Professional facilities and security managers can have a huge impact on their host organisation, whether in terms of helping to create an optimum, safe working environment conducive to greater productivity or having a direct and positive impression on the bottom line. In order to do so, however, they must develop the knowledge, skills and techniques needed for incisive management.
There’s no denying that experience and personal attributes are a major factor here, but focused learning and training has a mighty role to play in equipping both facilities and security professionals with the skills and knowledge required for an improved performance.
Never one to shirk its responsibilities in the training field, the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) runs 45 separate courses. All of them managed by Quadrilect, they are said to “offer an unparalleled range of opportunities for personal and professional development” – thereby rendering the practising security or facilities professional more effective in their role.
All courses are based on the benchmark BIFM competencies underpinning the Institute’s membership criteria, the Continuing Professional Development framework and assessment across all three routes of the BIFM qualification. They support candidates on the professional competence route to qualification (currently under review) who may need to address identified development areas.
Attending the courses on offer can help candidates strengthen their knowledge base and form part of the portfolio of evidence they need to submit when demonstrating a knowledge of facilities management.
Security Management for FMs
The two-day course entitled Security Management for FMs is a good place to start. The lead trainer on this one is none other than Mike Bluestone, director of security consulting at the CIA Excel Group and the author of the BIFM’s Good Practice Guide to Security Management for Facilities Managers.
The course provides detailed information and advice on the effective management of security, and explains how security issues and potential threats might be managed proactively to safeguard overall business operations. A security survey exercise and related workshops underpin the practical nature of the course.
Topics covered include regulation by the Security Industry Authority, traditional and emerging threats, the ‘new’ face of global terrorism, security policies, procedures and documentation, operational procedures, control and supervision, internal and external security audits, risk management and key physical premises security, the procurement of security contractors and equipment and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
In a similar vein, there’s a Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity course running over one day. It’s worth remembering that no organisation is immune from severe disruption to its activities. There’s every potential for unforeseen incidents to develop into disasters.
Terrorist attacks are, of course, well publicised and 7/7 remains fresh in the memory, but floods, fires, computer and power supply failures and other incidents affecting both physical assets and workforces are surprisingly commonplace.
No responsible managers can afford to ignore the danger to employees, the loss of essential assets and the overall financial impact. This one-day course reviews the development of a threat matrix, risk assessment and avoidance procedures, planning objectives and obtaining management ‘buy-in’, developing a disaster recovery and business continuity plan, the lessons to be learned from recent disasters and insurance issues.
Evacuation and bomb mitigation procedures, PR and communications and managing the media, crisis management issues and IT management are also covered.
Project management essentials
Another two-day course explains the fundamentals of Project Management, enabling practitioners to determine what kind of work benefits from a project approach, how to define a project and then to deliver the work with a far greater chance of success at the end.
A structured Case Study has been devised which takes the student from initial ‘chaos’ through a structured breakdown of all the work required that will ensure success. According to the BIFM: “This structured, step-by-step approach will enable you to influence Stakeholders and control the project through to commissioning and handover.”
Estimating time, cost and effort needed is a large part of the course, so too networking concepts and the basics of critical path analysis. Scheduling the work, resource issues, controlling the changes that will occur and closing the project are discussed in depth.
The Tender Process
Too many contracts fail to meet expectations due to poor specification, inadequate pre-qualification and ill-conceived tendering procedures. The Tender Process one-day course offers delegates an effective, systematic and professional approach to tendering the appointment of contractors through the use of good specification and process management.
The topic areas discussed include defining outputs and standards, the importance of contract conditions, pre-qualification, pre-tender interviews, the evaluation of bids in terms of value for money, post-tender clarification and negotiation and contract awards, handover and implementation.
Understanding and Developing Service Level Agreements (SLAs) is a key course for FM and security professionals. SLAs can be used to change and improve services. Managers need to know how to structure and write SLAs. There’s a distinct difference between them, specifications and contracts.
What about Key Performance Indicators? How should they fit in? This and many other areas are addressed, as is successful implementation of the completed SLA.
Sustainability and the environment
Sustainability and Environmental Issues for FMs runs over two days and, in line with current ‘popularity’ at Board Room level, explains how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and environmental management issues affect organisations. The course outlines practical measures and tools for security and facilities professionals to handle the challenges.
UK and EC regulatory and legislative requirements are a central focus, and there’s a vital introduction to environmental management systems and ISO 14001.