ISO 41001 - Facility Management System
The new ISO 41001 "Facility management - Management systems - Requirements with guidance for use", published in April 2018, establishes a framework for developing an effective way of strategic, tactical and operational management of the operational structures in which it will be applied.
Facililty Management was founded in the 1970s in the United States with the intention of containing the costs of managing real estate assets and maintaining their value, focusing on the maintenance of facilities supported by real estate and planning related activities.
In recent years, the building management sector has experienced significant growth in outsourced service business, while at the same time there has also been a process of fragmentation of operators and technologies in a market seeking integration. For these reasons, a process of sharing and harmonization is needed today, which Facility Management aims for.
With this in mind and based on international best practices, the new ISO 41001 "Facility management - Management systems - Requirements with guidance for use" published in April 2018, establishes a framework for developing an effective way of strategic, tactical and operational management of the operational structures in which it will be applied.
Stanley Mitchell, President of ISO/TC 267 "Facility management" which he has developed in accordance, thinks ISO 41001 will support organizations in different ways, establishing a common approach and a set of processes that will serve as benchmarks in the global scenario.
"Every company, large or small, manages its own facilities - says Mitchell, who continues - Facility Management is a complex discipline that has a direct impact on people, because it concerns the spaces in which we operate and determines the adequacy of the premises to the needs of those who use them on a daily basis.
The first of its kind has the potential to make a real difference, allowing to improve the health and safety of workers, reduce the environmental impact and achieve significant savings and efficiencies".
It is clear that ISO 41001 compared to other ISO standards which focuses on productivity and primary processes, focuses on the relationship between the built environment and the quality of life of the people who live there.
In particular, the Standard is aimed both at organizations - Facility Management Organization, whose core business is oriented to the maintenance of buildings / plants / infrastructures, and to organizations - Demand Organization, which entrust this activity of building/plant/infrastructure management, outsourced.
