The field of Facilities Management (FM) and Corporate Real Estate Management (CRE) has evolved rapidly over the last two decades. Today’s Facilities Management and Real Estate Managers face an increasing need to respond to the evolution of technology and sustainability, ensure compliance, and increase cost efficiency.
In this realm, there is an obvious need for reliable information and communication on a strategic, tactical, and operational level. This information is required to analyse actual occupancy, identify future vacancies, and benchmark the performance of facilities.
In the early nineties, software for facilities management and corporate real estate management primarily focused on registering databases, tracking technical assets, and utilizing CAD designs to support space management. By 2000, attention shifted toward business process support to improve efficiency and reduce costs. The introduction of workflow management and the need for management information drove more changes in software. Additionally, the spread of the internet and emerging technologies played a key role in shaping the development of these systems.
The term “Integrated Workplace Management System” (IWMS) was first used in 2004 by Gartner, the leading technology research institute which evaluates and reports on software and technology markets. Gartner defined IWMS as an enterprise-class software platform that integrates key components in five functional domains, all operated from a single technology platform and database repository. These five domains are:
The abbreviation IWMS begins with the word “Integrated.” But what does this mean? According to Gartner, the definition of integrated includes: a single technology platform and a single data repository supporting five functional components.
Today’s IWMS offerings mainly target the latter aspect of “integrated” by offering functionality in the business domains listed above. However, as a result of mergers and product acquisitions, many of these solutions are not compliant with the first two parts of the definition. Solutions that are truly based on a single platform and single data repository have specific benefits:
Cost transparency and efficiency, in most cases aiming at cost reduction, are key drivers for any IWMS implementation. But there are other measurable benefits that will help you build your business case for iwms.
In many organisations, FM and CRE data is spread across different spreadsheets, IT systems, or locked in the minds of the staff. The quality and accuracy of this data is dubious and due to the fragmentation of its sources, it is impossible to generate any type of useful management information across multiple disciplines. When this data is brought together in a structured “single-source-of-truth,” an integrated software solution can be used for continuous identification and execution of cost efficiency and quality improvement initiatives.
This blog summarises the chapter 'An introduction to IWMS' taken from the book 'A quest for excellence: Guidance for CRE & FM executives implementing a global IWMS'. Find out more and click here to download the complete chapter.
