Educational institutions frequently face challenges in efficient facility management. These challenges range from maintaining diverse spaces and regulatory compliance to ensuring optimal resource utilization. All this necessitates a robust educational facilities management software to be in place, and Computer-Aided Facility Management (CAFM) emerges as a transformative solution.
It offers benefits like strategic space utilization and easy facility maintenance. The result is a well-organized and properly maintained institution that boosts students’ engagement and allows them to focus better on their studies.
This article explains what a CAFM is and how it benefits educational institutions. Continue reading!
What is a CAFM?
CAFM is an acronym for Computer-Aided Facility Management. It’s a software solution that helps organizations by automating the management and maintenance of physical spaces, resources, and related processes.
CAFM plays a crucial role in simplifying facility management tasks in educational institutions. Before CAFM, managing school or college facilities involved handling extensive paperwork, including documents related to maintenance, space usage, and property information. This manual process was time-consuming and prone to errors.
A survey of 320 facility managers from four metropolitan areas of Texas reveals poor facility management practices are being used in large public schools. This is directly reflected in the academic performance of students.
Mr. Glen J. Earthman of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, USA, revealed at the “Improving the Quality of Educational Building” seminar in Austria that the quality of educational facilities impacts the performance and behavior of students.
However, with CAFM technology, institutions can streamline and automate these tasks. It helps in efficiently managing classrooms, maintenance schedules, and various facilities. CAFM facilitates better decision-making by providing organized and up-to-date information, ultimately enhancing the overall management of educational facilities
Role of CAFM in Educational Facilities Management
The following points highlight how an education facilities management software like CAFM can help educational institutions create a safe and engaging environment:
Maintenance Management
The French Institute for Research on the Economics of Education highlighted various problems affecting the quality of education. Deterioration in the condition of education facilities was among the top two concerns in this regard.
Educational institutions have a range of physical structures like academic buildings, athletic grounds, etc. They also have various intricate systems like mechanical, plumbing, electrical, telecommunications, security, and fire suppression. All these things demand regular maintenance to ensure functionality, safety, and longevity.
However, the sheer scale and complexity of these systems can overwhelm facility managers. This leads to challenges in keeping track of maintenance schedules, which can result in faulty or unsafe conditions, compromising the overall well-being of the educational environment.
With CAFM systems, you can streamline the maintenance tasks. CAFM systems keep automating scheduling, tracking, and managing maintenance tasks efficiently. CAFM will notify the concerned manager whenever equipment requires maintenance, enabling prompt action. This preventive maintenance approach reduces downtime by 30-50% and increases the lifespan of equipment by 20-40%.
Ultimately, this assists in establishing a secure and conducive educational atmosphere for students and faculty.
Asset Management
Educational assets involve a variety of things that contribute to an engaging learning environment. These include classroom furniture, laboratory equipment, computers, projectors, etc. Tracking and managing these assets manually can be challenging and time-consuming.
A 2013 school district audit in Philadelphia revealed $196,000 worth of inventory was missing from eleven schools.
With CAFM systems, asset management processes have been streamlined. These offer real-time insights about assets and their current condition in the inventory.
For instance, it can reveal a textbook shortage in the library. This real-time tracking allows you to track and rearrange books, preventing mismanagement at crunch moments like special events.
Space Optimization
Space optimization in educational institutions is about using physical areas efficiently to enhance productivity and save resources. A CAFM system also helps in this as it has a CAD (Computer Aid Design) feature to create a detailed map of the school’s layout and monitor how spaces are used in real-time. This information allows schools to identify underutilized areas and adjust schedules or repurpose spaces accordingly.
If the CAFM system indicates that a particular meeting hall is infrequently used during the day, the school management can repurpose it to a study room. Likewise, other non-functional places can be turned operational. Such proper space utilization will improve the operational efficiency of educational facilities. In addition, it results in potential cost savings, eliminating the need for unnecessary expansions and construction projects.
Safety Compliance
Educational institutions require proper compliance with safety and security regulations. This ensures students aren’t only getting quality education but also feel safe on the institute’s premises. An educational facilities management system like a CAFM helps in this as it stores critical regulatory instructions.
