UK
As colleges and universities start wrapping up their student enrolment campaigns for the summer, much of the focus has been on grades and career prospects. But what of the learning environment itself? Lighting and green space are proven factors in motivation, which in turn leads to better academic performance, and establishments such as Pymble Ladies’ College and ACS International Schools use their exemplary estates as key selling points. Boasting acres of land and state-of-the-art facilities or working with more moderate areas, estates teams work through the summer to maintain and promote their facility to the new cohort.
PPM and reactive maintenance
Preparation is key in managing any estate, but in learning institutions certain times lend themselves to disruptive works more than others. Through intelligent scheduling, estates teams can plan some works around half terms and holidays when the grounds are quieter. Over the rest of the year, graphical tools within a CAFM software system can be used to review, forecast and optimise planned activities including maintenance, health and safety schedules and warranty expiry dates. As the system can calculate the appropriate levels of maintenance for equipment to minimise breakdown or unavailability, schools can be more confident in providing reliable facilities and save money through more efficient use of the estates team’s time and resources.
KPI performance
By categorising each work request by urgency, jobs can be prioritised appropriately and combined with PPMs where appropriate to maximise resources. Understanding the scale of work performed across a large or multi-site area can be difficult but CAFM centralises work, showing what has been done, what is outstanding and who has been assigned each task. KPI reports can be run at the touch of a button to show performance and give the opportunity to understand how improvements can be made.
Easy job logging
Providing an easy-to-use system is half the battle when dealing with reactive maintenance requests and keeping the school or college functioning at a high level. Service Works’ CAFM system, QFM, offers a clear, pictorial interface to allow staff to log problems such as leaks or damaged assets quickly and without training. The requests are then processed centrally on the system and can be allocated to operatives through mobile devices running the app. This system relieves the help desk / estates team of the time consuming administration of fielding phone calls and transferring paper or email requests to a database.
Space planning
QFM Space can further improve efficiency and keep estates running smoothly by analyzing space requirements and allowing multiple scenarios to be tested through the system when planning a move. It also allows for the creation and recording of property appraisal assessments, which is particularly useful for schools and colleges that own a large property portfolio.
For more information about how QFM can keep your school, college or university grounds as a selling point, speak to our educational team – contact us here.
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