I love my smart phone. I have friends who still use flip phones. When I ask them about it, I’m always a little careful. People who use flip phones can be a little touchy. If I ask why they don’t use a smart phone, they invariably tell me that the flip phone does everything they need; that they’re used to it; that they don’t need the complexity…bells and whistles…of a smart phone. If I’m riding with them and use my phone to navigate, or use it to divide the tab at a restaurant, they’re very quiet.
I love Integrated Workplace Management Systems, ARCHIBUS
specifically. I know people who still use spreadsheets and a loose collection
of other applications to manage their facilities. They’re a little like my
friends who use flip phones. They say that spreadsheets do everything they need. They’re familiar with spreadsheets. They say they don’t need the bells and
whistles that IWMS offers. Fair enough.
A few months ago, I was visiting with a potential client to talk
about implementing a comprehensive Personnel and Occupancy system. We had a
committee of people in the room. Most were in favor of moving to ARCHIBUS. A
smaller group didn’t see the need. That smaller group was comfortable with the
current system of shared spreadsheets they had in place.
Each building on their large campus had an administrator who
was responsible for maintaining the personnel locator spreadsheet and keeping
it up to date. They communicated by email or phone calls to coordinate their
efforts, to be sure everyone had an appropriate work space and that there was
no duplication. We gathered the spreadsheets from a small sample of their buildings
to do a pilot project, to show them how ARCHIBUS might help them. When we
loaded the data from the spreadsheets into ARCHIBUS, we got some interesting and
surprising results.
Some enterprising staff members had taken advantage of the
multiple sources of truth for employee locations. Some had more than one desk
or office in a building. Some had offices in multiple buildings. Without a
single source of truth…an integrated Personnel and Occupancy system…it was
impossible to stop people from assigning themselves the luxury of multiple
offices.
Now, the Integrated Workplace Management System is fully implemented. Some of those people still have more than one work space. They have the political clout or the actual need for that flexibility. But the space is managed and allocated to meet the goals and purposes of the organization, with consideration for the needs of individuals, of course. The organization’s investments in real estate, maintenance, and energy are being managed more effectively. It’s easier to find people, to make connections, and collaborate.
My impression is that, in some ways, Integrated Workplace Management Systems and smart phones have a lot in common. They help us manage our resources thoughtfully and purposefully in the face of complexity, change, and limited resources. It’s possible to get along without IWMS or without a smart phone. But why would anybody do that?
This week's article was brought you you by one of our Executive Staff,
Tawn. Tawn is an incredibly valuable member of RSC. He has 30+ years
of experience in Architecture provide insight few have. His ability to
communicate thoughtfully and thoroughly is one of his best assets
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