Facility managers are often judged by how well they respond to failure. During his presentation at NFMT East in Charlotte, Dennis Ford argues the real measure of success is how effectively failure is prevented in the first place. Ford breaks down how facility teams can better manage risk across the entire asset lifecycle. From building a meaningful asset inventory to selecting the right maintenance strategy, he highlights how understanding risk—probability of failure and operational impact—should drive every decision. What sets this session apart is its practical, real-world lens. Ford doesn’t rely on theory—he brings lessons from major hospital builds, post-disaster recovery efforts, and day-to-day operational challenges. He highlights how gaps between design, construction, and operations teams routinely introduce risk—and why facility managers must have a seat at the table earlier in the process.