacturers’ required maintenance to make sure you don’t void the warranty, and also to maximize the use of the life of the equipment.

“We have computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) and one of the big challenges is getting all the asset data in there,” said Chobot. “People tell me it takes years to fully populate a maintenance management system. They backfill the rest whenever they can.”

That can be avoided by leveraging information that is probably already in the model, Chobot said. It is not just a software problem, but more of a workflow issue. The owner has to inform the AEC team to let them know what his information requirements are.

Ideally this is done as soon as possible in the project lifecycle pre-contract. There is a movement in the industry to define BIM deliverable guidelines.

According to the press release, for space managers, FM:Interact’s BIM integration now supports both Autodesk Revit room and area elements.  Support for Revit rooms lets facility managers track building information such as flooring types and architectural finishes while Revit areas help space managers keep accurate, detailed records of space and occupancy.

For maintenance professionals, the new mapping templates in FM:Interact help streamline asset integration.  Templates define the BIM deliverable requirements for the various design and construction industry firms involved in a project, ensuring the operations team gets a model built specific to their needs. In addition, mapping templates can be used across multiple projects and buildings, providing facility professionals with consistent, reliable BIM data.

The two big users of this product will be the Revit user and the maintenance manager or space planner.  There is an add-in sold for inside Revit that allows Revit users to manage space and assets and links the BIM data parameters to the data in the FM:Systems system. There is all the information available for the skilled Revit user to run the building or to populate the model. On the  owner side or on project team, everybody has access to the website which is very easy to use.

“We’re exposing the model out to the cloud, because it is a cloud-based system,” explained Chobot. “All that data is available to anyone who has permission to access it. BIM technicians can just get the model and pull any edits or updates back down from Revit into the model so it opens a lot of opportunities for AEC firms and their clients to work together in different ways because the owner can participate in the management of data as early in the project as the AEC team thinks it makes sense.”

There is an economic cost associated with the loss of data as the project evolves so in design information generated some is lost when handed over to estimating. Estimating generates information which gets lost when it’s handed over to construction. “We’re trying to avoid peaks and valleys of information and avoid data loss, which ultimately leads to re-entry of data, so the sooner they get the data into the BIM model the better off they are.”

A clear definition of data requirements helps organizations be successful.  This is an opportunity for AEC firms to offer a new service offering to help their clients find their BIM deliverable guidelines as soon as possible in process. “The sooner you start modeling for FM and linking BIM and FM, the more value you’re going to get out of it,” concludes Chobot.

We sat down with Joel Ratekin, Ratekin Consulting, a featured speaker at this year’s FM:Systems User Conference to speak more about his presentation; why companies pursue new workplace strategies in a down economy.

Q1. Expand on your presentation – how is the workplace changing?

Emerging global trends are changing the nature of work. Success now is based on improving business results, reducing overhead, and increasing employee engagement. A key piece to achieving all these results is recruiting and retaining a high performing workforce. And flexibility is at the top of their list!

Our new global economy also brings with it around-the-clock demands. Business operates in real time. Instant connection anytime, anywhere is necessary and expected, as information has become a commodity. Fortunately, technology has changed the entire landscape of our work world, enabling people to connect with systems that have no borders. An office is anywhere there is wireless service.

Q2. What are the trends in workplace strategies of late?

These changes in the business world are further impacted by the world itself. Environmentalism is no longer just a cause - it’s a business tactic. Fuel costs, land shortages and energy issues are forcing today’s corporations to make sustainability an operational standard.

The new distributive workspace takes all of these emerging issues into account. Staffing needs are met through both virtual co-location and a spatially intelligent work environment. Cubicles are replaced by defined areas that allow for both interchange and privacy. As the walls come down, so, too do the restrictive silos of information. Collaboration has become the new norm.

Q3. How important is technology to the new workplace strategies developing?

The knowledge worker is being recognized as one of the most important assets in this new workspace. Forward thinking managers are realizing that the best workers don’t need physical supervision, and that success is determined not by the clock you punch, but by the achievements you make. Because technology enables individual work to be completed from anywhere, the office is becoming a hub to accommodate
this increasing collaboration.

