As a facilities leader, the truth is you likely know much less about daily operations than you think you do. Let’s face it, you manage the daily productivity of hundreds of employees across potentially millions of square feet; that is a lot to keep track of. So when the time comes, how do you have the conversations that will push operations forward without having a granular understanding of what is actually happening?

At CrowdComfort we consistently hear stories of daily facility operations falling through the cracks because of the lack of adequate tracking and communication systems. The fact is that something as simple as a custodian not knowing to clean or not having access to a certain room can have a lasting impact on the school or business. More often than not, it can take weeks before facility leaders are informed of the issue and can make the necessary changes. 

As infrastructure expands and pressures increase it becomes evermore important to have data and tracking to create operational visibility. The “conversations you’ve never had” are two-fold. Data can enable you to have productive conversations in every aspect of your role.

Prepare your team for data-driven success

Something is broken, a room is uncleaned, a building is unkept, who is at fault (who takes the blame)? The facility leader (you do). However, you had no idea about those holes in your operation because for the most part everything was running smoothly — or so you thought. 

Now, you are left to deal with the complaints and pick up the pieces to a problem that was completely invisible to you. Your boss hears the gripes from employees, your subordinates are disgruntled because of the ridicule they’ve received from the community, and your system provided no visibility to the, now exacerbated, simple fix.

Data can help identify that flaw and remedy the problem before others notice. 

The procedures of daily operations become proactive rather than reactively fixing issues post-crisis. The difference is now not only knowing what should be happening daily, you now have open visibility to what is happening daily — and more importantly what may not be getting done correctly. 

Of equal importance, is the new data-driven conversations you can have with your team. When something is not being completed to a satisfactory level, or a specific worker’s productivity is diminished, you will know it. Using data you can analyze why that may be and can unlock the ability to find alternative solutions for work completion. The goal is not to tell employees they are doing a poor job, rather it enables you to have open communication with them to meet expectations.

Advocate for your team with leadership

On the other end of the scale, you likely have to scratch and claw for every inch and justify your every move when working with leadership. Unfortunately, we all know that when budget cuts come often the first department to bear the burden is facilities. That means you must be able to show the importance of what you are doing and why continued limitations will negatively affect the community long-term. 

Conversations with higher-ups are made infinitely easier when you have defensible data to back up your operations and justify the importance of your department.

Think very literally about the board-level conversations you’ve had or witnessed. Often the verbiage is something to the regard of “thank you for the hard work of our facility team,” but it usually does not mention the work that is actually being done or who is performing particularly well. Data can shift that rhetoric away from broad generalities to pointed metrics to why operation is running smoothly. 

With a data-first-approach you can make suggestions in those higher-level conversations to optimize operations and adjust when necessary. If budget becomes a major concern and cuts are inevitable, the data will make innovative cleaning and staffing decisions possible without inhibiting the quality of work. 

Also, in an educational setting, you can sit down with principals and others to understand their goals, then use the data to staff accordingly to best achieve them. 

At the end of the day, you need the ability to defend your department and the work being done. With data and tracking you can open those doors, without the daily headaches will only continue to grow.

In close, when you think about unlocking the “conversations you’ve never had,” also think about the conversations you wish you didn’t have to have and the conversations that negatively shape operations. Data can morph those conversations towards innovation that creates a proactive and functional environment. 

‍Frequently Asked Questions

How do you have conversations you’ve never had as a facilities leader?

Building operational visibility through data and tracking is what unlocks conversations you’ve never had because you see — and can prove — what's actually happening day-to-day. With visibility the conversation becomes proactively with both your team and with leadership. 

How do you prepare your facilities team for data-driven success?‍

Data lets you catch operational gaps like an uncleaned room before they surface as complaints that land on your desk, shifting operations from reactive crisis-management to proactive maintenance. It also reshapes performance conversations: when work falls short, the goal isn't to tell employees they're doing a poor job, but to open honest communication about why and find alternative solutions that meet expectations.

How do you advocate for your facilities team with leadership?

Conversations with higher-ups get easier when you have defensible data to justify your department's importance — especially since facilities are often first to bear budget cuts. It also enables you to have productive conversations for next steps when changes are made. Using data facilities managers can make adjustments without taxing the department or losing quality.

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