… and how technology can help
World Cup fever has taken hold, with each match documented in the global press. Good-natured fan debates about who’s world class, who’s over-rated and who should be dropped ensure football will firmly in the spotlight all season. Facility management teams, on the other hand, quietly keep workplaces, hospitals, universities and public buildings running with little fanfare.
Yet in many ways, their job is even more demanding. Unlike football managers, FM teams don’t get to focus on just one event for 90 minutes. They juggle competing priorities around the clock, with fewer resources and far less recognition.
Being in FM is arguably harder than being in the World Cup, but the good news is that technology is changing the game.
1) Footballers get hydration breaks
A controversial addition to this year’s World Cup, nevertheless appreciated by the players running around in the sun. Unfortunately in FM, when the heat is on – either physically when systems start failing due to soaring temperatures, or mentally when answers are being demanded by senior stakeholders – taking a break is simply not an option. However, the FM team can pass some of the more repetitive work over to automation, such as triaging incoming work requests, generating recurring PPMs across the year, or triggering date-based compliance reminder via CMMS software.
2) Football has pundits and a psychic octopus
When the matches begin, everyone fancies themself as a tactical mastermind. Football has no end of pundits and commentators – even a psychic octopus. While Paul (the octopus) famously achieved a 100% success rate predicting the winners of the 2010 World Cup, FMs have to rely on more universally proven methods – and provide answers more complicated than one option or the other. Reporting and analytics are getting easier in FM though, with hundreds of built-in reports on CMMS software, simpler integration with BI systems like Tableau or PowerBI, and AI analysis to identify trends and highlight risks before they become costly problems.
3) Football teams get half time pep-talks
If things aren’t going quite right on the pitch, managers can pull the team together for some inspirational words or a change of tactics at half time. Facility managers don’t enjoy the same privileges, often with teams spread across the building or multiple sites, working different hours or days. Using a CMMS mobile app can help with communication, and help make sure everyone is working to the correct priorities in real time. In tandem with this, teams should invest in a strong training schedule to make sure everyone’s skills and certifications are up-to-date to prevent any unnecessary mistakes and delays.
4) Football only has one goal*
(*yes, we know there are 2 physical goals on the pitch)
A football team has one clear objective: win the match. Facility managers don’t have that luxury. Success means balancing asset performance, compliance, energy consumption, budgets, occupant satisfaction and sustainability targets, all at the same time.
Technology helps FM teams make better decisions. Dashboards, reporting and AI bring together key performance data, helping managers prioritise work based on risk and business impact rather than whichever issue shouts the loudest. The result is less firefighting and more time focused on the work that delivers the greatest value.
5) A football manager can see the whole pitch.
FM managers often can’t see everything that’s happening on their pitch. And they not only manage the team but also the stadium and everything happening inside it.
Football managers make decisions with a complete view of the game. Facility managers often have to piece together information from CMMS, BMS, BIM, IoT sensors and finance systems before they can understand what’s really happening. Connected ecosystems like our Geminus platform connects those disparate systems into a single operational picture, giving FM teams the visibility they need to make faster, better-informed decisions.
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