Mark has more than 14 years of construction and engineering design experience. He has participated in the management and design of more than 50 MEPF BIM models. An Autodesk Revit Certified Professional, Autodesk Revit Certified Associate, and a NICET Certified Fire Protection Designer, Mark oversees BIM operations at TME, Inc. We sat down with Mark at this year’s FM:Systems User Conference to get a better idea of how TME is leveraging FM:Systems Revit integration to drive new business opportunities.

Q1. Tell me about your facilities?

TME, Inc. is a full service mechanical, electrical, structural, and energy engineering firm headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas with offices in Fayetteville, Arkansas; Tucson, Arizona; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and St. Louis, Missouri. The TME staff includes 170 people and has 3 operating divisions - TME Consulting Engineers, TME Energy Services, and TME Structural Services that work together in a complementary manner to provide innovative and cost effective engineering solutions.

We have provided engineering and energy services for more than 2500 projects at more than 1000 facilities located nationally for clients in 24 states and internationally in 5 countries, including Canada, Costa Rica, Ireland, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

Q2. Tell me about your customer base

Our core areas of expertise include healthcare, higher education, and energy conservation projects. FM:Systems has recently allowed us to approach clients in the state and local government arena, such as the State of Iowa, and reach customers that we haven’t been able to before with Revit integration.

Q3. How are your customers using FM:Systems today? What benefits have they realized?

Our clients are really looking forward to bringing everything to one central location with FM:Interact. One client, the State of Iowa, has hired us to work on two correctional facilities, but we’re just getting started. We’re currently bringing in 32 new buildings, and is looking into bringing all state correctional facilities into FM:Interact as well. In working with the State of Iowa, everything will be in one centralized location, on one server. This has allowed us to become a true “BIM consultant” on the project. 

We have also been introducing BIM to our healthcare clients. They’re really seeing the benefits of utilizing FM:Interact for a centralized repository of all pertinent and regulated information. Owners are seeing the advantages of BIM for visualization, reduced construction costs, minimized construction conflicts and decreased project completion times. More importantly, they are seeing BIM graphics and data as an integral part of their lifecycle activities for the project. BIM is redefining roles and services.

This article originally ran in Constructech on May 4

Taking BIM to FM

BIM (building information modeling) is a good tool for clash detection, early project planning, and ongoing collaboration. But as the value of BIM is seen throughout the construction industry, users are finding the data can provide benefits beyond just construction.

This trend—which some have coined as the sixth dimension of BIM—aims at taking the data from construction and sharing it with FM (facilities management) to provide owners with critical information that can be used during operations and maintenance of a facility. Technology providers recognize this trend and have developed integration points within solutions to help extend BIM to FM.

One of the most recent examples comes from FM:Systems, www.fmsystems.com, Raleigh, N.C. This week, the technology provider announced enhancements in its BIM Integration Component of FM:Interact. With the capabilities, facility managers will be able to capture information directly from Autodesk, www.autodesk.com, San Rafael, Calif., Revit models, which will help manage portfolios.

The new integration capabilities look to connect design, construction, and FM, helping to enable the lifecycle of BIM from concept through completion, which has been a bit of a challenge in the past. The system also ensures critical building data isn’t lost, which is one of the biggest benefit of the integration.

Marty Chobot, vice president, FM:Systems, says the company’s goal is to build products to remove barriers for sharing information and help facility professionals plan maintenance before they even take occupancy of a building.

FM:Systems isn’t the only technology provider looking at ways in which to connect BIM to FM. The construction industry as a whole has recognized this trend and taken action. One example is COBie (Construction Operations Building Information Exchange), www.wbdg.org/resources/cobie.php, which identifies content that needs to be exchanged at each phase of the project.

Want a more in-depth look at how BIM can be used long after the construction phase is completed, and the role construction companies need to play in data exchange? Make sure to check out the forthcoming May/June issue of Constructech magazine, which includes a feature that dives into how model data can be made available to owners.

