Check out the new Bricsnet Facebook and LinkedIn pages -- two more ways that we will be updating you about developments within the IWMS and Project Management industries, as well as about Bricsnet itself.
Bricsnet's Facebook page includes photo albums that walk you through our product lines. Look for videos coming soon!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Temperature: Always A Hot Topic In the Workplace
A new survey from IFMA, Temperature Wars: Savings vs. Comfort, shows that complaints that workers are either too hot or too cold continue to top the list of worker complaints. Interestingly, numbers of "too hot" and "too cold" complaints are always equal. According to IFMA research this is always the case: These two issues often alternate in the top spot from year to year.
As IFMA notes, "Facility managers go to great lengths to keep facilities comfortable for workers, as this comfort is directly tied to worker productivity."
The most common responses from facility managers are spot-checking of temperature, humidity and airflow; verification that the building control system is working properly; and then, adjustment of the temperature control to improve comfort levels.
The most common occupant remedies for the situation include use of personal fans and space heaters -- perhaps not the best solution in these energy-conscious times -- as well as blocking vents, tampering with the thermostats and supplemental clothing. You can read the survey here.
Thanks to Eileen McMorrow for highlighting the survey in the latest issue of McMorrowReport.com.
As IFMA notes, "Facility managers go to great lengths to keep facilities comfortable for workers, as this comfort is directly tied to worker productivity."
The most common responses from facility managers are spot-checking of temperature, humidity and airflow; verification that the building control system is working properly; and then, adjustment of the temperature control to improve comfort levels.
The most common occupant remedies for the situation include use of personal fans and space heaters -- perhaps not the best solution in these energy-conscious times -- as well as blocking vents, tampering with the thermostats and supplemental clothing. You can read the survey here.
Thanks to Eileen McMorrow for highlighting the survey in the latest issue of McMorrowReport.com.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
IWMS: What's In a Name?
Recently, Gartner Inc. has raised the issue of whether IWMS -- Integrated Workplace Management Systems -- is the best descriptor for solutions like Bricsnet that manage a wide range of real estate and facility management-related activities.
The term IWMS was coined by Gartner about 5 years ago, but some in the community argue that it is not sufficiently descriptive. Workplace, they say, is a troublesome term because it leaves out a wide variety of real estate types that are not generally viewed as workplaces: Storage facilities, retail outlets, etc.
Others argue that, whatever its merits, the term IWMS has gained traction. Websites such as IWMS Connect and IWMS News have used it in their branding, and it appears regularly in Requests for Proposal from corporations and other organizations.
And what would be a better name? So far, there appears to be little consensus. Some advocate a name focused on Real Estate, Facilities or both. The two largest professional associations in the discipline -- CoreNet and IFMA -- use those terms. OSCRE, which grew out of a CoreNet initiative, also uses real estate as its defining term. Words like Property and Site also have their advocates, as does the idea of incorporating Lifecycle into the name.
For now, Gartner has decided to keep the IWMS name, but remains open to suggestions about chnging it. It's an interesting discussion, but while it goes on, I suspect that IWMS will continue to build strength as a descriptor.
The term IWMS was coined by Gartner about 5 years ago, but some in the community argue that it is not sufficiently descriptive. Workplace, they say, is a troublesome term because it leaves out a wide variety of real estate types that are not generally viewed as workplaces: Storage facilities, retail outlets, etc.
Others argue that, whatever its merits, the term IWMS has gained traction. Websites such as IWMS Connect and IWMS News have used it in their branding, and it appears regularly in Requests for Proposal from corporations and other organizations.
And what would be a better name? So far, there appears to be little consensus. Some advocate a name focused on Real Estate, Facilities or both. The two largest professional associations in the discipline -- CoreNet and IFMA -- use those terms. OSCRE, which grew out of a CoreNet initiative, also uses real estate as its defining term. Words like Property and Site also have their advocates, as does the idea of incorporating Lifecycle into the name.
For now, Gartner has decided to keep the IWMS name, but remains open to suggestions about chnging it. It's an interesting discussion, but while it goes on, I suspect that IWMS will continue to build strength as a descriptor.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Effective Project Closeout
An excerpt from Bricsnet's new whitepaper, "Effective Project Closeout Demands Planning and Monitoring From the Start":
To learn more about this important topic, which constitutes one of the biggest challenges for facilities and construction organizations, order the whitepaper.
Closing out a construction project is one of the most complex elements in
project management, and the one that most often generates lawsuits. While the
primary goal of any project is a functional facility that meets the needs of its
occupants, a successful closeout of the construction process can help to ensure
that the facility can be operated and maintained effectively through its
lifecycle. Moreover, a carefully planned and conducted closeout process can save
years of headaches, and even litigation, for all parties involved in the
construction process. The closeout phase of a project is meant to ensure
that all contractual obligations have been met by all parties and may include
thousands of line items that need to be completed, checked off and documented.
