The Leader - January/February 2008 - (Page 39) t e c hN o l o GY r ea diN ess QU otieN t: a doBe aNd s YmaNte c mo v e s Be Yo Nd s i mp le re p o rts to FUl l aNal Y s is (often times not designed from a real estate perspective) or point solutions that don’t enable the practitioners to operate from a common database across all facets of the real estate lifecycle and deliver limited information in a functional silo (i.e. Lease, Space, Project), without appropriate linkage (integration) to business units. In a fairly simplified sense, one could slice the real estate technology user profile into three broad segments, that sometimes overlap: executive n needs high level CRE information that will be merged into business strategy n requires a dashboard that monitors and highlights key opportunities n tool must provide insight on the organization’s “execution effectiveness” n projects - on time and budget n leases – critical dates and position relative to the market n transactions – positions optimized relative to business creditworthiness managerial n interrogates technology for executive and own use n seldom if ever enters data into the system n requires similar strategic insight, with the ability to drill into further granularity end user n regularly or occasionally enters data n performs tactical execution of assigned tasks n technology must be easy to use and optimize time, talent and resources Proper thought in design from multiple vantage points (i.e. content, users, integration, etc.), due consideration to people outside of CRE that may require occasional access, continuous training and readily available support all play a role in ensuring the various constituencies are connected with a common frame of reference. Perhaps the adage that you’re only as strong as the weakest link, might be somewhat applicable here in that even a sound technology, without consideration to users, may fail to deliver the desired outcomes. Taking the ideal and moving to the practical, let’s look at a couple of ways that technology delivers powerful information when properly designed, available and utilized on a consistent basis: adoBe sYstems iNcorporated The Global Facilities Services team at Adobe Systems Incorporated has effectively deployed RE technology on a number of levels to identify opportunities including: n Space Management. Tool that allocates usage and assists with the MAC process n Employee Self Service Portal (ESS). Enables occupants to focus on core mission n Preventive Maintenance. Ensures infrastructure & environment are optimized On a real-time basis, the Adobe CRE team is supplied with powerful information that measures the effectiveness of the on-site facilities team in managing Adobe’s LEED Platinum Award-winning headquarters complex. Real estate technology measures the team response to facilities requests, service provider (i.e. cleaning, engineering, etc.) execution on contractual obligations, and space utilization. It also enables occupants to request facilities services through a selfservice portal that keeps them focused on the core business mission. sYmaNtec corporatioN The use of real estate technology to identify and leverage opportunities is prevalent at Symantec Corporation. This organization achieves process consistency and superior service provider execution by deploying a global Employee Self Service Portal that equips occupants with an easy and effective method to request facility related services and provides the real estate team with a common standard for measurement. Infrastructure assets are maintained in accordance with a defined industry standard schedule, service provider performance is monitored and benchmarked to established SLA’s, direct operational labor and costs are managed through a planned scheduling of workflow that includes known activities and on-demand requests based on occupancy metrics, and employees are provided with world class service level standards. Many organizations still deploy inconsistent methods of maintaining infrastructure and responding to facility requests, leaving it to the receptionist team or local Facility Manager to handle. This approach results in nonuniform business processes, ineffective leverage of service provider relationships and a loss of productivity and momentum for employees, in executing on the strategic mission of the business. Having a corporate employee that might conservatively cost $35 per hour spend 5 minutes or more making a facility related call is not an efficient use of time, when technology can enable them to enter non-critical requests in a matter of a minute or two. When you extrapolate this cost across a large organization, account for the loss in momentum and the fact that at least two people need to engage in the conversation (rather than technology being leveraged to accept and dispatch the request to preapproved service providers), you become hard pressed not to move forward in providing this efficiency and cost savings. This article has only scratched the surface of considerations when gauging 2 0 0 8 t he le ade r 39 J aN Ua rY / F e B rUa r Y
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