CAFM & Construction Management


CAFM & Construction Management

Facility Management Software is a topic that looks like it’s extremely complicated and hard to get into – from an outsider’s perspective. In reality, it’s not the most different topic out there, but there is one thing that might be what confuses a lot of people – the abundance of different software types and acronyms, such as CMMS, EAM, IWMS, and CAFM.

While CAFM is the main topic here, it’s also important to go over other acronyms and the meaning behind those. CMMS – Computerized Maintenance Management Systems – is the least complicated out of the four, focusing mainly on scheduling and asset maintenance tracking.

EAM – Enterprise Asset Management – is a planning software that focuses more on the long-term results, with the capability to monitor various assets as well as their condition and profitability. IWMS – Integrated Workplace Management System – is a different kind of software system, geared more towards real estate management, workplace resource management, sustainability of the environment, etc.

This leaves us with one last acronym to work through – CAFM. Computer-Aided Facility Management is one more type of facility management software that allows for the optimization of many different customer-oriented services. The list of these services includes asset management, room reservation, space management, facilities service, and more. Another interesting feature of CAFM is its ability to monitor various activities on-premises, including their execution process.

Going a bit more in-depth about some of the bigger features that CAFM systems can offer to their users:

  • Lifecycle management. One of the prime purposes of CAFM is to help with resource management in a long term, which is why there are a lot of lifecycle-related features, including asset management, extensive monitoring, asset grouping, etc.
  • Infrastructure management. It’s possible to partially connect CAFM directly with the building’s infrastructure, which allows for both accurate remote monitoring and for partial remote management, as well as improving the overall safety of the structure.
  • Data-centric approach. Information is the main pillar of any CAFM system, since data collection and data analysis help with making more down-to-earth decisions based on the actual real-time information of your company. It’s also important to mention that the addition of CAD massively expands the number of features that CAFM can offer, including different means of visualization, planning, and more.
  • Administrative features. CAFM is not all about facilities and assets, too. It can also work with staff management, to an extent. Sometimes this set of features includes user logging, visitor checking, and other means of human resource tracking. 
  • Planning and space management. The ability to analyze the current information allows CAFM to offer several different space management features, including figuring out the most effective layout for various processes, and the same can also be applied to workforce management.
  • Maintenance management. This is of the reasons why CAFM is often confused with CMMS, since both of those systems offer extensive maintenance features, such as routine repairs, asset condition monitoring, preventive maintenance, and others.
  • Leasing and real estate management. Lease management, room scheduling, booking – these are just some of the features that CAFM can offer when it comes to real estate management.

When it comes to facility management in general, it’s safe to say that it benefits a lot from including all of the previously mentioned systems and software appliances. At the same time, that’s not to say that facility management is the only field that is capable of reaping various benefits from more modern management means.

For example, construction management is also an extremely complicated process, and it can also benefit in a lot of ways from utilizing various modern techniques and methods. But first of all – what is construction management in the first place?

One of the most basic explanations describes construction management as a specific service that works on construction project management throughout its entire lifecycle by using many different techniques, methods, and appliances.

There are three main parameters that are the most important for any construction project – delivery time, costs, and quality. When it comes to construction management, a post of a construction manager is what connects it all together, working on quality management, cost management, time management, as well as public safety matters on-site, human resources management, decision-making, and more.

It’s also possible to figure out the biggest functions of construction management as a process: 

  • Increasing resource usage efficiency.
  • Determining plans and objectives for construction projects.
  • Setting up and implementing various operations throughout the entirety of a construction process.
  • Developing means of circumventing or avoiding potential problems or conflicts throughout the entire project.

That being said, the entirety of construction management as a process is a sophisticated topic with many different nuances and sophistication, so it’s relatively hard to explain it in a somewhat compact fashion.

Conclusion

Both construction management and facility management are relatively sophisticated topics, and both have their own sets of routines and plans that can be taken advantage of to make the entire job a lot easier. The entire goal of construction management as a process is to make the construction process easier, while the facility management focuses mainly on the proper way for the entire facility to work with as few problems as possible