I remember my intern days as an Assistant Department Manager at the flagship store in New York–the famous Bloomingdales! I was so proud of myself for landing a paid internship –$10.00 an hour–as a nineteen-year-old back then. I was ready to hit the ground running. I was paired up with an amazing Department Manager with poise and grace and a heart of gold and I remember her teaching me the basics of customer service and quality. And, at that point my curiosity and student mindset set off to learn and train more.
As a certified facilities manager I set the tone for quality and customer service. I have learned that no one set system can function excellently if we do not set quality goals and track them over time–check in with them; shift them and even eliminate them if they are not serving our people, place, process and technology.
Operational performance combined with measuring efficiency, effectiveness and response, in my opinion, leads to operational excellence. Yet, without the emphasis on quality, high impact performance is at risk.
In my career experiences, over the years, I have learned and applied that the heart of quality facilities management is continuous improvement. As a lean six sigma practitioner we strive for less defects and waste and more quality. But, in order to get there, we must measure, benchmark, reengineer, empower and engage.
Measuring cannot be separated from other aspects. It’s one of the most difficult, at times, because you need to get the buy-in on all levels. We understand that we need to measure but I realized that many of us do not like to be measured! Why? I believe because we may feel like we are being punished in some way or not measuring up, however, we need to know if we are meeting our goals and objectives as well as the customers’. Measuring allows for consistency in the process and captures whether we are measuring against the baseline.
Benchmarking for me is a great tool that all facilities managers should have in their tool belt! Having accurate data makes or breaks us and I believe makes budgeting so much easier to track such as overhead. This allows us as Facilities Manager to really know the true cost of doing business. Although this allows us to gauge costs, I believe we should not confine benchmarking to cost. One example is having three geographic locations, therefore, if one of them is completing their service orders within three days, while in another location it is two days, that discrepancy should cause me to ask why and to begin seeking improvements in operations. One great tactic to ensure accurate benchmarking without confinement is to locally contact other similar organizations.
I really enjoy this one–reengineering! For me, it is the new term for the saying “think outside the box!” Instead, I like to reengineer. Often as a facilities manager you have to keep working with, on and around policies and procedures for major improvements. At times–well, many–these are a bit of a challenge when they are stagnant, outdated and may not fit the organizational or employee development goals anymore. What is needed then is a new kind of approach. What we do not need is a reengineering effort, because it’s the newest trend, but because we need to make real long-term change.
The focus must be on the business process, even eliminating everything except for the design of the process, not neglecting people’s values and beliefs and certainly not willing to settle for minor results and quitting the exercise too early. All and all, the facilities manager’s stance is critical. There needs to be full support for reengineering and requires training on all levels and proper compensation for the implementation.
Empowering and engagement are core aspects of any management and leadership acumen. I stand by it wholeheartedly. Respect for frontline teams to ensure they are provided and enabled to handle any situation they are given is a leader's stronghold. Give your teams the authority to solve problems and you gain an empowered and engaged workforce who wants to do the job right the first time!
Quality teams are engaged teams. Many studies, as well as my experiences, demonstrate that today’s workers function best in situations where they feel committed and engaged in their work.
As I continue to manage my teams with these and other methodologies, I never lose sight of the continuous spectrum of improvement that must be at the forefront of all leaders in facilities management for quality facilities.
Maria Ruiz is a Facilities Operations Manager at UNICEF USA with 15+ years of cross-sector expertise. Overseeing multiple national offices, she applies Lean Six Sigma methodologies to create sustainable, efficient workspaces supporting humanitarian missions. Her writing champions women in facilities management by blending technical knowledge with practical insights that empower professionals in this traditionally male-dominated field.
