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“IWMS” - What Does It Stand For?
By Ralph Buchanan, Principal
In a world full of acronyms, it is not surprising that we can’t keep track of
them all. But some are a lot more important than others; and, IWMS is an
important one. What you know about IWMS might get you a raise for saving
your company money. What you don’t know about IWMS might get you into
big trouble!
IWMS = Integrated Workplace Management <Something>; the
<something> can be “Solution,” or “System, or “Software” depending
upon the context.
The important word is “Integrated” and by that we mean a solution that “talks
to” the other important systems used within the company for HR, Accounting,
Finance, Lease Management, etc.
In many, if not most, companies multiple facility-related information silos
exist across the enterprise and partner network.
This can result in …
Limited information sharing and communication with artificial walls and
barriers, and thus lack of data integration for complete workplace analysis.
Integrated Workplace Management Systems are software solutions designed
to optimize facility management and real estate performance of organizations.
Although many point (one purpose) solutions optimize facility management
and real estate performance, their focus in most cases is to solve a single
business problem. IWMS on the contrary, is an integrated solution aimed at
improving the organization as a whole not one individual business problem.
Even the slightest improvement in organizational process can have a huge
impact on the bottom line of an organization. Most IWMSs are process driven.
This means that IWMS optimizes processes - from a trouble ticket, to onboarding, to asset disposal, moving spaces, these processes can be optimized.
As the workforce is becoming more and more decentralized, the need for webbased software solutions is only increasing. A dispersed staff challenges
facility and real estate professionals to re-evaluate and change the status quo.
This change is mostly initiated by the intrusion of web based technology in
our lives. Most IWMS are web-based and are well equipped to be used both
domestically and internationally.
Most IWMS solutions come with a full
suite of applications, including:
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Space Planning and Management
Move and Change Management
Asset Management
Operations Management
Employee Self-Service
Resource Reservation
Lease Management
Project Management
Enterprise Reporting/ Allocation
Reports
Even if you already have one or more point
solutions, such as lease administration or
Help Desk, they can be integrated into a
good IWMS system.
So, the next question is “Do I need an
IWMS?” And the answer is – it depends
upon what problems you have identified
and are trying to solve, whether it’s an onbarding process, MAC management,
consolidation/ expansion planning, etc.
Facilities Managers in companies larger
than 200 employees need tools to manage
effectively. Some IWMS solutions are more
suited than others to smaller companies, but
virtually all IWMS tools are easily scalable
as a company grows.
This is the first of three articles in this
series; the next two are - “Building a
Business Case” and “Eight IWMS Mistakes
That Will Get You Fired.”
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For more information, contact
Facilities First at 650-691-7944 or
Email [email protected]
Copyright 2010 / Facilities First. All Rights Reserved 1 of 1 May, 2010