ISO standard in Facility Management. The impact of new tools on the industry in Ukraine and the world.

The new ISO 41001: 2018 standard Facility Management-Management System – Requirements for use (Facility management – Management systems – Requirements with guidance for use) published in April of this year, is designed to help optimize the processes associated with the management and control of real estate operations and thus achieve maximum efficiency. Like the entire world market, SHEN Facility (Shen-Service LLC) waited for the release of this important document and closely followed the development of new standards.

Immediately make a reservation that the new standard is not a law, and not a step-by-step instruction of work in the field of facility management. This is a set of requirements, specifications, characteristics that an FM company or manager can use to ensure that materials, processes, and services comply with their goals. The document uses a technological approach known as the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA), and in addition to terminology and definitions contains the following sections:

• The context of the organization. Describes the organization, needs and expectations of interested parties.
• Guide. Detailed description of roles, responsibilities and authorities in the organization’s infrastructure management system
• Planning. The section describes the objectives of the object management system, as well as actions to eliminate risks
• Support. An important element of the management system, containing requirements for the documentation of information, organization of communication, improvement of awareness and competence
• Exploitation. Contains items related to the planning and control of operation, coordination of stakeholders and the actual implementation of services
• Efficiency mark. Provides guidance on monitoring, managing, evaluating and analyzing, conducting internal audits and evaluating management
• The improvement. These are inconsistencies and corrective actions, as well as possible preventive actions and subsequent improvements.

So why is the introduction of ISO 41001: 2018 so important for the facilitation of companies?

Facility management is becoming quite a complex and multifaceted industry. Dealing with complex processes, technologies, expanding the scope of activities is much easier if there is a standard.

There is another very important moment in the global context. The legal framework relating to sustainable development, energy efficiency and pollution is becoming more stringent in relation to the business. The presence of an ISO standard in the field of facility management proves that the processes comply with the current legislative framework in the field of ecology.

The implementation of ISO 41001: 2018 also reduces the risks associated with human factors. Minimizing errors leads to productive and systemic work.

It is also important that the work according to the new standards makes the business more transparent and understandable both for the client and for all employees of the company.

Let’s talk about Ukraine. What is the new standard besides what has already been said will be useful to the domestic market?

The introduction of a new standard helps improve the following points:

• Services are becoming clearly standardized, and evaluation criteria are universal and understandable.
• Work with suppliers of equipment and materials also fall under the requirements of the control system.

Using ISO 41001: 2018 helps structure workflows, so that collaboration between company and customer becomes transparent and understandable. Thanks to the technological approach, and the detailed description and control of the processes being implemented, professional companies receive a tool for continuous improvement of services and organization of preventive actions to reduce risks. It is difficult to overestimate the significance of the new standard for Ukraine and the world as a whole. The facilitation management industry is entering a new stage in the development and improvement of the quality of services, the introduction of technology, environmental innovation and one of the drivers for these changes is ISO 41001: 2018