FMJ.CO.UK CAFM / SWG SURVEY FOCUS
MARCH 2022 37
Interestingly, integration with space
management and CAD tools has increased
since our last survey: In 2020, 32 per cent of
people reported integration, compared with
11 per cent in 2022.
Whether this trend continues may well
hinge on the supporting IT infrastructure
and ensuring that all systems can be readily
integrated before making the change.
VISUALISATION
Visualisation is the process of creating
digital renders of buildings not yet
constructed (to help demonstrate the
finished space) or reimagined with a
di erent purpose (for example to show
transformation of an
unused retail unit into
a functional café).
Similarly to
BIM and, perhaps
surprisingly, slightly
more respondents
are employing
visualisation with 15
per cent already using
it and a further 19 per
cent are planning to.
Visualisation seems
particularly popular
in higher education.
FMs from eight
universities took part
in the survey; four
of those are already
using visualisation,
and another three are
planning to use it. It’s
fair to assume their
use would be to give virtual campus tours to
students that have not been able to attend
in-person because of the pandemic.
36 PER CENT WORK IN
THE PRIVATE SECTOR; 28
PER CENT IN THE PUBLIC
SECTOR; 23 PER CENT AS
A SERVICE PROVIDER IN
BOTH
Although COVID restrictions have been
removed and don’t look as if they will return
for the foreseeable future, visualisation
will still be an important tool for FMs in the
coming years. We have all become familiar
with digital tools, whether that’s video calls
or virtual tours.
Virtual tours are great for showing
prospective tenants around an o ice space.
For high priority spaces, such as a hospital
operating room, virtual tours can be given to
surgeons who may not have the time to visit
in-person.
This trend is definitely one to watch,
especially if client demand stays strong.
TECH MUST BE A STRATEGIC DECISION
It’s vital that whatever tech is employed is
done so strategically. We’ll leave the final
word to one of our respondents: “Collecting
data is great, but it needs to be available
to the client in full and any data collection
needs to create added value; there is no point
collecting data/going digital if the process is
not more e icient.”
of internal resource or being unaware of the
benefits. Twenty per cent of those not using
BIM now say they plan to in the future, which
may point to a more manageable workload
following the height of the pandemic and an
appreciation of BIM’s benefits for improving
sustainability.
RESPONDENTS’ FM TEAMS
RANGE FROM >5 TO <100
INTEGRATION
When asked about the tools FMs use
to manage their work, aside from Excel
spreadsheets, FM so ware was the most
commonly used solution, followed by
so ware tools developed in-house. Forty
seven per cent are either planning to change
their tool or so ware or are undecided as yet.
Of those planning to change, lack of
integration with other organisational systems
was the most common reason. A lack of
required functionality and out-dated systems
were also popular responses which further
point to issues with integration.
The potential for integration was
highlighted by a handful of respondents in
the survey. One said: “I am an advocate for
further adoption of technology. Aligning
our digital platforms into a single interface
would enable greater opportunities to
deliver a better service for a lower cost to the
organisation.”
Another respondent bemoaned outdated
client IT systems, saying: “The technology
in FM is continually hampered by utilising
the same infrastructure as client’s business
critical IT, which leads to a lack of desire to
integrate and utilise the technology that
exists.”