Church facility management encompasses a lot of diverse areas that all need to be managed on a regular basis. Before you dive in to the "how to" portion of managing your facility, start with these inputs. There are four major inputs you should address before you start managing. These areas will vary according to the size of your church, the facility, and the campus you have. By taking a look at these inputs and making sure you understand them and have done them, you are then ready to start managing that will result in more savings of time and money.
Assessing Your Team
This may be an ongoing process in finding the right people for the job. Here are some question to ask yourself and work through:
- Volunteers - can I get by with just volunteers?
- Building and Grounds Committee -do I need one and what is their role
- Paid staff - do I just hire it all out, or can I mix in volunteers?
- Outsourcing - do I use this for housekeeping or build my own in-house team?
- Vendors - how do I find vendors that want to become partners with me in facility management?
- Facility Manager - at what point to I hire this person and what is their role?
Mapping Your Facility
It is very difficult to manage what you don't now you have or where it is! Take the time and effort to map your facility. This can be used for so many tasks in facility management plus it is a key feature to consider. Mapping will also save you time and money with vendors charging you by the hour for their services. Things you can map include:
Types of...
- flooring
- roofing
- square footage
- HVAC
- gas or electric
Location of...
- breaker panels
- shut off valves
- fire extinguishers
- thermostats
- mop sinks
How many...
- sinks
- toilets
- soap and paper dispensers
- acres
- vehicles
- parking spaces
You get the idea! Mapping can also tell you how many people you will need for each task by knowing your facility size and what you have.
Assessing your Equipment
Take inventory of what you have on hand and the condition it is in. Keep a record on each piece taking note of when it was purchased, the cost, the age of the unit, and any repairs on it to date. Items to take inventory and assess include:
- vacuums
- buffers
- carpet extractors
- tile cleaners
- mop bucket set ups
- carts
Training and Skill Levels
This is so important in facility management. There are 4 keys areas to consider in training and knowing your team.
1. Know and understand the level of skill of each staff person on your team
2. Assess the training needed for the areas that you are lacking in
3. Know where to get training like vendors and suppliers
4. Begin an ongoing training program especially for any new equipment you purchase
So, there are your four inputs for facility management that will greatly increase your output once you get started.
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