But more than that, careful project closeout is a means of ensuring that all
information and knowledge collected during the course of the project is retained
so that it can be called upon for future work, including maintenance, repairs
and renovations.
To learn more about this important topic, which constitutes one of the biggest challenges for facilities and construction organizations, order the whitepaper.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Going Green
The importance of "going green" by reducing facility carbon footprints, lowering electricity, cutting down on water use, encouraging carpooling and public transportation has never been stronger, and efforts to limit activities that produce greenhouse gases may soon be law in the United States.
How can property owners and occupants begin the process of going green?
It's all about information -- knowing what your current position is, knowing what your goals are and then looking at ways to get from here to there.
And an IWMS system like Bricsnet can be an important part of the process.
In fact, your system may already be tracking many of the numbers you need in order to assess your current status. If you are recording your energy and other utility costs and consumption in your IWMS system, you already have much of the information you need.
Clients who take advantage of Bricsnet's partnership with VFA may have even more information available to them that will help in the effort to assess their current status and set goals for improvement.
Your leases and other property agreements may also contain vital information. Parking clauses may provide special spaces for hybrid vehicles, or carpool vehicles, or guarantee that public transportation is available within a certain distance of your site. Cleaning provisions may specify the use of agents that don't contain environmentally harmful substances. If your current leases don't have such provisions and they have become a priority for you, a system like Bricsnet can help you to track these priorities through the site selection and transaction process.
OSCRE, the Open Standards Consortium for Real Estate, has recently begun a couple of efforts to standardize data elements and exchanges for tracking green lease provisions and for monitoring and reporting on compliance with these provisions. An OSCRE workgroup is in the process of defining standard elements for data exchange and a subgroup is looking at the reporting side of the requirements. Look for announcements from OSCRE about progress, or better yet, join the effort to define standards that can be used by ny organization interested in tracking their greening efforts.
You can learn more about OSCRE by clicking this link.
And you can learn more about how Bricsnet can help you in your efforts to green up your business environment by contacting us.
How can property owners and occupants begin the process of going green?
It's all about information -- knowing what your current position is, knowing what your goals are and then looking at ways to get from here to there.
And an IWMS system like Bricsnet can be an important part of the process.
In fact, your system may already be tracking many of the numbers you need in order to assess your current status. If you are recording your energy and other utility costs and consumption in your IWMS system, you already have much of the information you need.
Clients who take advantage of Bricsnet's partnership with VFA may have even more information available to them that will help in the effort to assess their current status and set goals for improvement.
Your leases and other property agreements may also contain vital information. Parking clauses may provide special spaces for hybrid vehicles, or carpool vehicles, or guarantee that public transportation is available within a certain distance of your site. Cleaning provisions may specify the use of agents that don't contain environmentally harmful substances. If your current leases don't have such provisions and they have become a priority for you, a system like Bricsnet can help you to track these priorities through the site selection and transaction process.
OSCRE, the Open Standards Consortium for Real Estate, has recently begun a couple of efforts to standardize data elements and exchanges for tracking green lease provisions and for monitoring and reporting on compliance with these provisions. An OSCRE workgroup is in the process of defining standard elements for data exchange and a subgroup is looking at the reporting side of the requirements. Look for announcements from OSCRE about progress, or better yet, join the effort to define standards that can be used by ny organization interested in tracking their greening efforts.
You can learn more about OSCRE by clicking this link.
And you can learn more about how Bricsnet can help you in your efforts to green up your business environment by contacting us.
Friday, June 12, 2009
OSCRE at the National Academy of Science
Andy Fuhrman, CEO of the Open Standards Consortium for Real Estate (OSCRE), reports that on June 24 he will be speaking at the National Academy of Science - Federal Facilities Council. Topic of his address is, "Warfighter or Office Worker -- Converting Operating Dollars to Mission Funding by Leveraging Emerging Technologies for Real Property Asset Management."
Also speaking with Andy will be Lt. Col. Mark Madaus, USAF - Asset Management Optimization Branch.
Andy's talk will focus on the "unsexy" behind-the-scenes work that organizations need to do to move to a higher level of operational excellence, while Lt. Col. Madaus will provide a look at his mission to reduce operating expense and Real Estate portfolio size by 20 percent by the year 2020. A key component of the Air Force's mission is use of the OSCRE Space Classification Standard.
The session will be held in Room 109 of the Kirk Center at the National Academy of Science in Washington DC. Start time is 9 am on June 24 and the session is open to the public.
Also speaking with Andy will be Lt. Col. Mark Madaus, USAF - Asset Management Optimization Branch.
