Congratulations!

I don't know if you are new to the profession or probably you have some pain points that requires clarification. Please be specific.

Kind Regards!

Yes, I work as a Facilities Manager.

What is the subject of your Thesis Valentine, may be I might be of help with some details.

Regards.

Facilities Audit is a process of comparing the ideal to the actual condition(s) of a particular facility or a building system. The ideal conditions are borne out of criterias developed by the Facilities Professionals through best practice. best fit or the resourced based approach. Hence, you need to have facilities objectives or goals as the case may be in order for you to even have a concise and successful audit.

With this in mind, any facility can be audited dependent on the strategic plans of the performing organisation and the corporate vision. All the aforementioned issues are linked together and have resultant effect on the physical appearance, performance of the critical systems, etc, in the built environment.

I will be glad to assist you with relevant information if required.

Warm Regards.

FM in the context of this profession stands for Facilities Management, while Facilities Audit is a process in Facilities Management that ensures the facilities or a building as the case may be are in congruent to the set performance metrics for the building/system in a built environment.

Regards.

Background is Mech Engr Redcliff.

Hi Laroche, good to hear from you again and your deep thoughts on Facilities Management is so obvious from your words.

I will be at the FM boot camp come 15th & 16th May to meet with the great Thinkers in the profession. No need to worry, I just got in touch with the organisers and was told that another FM Training is scheduled for November, 2013.

As regards to the Birmingham FM event, I'll plan and prepare to attend if you provide more info to the programme.

You can as well pass the info of the upcoming boot camp in V/I to interested and like minded people like yours. It going to be educating, interesting and above all, an opportunity to meet with the best brains in the industry.

Yea, should be there!

Here in Nigeria, the Lagos and Abuja Chapter of IFMA are very active may be they are yet to update their website on current activities. The President of the Abuja Chapter is a friend and he is a key person driving FM in Nigeria. He won the last Global FM of the year. Which means even globally we are making a great mark.

To follow thru, call the numbers in the contact section of the website and u'll be shocked with the array of great minds that will attend to u. The amount of knowledge and expertise awaiting u through IFMA network in enourmous.

I am a Chartered Member of BIFM and also a Member of IFMA, these two bodies have been my source of knowledge and benchmark as regards to standard and operatioanl procedures in FM.

U'll be doing yourself a great favour if you key to these set of professionals and learn more. I'll recommend u attend the forthcoming FM booth camp in Lagos. I bet u, issues relating to the real Facilities Management will be clearer to you cos the best in the profession will be there to share in their wealth of experience.

There are several ways to become a professional facilities Manager. You need to have some basic knowledge of the key areas of Facilities Management as identified by IFMA and BIFM.

To start with, u need to understand that FM is a multidisciplinary profession which comprises of Mechanical, Electrical, Civil Eng'r. Others are Quantity surveying, Estatement Management, Building Technology, Architecture. It aligns the technical skills obtained from these fields with key management skills to managing the built environment.

You do not have to be a graduate of the aforementioned professions before u can be a practising and seasoned Facilities Manager. However, there is need to have the basic training in these fields as it will give u an wholistic view of what u are managing or maintaining.

Through tailor made programmes designed by IFMA and other FM related organisations which are domicile in Nigeria here, u can get educated and exposed to world class details and professional practices in FM.

I got an info that a Facilities Management Company is organising a 2-Day training on FM. Date: 15th & 16th of May, 2013 at 5, Festival Road, Opposite Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos. I think the cost is 145k. For u guys that are really interested and ready to know the basics of FM, here is your chance.

Ok. There was this troublesome Management staff in the company I ones managed. He gave me hell and always waiting for me to make mistakes. I mean it seems as if I could never satisfy him or even impress him. It wasn't funny at all. I had to take time to study this man. I said to myself, there must be something am not doing right. Therefore, I discovered thru his surbodinates at work that he loves to be recognised.

Hmmnn..., that was the secret! He loved to seen by all that he is the brain behind everything in the system. I said to myself, oh dat shouldn't be a problem for me. I'll resume work before he comes just to have a 1 hour discussion on improvement plans required for the building. He started listening to me and even booking apointments after close of work about the job and his personal business.

Infact, he practically wrote a memo to his boss stating that he love to work with me and the benefits from this relationship is endless.

So, when u have a sound and infused relationship with ur customers, u are practically building a bridge of favour and good reputation for urself and ur organisation. Even when u make mistakes, they give reasons on ur behalf because uv won their hearts. That's customer advocacy in the reverse order.

If you are good technically and u don't have a sound relationship with the people that sign ur pay cheques, its just a matter of time before u loose ur respect and confidence. We all know what the end reselt will be........

I quite agree with that. Also know that Customer is King. All you need do to unfriendly customers is to ensure that you leave them with a positive impression about your work ethics. Trust me, wining a though customer over is like employing a frrelance markerter who will help influence other residents/customers in your favour.

Create positive impression all the time even in the face of adversity......

I hope u don't mind if I join this discussion. The issue of insultive or irate clients is part of the day to day challenges you encounter on the job. Trust me it may not reduce except u approach it formally through contract agreement. This will create the rights of the user and manager of the facilities.

Further to this, u need to know your Customer (KYC) at least 70% and create a good line of communication to enable u understand their unique personalities. While trying to satisfy them and even exceeding their expectations, try not to make urself look too cheap or inferior basically because u are always at the receiving end.

There are chunks of issues to discuss on this subject.