It uses the stored data to keep track of safety protocols, ensuring that inspections, drills, and maintenance tasks are all on time. For instance, if emergency exits need regular checks, the CAFM system will schedule and track these inspections. This lessens the risk of overlooking crucial safety measures.
CAFM in Educational Institutions Case Studies
The following case studies highlight how CAFM is revolutionizing the educational sector management:
Case Study 1
The Higher College of Technology faced challenges in managing and tracking various facilities and equipment across its departments. They contacted Auberon Technology for a CAFM solution featuring powerful asset management capabilities. The CAFM provided HCT with centralized control and real-time visibility into its educational assets like classrooms, laboratories, and IT infrastructure.
In addition, the system’s intuitive interface allowed facility managers to categorize assets, schedule maintenance tasks, and track usage patterns. HCT easily optimizes resource allocation, enhancing operational efficiency. Partnering with Auberon Technology gave them a chance to reduce downtime and provide effective education through proper facilities management.
Case Study 2
Facility managers at Zayed University, the leader in national and regional educational innovation in the UAE, were struggling to keep up with maintenance. Auberon Technology offered them a CAFM solution that made it easy for them to manage their plumbing, electrical, and IT security systems efficiently.
The CAFM did this by scheduling preventive maintenance tasks and tracking the status of requests in real time. Zayed University also integrated the CAFM with IoT sensors to monitor critical educational infrastructure. This resulted in the early detection of potential issues, preventing costly downtime and a smooth learning environment.
Benefits of a CAFM in Educational Facilities Management
The benefits of an educational facilities management system like CAFM are given as follows:
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Engaging Learning Environment
CAFM in educational institutions ensures that classrooms and labs are well-maintained and have all the right resources. This creates a positive atmosphere for students, and they show better engagement and focus.
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Reduces Operational Costs
For instance, an audit found $200,000 worth of missing devices in LA schools. In addition, facility managers didn’t have records for another 3000+ devices, including laptops and desktops.
Educational facilities management systems like CAFM help optimize resource allocation, prevent unnecessary maintenance expenses through proactive planning, and streamline facility usage.
There’ll be less equipment replacements and a strategic resource allocation. This money-saving capability of CAFM increases the financial stability of an educational institution.
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Stress Reduction for Facility Managers
CAFM also reduces the stress on facility managers. The system automates routine tasks – scheduling maintenance, tracking inventory, etc. Hence, it minimizes the administrative burden on facility management teams.
In addition, there are real-time insights that help them proactively address issues, leading to smoother operations and a more manageable workload. This stress-free environment lets facility managers focus more on strategic planning and innovations to take educational institutions’ functionality to the next level.
Conclusion
The implementation of educational facilities management systems like CAFM in educational institutions paves the way for operational efficiency. It has features like space optimization, asset management, and maintenance management that allow facility managers to maximize the efficiency of an educational facility.
If you are searching for a reliable CAFM solution for your educational institution, Auberon Technology is here to help. We offer reliable IT solutions like CAFMs that are secure, easy to use, and provide operational efficiency.
Get in touch with us today to create an environment that meets regulatory compliance and cultivates an engaging learning space!
Citations:
Sitelogiq, & SitelogIQ. (2024b, January 8). How K-12 facilities impact student learning and health. SitelogIQ. https://www.sitelogiq.com/blog/k12-facilities-impact-student-learning-health/
Lavy, S., & Bilbo, D. (2009). Facilities maintenance management practices in large public schools, Texas. Facilities, 27(1/2), 5–20 https://doi.org/10.1108/02632770910923054
Southern California Public Radio. (2015, January 21). LA schools audit: Hundreds of missing, stolen computers. https://archive.kpcc.org/blogs/education/2014/08/27/17215/la-schools-audit-finds-hundreds-of-computers-stole/
BLOG: Audit finds $ and equipment missing from Philly Schools. (2013, July 3). CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/blog-audit-finds-and-equipment-missing-from-philly-schools/
Hinum, Dr. M. (1999). Strategies for managing educational Facilities Infrastructure. OECD. https://www.oecd.org/education/innovation-education/2675945.pdf