Andy's talk will focus on the "unsexy" behind-the-scenes work that organizations need to do to move to a higher level of operational excellence, while Lt. Col. Madaus will provide a look at his mission to reduce operating expense and Real Estate portfolio size by 20 percent by the year 2020. A key component of the Air Force's mission is use of the OSCRE Space Classification Standard.
The session will be held in Room 109 of the Kirk Center at the National Academy of Science in Washington DC. Start time is 9 am on June 24 and the session is open to the public.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
How Can You Control Real Estate Costs?
The website iwmsnews has published an interesting piece with the intriguing title, "10 Ways To Reduce Costs Immediately". It's worth a look. The advice may be common sense, but it touches on issues that organizations may not be acting on even though they know it makes sense: Eliminating non-performing assets and contracts; charging back internally for use of space; cutting underutilized space from the portfolio; implementing virtual meetings and the like.
One of the author's key points is that when it comes to cost reductions, organizations tend to look first at cutting valuable human capital rather than looking around them at a real estate burden that may be already taking far more out of the business than it should. And, given the cost of real estate, many jobs could potentially be saved by right-sizing the portfolio.
The word "immediately" may be misleading. Analysis of the portfolio and understanding where opportunities to divest, sublease or otherwise dispose of underperforming leases and assets takes time.
But that's where an IWMS system can provide enormous time-savings. With at-a-glance reports highlighting the occupancy and utilization of facilities, cost of leases in various markets and costs of equipment repair and replacement, organizations can gain a rapid -- if not immediate -- sense of where savings can be made.
As the article says: "Accountability is the key concept for cost reductions. You have to ensure that you can compare figures and that people are accountable for those figures. Therefore you have to identify cost reductions possibilities and start eliminating these costs now!"
Technology such as IWMS provides that level of accountability that organizations need to begin making the good decisions that can save millions of dollars and ensure a business that can survive a difficult economy.
One of the author's key points is that when it comes to cost reductions, organizations tend to look first at cutting valuable human capital rather than looking around them at a real estate burden that may be already taking far more out of the business than it should. And, given the cost of real estate, many jobs could potentially be saved by right-sizing the portfolio.
The word "immediately" may be misleading. Analysis of the portfolio and understanding where opportunities to divest, sublease or otherwise dispose of underperforming leases and assets takes time.
But that's where an IWMS system can provide enormous time-savings. With at-a-glance reports highlighting the occupancy and utilization of facilities, cost of leases in various markets and costs of equipment repair and replacement, organizations can gain a rapid -- if not immediate -- sense of where savings can be made.
As the article says: "Accountability is the key concept for cost reductions. You have to ensure that you can compare figures and that people are accountable for those figures. Therefore you have to identify cost reductions possibilities and start eliminating these costs now!"
Technology such as IWMS provides that level of accountability that organizations need to begin making the good decisions that can save millions of dollars and ensure a business that can survive a difficult economy.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Integrated Project Delivery
Here's a link to an interesting post today from the folks at Tradeline on Integrated Project Delivery (IDP). http://www.tradelineinc.com/reports/63186B14-D0E4-FDA2-6DA5927B9B479B68
IDP is a way of managing projects that brings together all parties -- owner, architect, engineer, contractors and agencies -- at the very inception of a project. They work as a team through the design and construction phases, solving problems on a team basis as the project proceeds.
In the words of the article, "Their relationship becomes a partnership rather than the traditional one of adversarial roles."
Bricsnet Enterprise and Bricsnet Retail offer support for IDP project management methodology through the concept of project teams, which can be formed at any stage in the project process, and provide team members with streamlined ways to communicate and update each other.
Team members can have varied roles that give them capabilities focused on their areas of expertise, or all team members can have the same privileges.
Tradeline Inc. points out that by using IDP, project teams can begin looking at cost controls earlier in the process. The design process becomes front-loaded, in a sense, so that from the very beginning, as ideas are being developed, some team members are looking at cost ramifications and providing alternates that could save money.
This is an idea that makes a lot of sense in difficult economic times.
IDP is a way of managing projects that brings together all parties -- owner, architect, engineer, contractors and agencies -- at the very inception of a project. They work as a team through the design and construction phases, solving problems on a team basis as the project proceeds.
In the words of the article, "Their relationship becomes a partnership rather than the traditional one of adversarial roles."
Bricsnet Enterprise and Bricsnet Retail offer support for IDP project management methodology through the concept of project teams, which can be formed at any stage in the project process, and provide team members with streamlined ways to communicate and update each other.
Team members can have varied roles that give them capabilities focused on their areas of expertise, or all team members can have the same privileges.
Tradeline Inc. points out that by using IDP, project teams can begin looking at cost controls earlier in the process. The design process becomes front-loaded, in a sense, so that from the very beginning, as ideas are being developed, some team members are looking at cost ramifications and providing alternates that could save money.
This is an idea that makes a lot of sense in difficult economic times.
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