News from FM:Systems today…

FM:Systems’ Enhanced BIM Integration Breaks Down Barriers Between AEC Firms and Facility Professionals

FM:Interact offers support for multiple models and advanced space management and asset integration

RALEIGH, N.C. – May 1, 2012 – FM:Systems, a provider of integrated workplace management systems (IWMS) and computer-aided facility management (CAFM) software, continues to lead the market in Lifecycle Building Information Modeling (BIM) by announcing significant enhancements in its BIM Integration Component with the latest release of FM:Interact.  As an Autodesk Design and Construction Industry Partner, FM:Interact boasts many new capabilities to help facility managers capture the information from Autodesk Revit models to better manage their portfolio.     

FM:Interact now allows facility professionals to easily integrate data from multiple BIM models.  Many different firms work together on any construction project – architects, engineers, contractors and various subcontractors, etc. – and each firm often brings its own model to the project.  Tying all the information from numerous models to one building record in FM:Interact ensures critical building data isn’t lost – one of the key benefits of working with BIM. 

“FM:Systems’ Lifecycle BIM approach helps extend the value of data from Revit to support the way buildings are managed,” said Jim Lynch, vice president, building and collaboration products, Autodesk.  “We support solutions such as this to help facility managers better manage their buildings based on BIM information.”

For space managers, FM:Interact’s BIM integration now supports both Autodesk Revit room and area elements.  Support for Revit rooms lets facility managers track building information such as flooring types and architectural finishes while Revit areas help space managers keep accurate, detailed records of space and occupancy.

For maintenance professionals, the new mapping templates in FM:Interact help streamline asset integration.  Templates define the BIM deliverable requirements for the various design and construction industry firms involved in a project, ensuring the operations team gets a model built specific to their needs. In addition, mapping templates can be used across multiple projects and buildings, providing facility professionals with consistent, reliable BIM data.

“One of the biggest challenges in Lifecycle BIM is helping facility professionals better communicate with design and construction industry firms in the beginning of a project so the models that are delivered have the information the building owner needs,” said Marty Chobot, vice president, FM:Systems.  “Our goal is to build products that help remove the barriers for sharing building information. We want to help facility professionals plan occupancy and maintenance before they even take occupancy of the building.” 

Additional features enable system administrators to control access to Revit, enhancing security on projects in which multiple design and construction industry firms are connected to the same system.

About FM:Systems, Inc.
By connecting people, place and process, FM:Systems helps facilities and real-estate professionals improve customer service, reduce costs and increase productivity enterprise-wide. FM:Systems Web-based software improves management of space, occupancy, moves, maintenance, leases and property. Customer results include: real estate costs reduced by 15 percent, move spend reduced by 88 percent, enterprise productivity savings of $1.5 million and an internal customer satisfaction rate of 97 percent.

Many of the world’s leading organizations rely on FM:Systems products, including CA, Devon Energy, DuPont, GMAC, Herman Miller, Indiana University, Lockheed Martin, National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), Northwestern University, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Progress Energy, Target stores, and the U.S. Census Bureau.

FM:Systems is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, and conducts business in the Americas, Africa, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information about FM:Systems, please visit www.fmsystems.com or call 1-800-648-8030.

Read the press release here.

FM:Systems will be exhibiting at this year’s CoreNet Global Summit in San Diego, April 29-May 1, 2012.

CoreNet’s theme this year is REIMAGINATION - transform and sharpen your
competitive edge through innovation. This era of uncertainty for global markets, organizational stability and your own career path requires you to REIMAGINE, REIGNITE and REINVENT yourself. Sharpen your business acumen and knowledge of emerging technologies, organization models and sustainability.

We hope to see you there! You stay classy, San Diego.

This week I’ll be speaking at IFMA’s AFC Spring Conference, April 25-27, 2012, hosted by Duke University.

The AFC Spring Conference is a 3-day facilities management learning intensive. The conference is designed for facility management professionals of all levels and will focus on FM areas to include technology, sustainability, leadership, best practices and the management of human and physical resources. Facility and campus tours will be a big part of the 3-day event.

