Facility Level Activities Of An Organization Would Not Include

Facility Level Activities an Organization Would NOT Include

Facility management is a crucial aspect of any successful organization. It encompasses a wide range of activities aimed at ensuring the efficient and effective operation of the physical workspace. However, understanding what isn't included in facility-level activities is just as important as understanding what is. This article will delve into the aspects of business operations that typically fall outside the purview of facility management, clarifying the boundaries of this critical function.

Strategic Planning and High-Level Decision-Making

Facility management is primarily operational. While it supports strategic goals, it does not lead the creation of those goals. This crucial distinction means that facility managers are not typically involved in:

• High-level business strategy: This includes market analysis, product development, financial forecasting, mergers and acquisitions, and overall corporate direction. These are the responsibilities of senior leadership and strategic planning teams.
• Setting organizational objectives: Facility management aligns its operations with the organization's objectives, but it doesn't define those objectives themselves. The strategic direction comes from above, and facility management adapts to support it.
• Long-term investment strategy (beyond facility-related investments): While facility managers are heavily involved in budgeting and justifying facility-related capital expenditures, they are generally not involved in broader investment decisions unrelated to the physical space. This includes investments in new technology, marketing campaigns, or acquisitions of other companies.

Human Resources and Employee Management

While facility management plays a role in creating a positive and productive work environment, it does not encompass core human resource functions:

• Recruitment, hiring, and onboarding: These are the responsibilities of the HR department. Facility management might offer input on the suitability of workspace for new hires, but they are not involved in the selection process itself.
• Performance management and employee relations: Disciplinary actions, performance reviews, and conflict resolution are all handled by HR. Facility management might report on issues affecting employee productivity related to the facility, but they don't manage individual employee performance.
• Payroll and benefits administration: These are fundamental HR functions entirely separate from facility management. While the facility might impact employee satisfaction (and therefore indirectly affect retention), facility management does not handle compensation or benefits.
• Training and development: Although a well-maintained facility can contribute to a positive learning environment, the actual design and delivery of training programs fall under the purview of the training department or HR.

Product Development and Marketing

The core business functions of product development and marketing are distinctly separate from facility management:

• Research and development: The creation of new products or services is the domain of the R&D department. Facility management might provide space and support for these activities, but it's not involved in the actual design or development of the product.
• Marketing and sales: Promoting and selling products or services is the responsibility of the marketing and sales teams. While a well-maintained facility might indirectly contribute to a positive brand image, it does not participate in marketing campaigns or sales strategies.
• Customer service and support: Direct interaction with customers to address their needs is handled by customer service teams. While facility management might indirectly contribute to customer satisfaction through a positive experience within the physical facility, direct customer interaction is not part of their role.

Finance and Accounting (Beyond Budget Management)

Facility management handles its own budget and financial reporting related to facility operations. However, it does not extend to broader financial and accounting functions:

• Financial reporting and analysis (outside of facility budgets): While facility managers provide financial data on facility-related costs and expenditures, they are not responsible for broader financial reporting for the entire organization.
• Auditing and compliance (beyond facility-related compliance): While facility management must ensure compliance with relevant regulations related to the facility, they don't typically conduct broader audits or ensure compliance with organizational financial regulations.
• Investment analysis (outside of facility investments): Facility managers evaluate the ROI on facility-related investments but do not participate in broader investment analyses for the entire organization.
• Taxation and legal compliance (outside of facility-specific legal issues): While facility management ensures the building complies with all relevant building codes and safety regulations, they don't handle broader legal or tax matters for the organization.

Information Technology (IT) Management

While facility management ensures the physical infrastructure supporting IT (like cabling, server rooms), it doesn't manage the IT systems themselves:

• Network administration and security: The maintenance and security of computer networks and data are the responsibilities of the IT department. Facility management provides the physical space and environment for IT equipment, but not the management of the equipment or data itself.
• Software development and maintenance: The creation and maintenance of software applications are the responsibility of software developers and IT specialists. Facility management is not involved in the coding or functionality of IT systems.
• Data backup and recovery: Data security and disaster recovery plans are managed by the IT department. While facility management may assist in ensuring a secure physical environment, they are not responsible for data backup or recovery procedures.
• Help desk support: Troubleshooting IT issues for employees is the responsibility of the IT help desk. Facility management assists with reporting IT-related issues in the physical environment, but not solving the technological problems themselves.

Legal and Compliance (Beyond Facility-Specific Compliance)

Facility management deals with facility-specific regulations but does not handle broader legal and compliance issues:

• Contract negotiation and management (except for facility-related contracts): While facility managers negotiate contracts for facility-related services, they are not responsible for broader contract negotiations for the entire organization.
• Risk management (beyond facility-specific risks): Facility management addresses risks associated with the physical facility, but does not typically handle organizational-wide risk management strategies.
• Intellectual property management: The protection of the organization's intellectual property is the responsibility of the legal department, not facility management.
• Regulatory compliance (beyond building codes and safety regulations): Facility management ensures compliance with building codes and safety regulations, but not broader regulatory compliance for the organization.

Manufacturing and Production Processes

For organizations involved in manufacturing, facility management supports the factory or production space, but does not manage the production process itself:

• Production scheduling and planning: Determining production schedules and optimizing production processes is the responsibility of production managers and engineers. Facility management provides the space and supporting infrastructure.
• Quality control and assurance: Ensuring the quality of products or services is handled by quality control teams. Facility management supports a clean and safe environment for production, but does not directly participate in quality control checks.
• Inventory management: Tracking and managing inventory levels is the responsibility of inventory management personnel. Facility management ensures adequate storage space but does not manage the inventory itself.
• Supply chain management: The management of the flow of goods and services from suppliers to customers is a separate function entirely from facility management.

Research and Development (Beyond Supporting Infrastructure)

Facility management provides the workspace and supporting infrastructure for research and development activities, but does not participate in the research itself:

• Scientific research and experimentation: Conducting research and developing new products or processes is the responsibility of scientists and researchers. Facility management ensures a suitable environment for their work.
• Data analysis and interpretation: Analyzing research data and drawing conclusions is the responsibility of researchers and analysts. Facility management plays no part in this process.
• Patent applications and intellectual property protection: Securing patents and protecting intellectual property is handled by the legal and intellectual property departments.

In conclusion, facility management is a critical operational function, but its responsibilities are clearly defined. Understanding the boundaries of facility management's role allows organizations to effectively allocate resources, clarify responsibilities, and ensure smooth operation across all departments. While facility management supports many other organizational functions, the activities outlined above remain distinctly outside its purview. A clear understanding of this distinction is crucial for efficient and effective organizational management.