Modern buildings are a complex ecosystem of infrastructure and facilities systems. Operating them well relies on deep knowledge of the systems’ operations that is often consolidated into a handful of key facilities management personnel that understand the nuances of the building. We have a continuous front-row seat to this at LEDG, hearing from facility managers when settings need to be manually bypassed, how different sounds indicate different maintenance requirements, what replacement project happened 17 years ago even though there is no documentation of its history.
Smart Building technology can - and is - making it more efficient to operate buildings, but it is not a replacement for facility managers. That may be a challenge because the industry is staring down a large workforce shortage.
What To Know
Here is a quote from Danielle Gathje, Vice President of Hospital Operations, St. John's Hospital:
"The critical impact caused by retirement is knowledge transfer. Even if the person retiring is good at creating processes, writing down sequences of events and procedures, the experience from that person to everyone else is where we fall short. Experience is critical for understanding the why and how we respond and not just what to respond to."
The staff shortages expected are one example of how complexity is rising for LEDG’s customers. Facility infrastructure and systems designs are advancing, and when you combine that with a loss of talent and institutional knowledge, itcreates an operational void for building owners and operators.