Key Takeaways:
Facilities management is changing quickly. Commercial and institutional buildings are aging, equipment is more complex, skilled trades are harder to find and operations expect near-continuous uptime. Facility managers, building operators and front-line technicians feel these pressures every day. The work is more demanding, the expectations are higher and the margins for error are smaller.
Aging infrastructure requires smarter maintenance strategies. Skilled trades are increasingly difficult to recruit and retain. Equipment is more complex and demands higher technical skills. Sustainability goals add new responsibilities. Production pressures leave little room for downtime.
These realities mean facilities management teams must be more organized, more proactive and more aligned with operations than ever. High-performance teams deliver reliability, predictability and continuous improvement, not just repairs. In this environment, the strength of the team — not just the tools or technology — determines whether an organization stays ahead of problems or constantly reacts to them.
High-performance facilities management teams do not happen by accident. They are built through clear structure, disciplined processes and leadership behaviors that support everyone involved in keeping facilities running. The challenge for managers is to understand what high-performance facilities management teams look like, how they operate and how both leaders and frontline personnel can contribute to sustained excellence.
High-performance facilities management teams share four core characteristics that benefit everyone involved in maintenance and operations:
Role clarity. Everyone from technicians to planners to supervisors knows exactly what they are responsible for. Clear roles reduce confusion, prevent duplicated effort and help workflow smoothly.
Tiered accountability. High-performance teams use structured routines. Daily huddles address immediate issues and safety concerns. Weekly reviews focus on backlog, preventive maintenance (PM) compliance and work order aging. Monthly governance meetings evaluate key performance indicators (KPI) and cross-functional alignment. These routines help teams stay organized and can prevent small issues from becoming big problems.
Data-driven workflows. Accurate CMMS data, clear work orders and consistent documentation help teams make better decisions. Data is not just for managers. It helps technicians get the right information, the right parts and the right priorities.
Strong leadership. Strong facilities management leadership supports technicians and operations by coaching instead of commanding, escalating early instead of late, standardizing processes instead of improvising and communicating clearly and consistently. Effective leadership creates work environments where people can succeed.
Darrell X. Rounds is director of facilities services and project management for Stellantis N.V. He leads facilities operations at its 5.8 million square foot Chrysler Technology Center. Darrell has over 27 years of industry experience, having led teams for facilities management, construction and engineering with portfolios totaling more than 53 million square feet and $7.2 billion in asset replacement costs.