I’ll be giving a BIM Overview on Thursday, April 26, at 1PM EST. For more information or to register, visit http://www.ifma-afc.org/SpringConference2012.html.

Hope to see you there!

What if your firm could help your clients increase their net income by 4%?

It may seem hard to believe, but simply documenting how your client will use space in their building is a critical input into space management. And, proper management of space and occupancy can equate to dramatic, bottom-line savings for your clients.

The business case for space savings

AEC professionals know building owners commit significant capital to new construction and major projects. But did you realize that first costs of a building are only a fraction of the lifecycle cost for the property? According to the International Journal of Facility Management, design and construction costs account for just 5-10% of the full lifecycle cost of a building.  What’s more, real estate and facilities costs typically represent the second largest expense for most organizations (behind personnel).  What does a problem of this scale mean?  With proper tools, policies and processes for management of space, a global technology firm was able to right-size their portfolio, resulting in $60 million in recurring annual savings.

So – how does this work?  For organizations with mid to large-size property portfolios, it’s difficult to keep track of how much space they have and how they’re using it.  Not only are their buildings constantly changing with reconfiguration of space but the organization is changing too – with new business initiatives or reorganizations resulting in thousands of personnel moves every year.  Last but not least, mergers and acquisitions require integration of real estate portfolios – and often result in excess space.

With detailed information about the number and types of spaces, space planners uncover opportunities to consolidate operations and dispose of unnecessary space – eliminating the costly rent and operating expenses associated with the space.  Even if the property can’t be disposed, simply decommissioning excess space can reduce operating costs.

Building BIM models for space savings

How can you and your BIM models help?  First and foremost, it’s critical that you understand your client’s business operations.  In terms of portfolio composition, some organizations carry more office space than others, but almost all organizations have a need to accommodate office-based work.  Knowing your customers policies and processes for tracking space will help you create BIM models that support space planning and management.

Detailed space data from BIM models is a key input into managing space and occupancy.

There are a number of ways that you can model rooms and areas in your models:

Space Classification: Planners classify space to understand how space is used – identifying work space for personnel, meeting space, circulation, etc.  An example of how space planners use space types to optimize space is looking at ratios of support space to personnel space to benchmark their facilities.

Space Standards: Planners use space standards to ensure occupants get the right space for their job function and to simplify configuration.  One organization realized that, with a high percentage of contract workers in their buildings population, they could eliminate much of the filing and other desk space typically provided.  Contract workers simply needed a place to sit with their laptops and coffee.  By creating a new space standard with higher density, the facilities team was able to defer construction of a new building on campus – avoiding a $40 million capital expenditure.

Area Measurement Standards: Accurate and consistent area measurement is a key foundation of good space planning.  For example, without good area measurement, analysis of occupant density is impossible.  Understand the area measurement rules for the standard your client uses (BOMA, IFMA, FICM, RICS, etc.) and model rooms and areas accordingly.

Departmental Allocations and Chargebacks: Allocating space to groups has been a key driver of value for space management.  Space chargebacks (essentially internal “rents” charged to the department using the space) place the cost of space into the operating budgets of the departmental managers.  This incents managers to return space to facilities so that space can be reallocated and used to meet the needs of other groups. 

Occupancy: Managing occupancy – or knowing “who sits where” – is another key driver of value.  The facilities and real estate team for an international energy company was tasked by management to determine whether additional space was needed in their headquarters office tower.  With detailed knowledge of current occupancy and the ability to forecast future space requirements, the VP of real estate was able to say with confidence that they did not need to exercise the expansion option for their lease – saving the company $1.5 million with that one decision. 

As you can see, detailed spatial models of a building can play a key role in helping space planners optimize space use. As a BIM specialist, you can help by making sure that you’re modeling the spatial configuration to properly capture every space in the building.  Why not start today? Talk to your clients and learn how your firm can use BIM to help them drive down real estate costs.