Plan, Do, Check, Act

by Key Business Support | Oct 23, 2020 | Key News

“It will be bumpy through to Christmas, It may even be bumpy beyond” –
Boris Johnson, The Andrew Marr Show, 4th October 2020

A sobering warning from the Prime Minister that the second wave may take us into 2021 before normality is re-established.
Returning to work in this new environment can be a stark and daunting bridge to cross, with restrictions and limitations set in Government Guidelines it has been vital that all changes have one thing at the heart of the matter. Protecting our clients and staff from COVID-19.
The various barriers and obstacles we faced were staggering, in some cases, like many other businesses, we had to take a big step back and look over every aspect of precautions and procedures for our clients and then face the larger task of implementing them.

Plan, Do, Check, Act.

The simple, yet comprehensive, system, worked on and developed by KeyFM, that we have implemented throughout Key to ensure the safety of our clients and our staff. Although COVID-19 has caused large disruption and displaced workspaces, this ever-changing situation is not new for the role of Facilities Management as we always look to improve and react to the everyday that affects clients and businesses.

The start of lockdown in March seems like a longer time than just 6 months. Since that time, we have re-evaluated the risks and integrated further monitoring methods. On one of our Locations, visitors have their temperature taken with an entry camera which in return flags up any that are unusually high allowing for the staff to take the necessary precautions with that visitor. This helps to cut off risk to other staff within the building at the very start.

Check out Keystone for Smart Building and Smart solutions for returning to work safely.

Return to Work

In other sites, we have implemented social distancing through the entire building and created pathways through the busier sections to avoid bottlenecks of staff. This way social distancing can be maintained, and staff movements and numbers can better be monitored.
Some solutions did not involve new technology or a re-planned workspace, something as simple as turning air conditioning from recycling air to fresh air sources by either altering the centralised air conditioning settings or merely opening a window.

All of these decisions were actioned as a process of Plan, Do, Check and Act.

Phase 1: Plan

Plan is all about risk assessments. Every aspect of your building including the people in it must be taken into consideration when planning to reintegrate them into the workspace.

Phase 2: Do

Do, is implementation.
Applying all aspects of the risk assessments from the plan phase. Communication is key at this stage as you will be introducing new procedures and, in some cases, a whole new method in which your workplace operates onto staff that have already experienced the difficulties of Social Distancing and lockdown.

Phase 3: Check

Check is making sure that phase 2 is working. This is where any trackers and data from the planning stage will be vital. This can be observed if your bottlenecks are occurring in different areas of the building or if access points are to close to work areas.

Phase 4: Act

And then there is Act.
Where any faults from phase 3 can be observed and logged, at which point that data is used for Phase 1, where we loopback. As COVID-19 is not going anywhere anytime soon and the science behind how it transmits and what is effective against it is always growing and adapting. So Key FM has to be the same for our Clients. We adapt to the new information and guidelines and we adapt to the data coming from the workspaces. To make them safer and as efficient as they can be right now.

“Life should not feel normal right now” Nicola Sturgeon. First Minister’s Speech 22nd March 2020

The future right now has far more questions than answers, however, good FM is about adapting to the big or small, the good or bad and the exciting or scary. We cannot control what’s happening in the world, but KeyFM is about controlling the world around you.

All the information talked about here is available in the extensive BSI document, click here to be redirected.

– Author: Darren Lloyd

Key FM CIO leading light in ISO TC 267

by | Jun 11, 2019 | Key News

Key FM is pleased to share the news that Gordon Mitchell has been selected to lead a new ISO/TC267 Technology Task Group (FMTTG) under the umbrella of the Advisory Group 1 (AG1) Road Map. 

Next steps for ISO 41000 Image source: WWW.IFMA.ORG/FMJ

Industry peers understand technology is becoming increasingly important to facilities management. For many years Gordon has spearheaded industry–leading thinking in this area, so he is the natural choice to bring his enthusiasm and passion for tech. to the process. He recognises the near incredible pace at which technology is evolving and is fully on board with the ISO resolve to invest more attention and resources to this topic as part of the AG1 Road Map.  

The remit of this FMTTG is to explore the issue of FM and technology and develop a road map and recommendations for a way forward to navigate this domain. Stakeholders are aware of the need to standardise the ways in which our industry approaches technology but at the same time are in tune with the challenges of standardising anything as fluid as technology in the current environment! 

A crack “task force”! 

The group of experts range from academics pioneering the thought leadership process through inspirational Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) to best-in-class technology experts in their respective fields. 

Direction St. Petersburg!  

The FMTTG kicked off in April and aims to report back in November 2019. Gordon will be at the EFMC in Dublin with the intention of delivering a straw-man proposal and validation of direction of work. In November 2019, in St. Petersburg the team will deliver their white paper, road map and, if applicable, new work item proposal. 

The FMTTG represents an exciting next step within the ISO 41000 series and yet again Key FM is proud to be at the heart of the developments it will bring to our industry.

Ensure you are the first to hear about developments in the FMTTG by following Key FM on LinkedIn. If you are interested in finding out more, connect with Gordon and Key FM today! 

Key FM supporting World FM Day 2019

by | May 11, 2019 | Key News

World FM Day on May 15th is a celebration and recognition of the facility management profession. It’s a time to bring the behind-the-scenes heroes of the built environment into the limelight and share well-deserved thanks for keeping our buildings healthy, safe and productive places to work.

Meet the Key FM team in Doune

Key FM is a family run facilities management consultancy, established in Scotland in 1990, we are the longest-running FM consultancy in the UK. This photo is taken outside our historic office in Doune, the original factory where the pistol that fired the first round of the American War of Independence was manufactured. Founded in 1646 by blacksmith Thomas Caddel, it produced astonishingly ornate engraved pistols made from melted-down horseshoe nails and Doune pistols became the gun of choice among kings and nobles. We are now proud to call this space our own and maintain the spirit of innovation and excellence in our field established here over 300 years ago.

In the spirit of shouting loud and proud about the contributions facility professionals like ours make to the built environment and to our world, we’re supporting the IFMA throughout World FM ​Week.

To get involved remember to sign up on the IFMA World FM Day page on May 13. The following features will be available for download on each day of World FM Week:

5 Days of Gratitude

May 13: Four Ways Technology Has Changed the Modern Workplace (article)

May 14: Five Practices That Improve the Business Impact of Research (benchmarking)

May 15: How Cisco Improved Their Triple Bottom Line by Updating Their Brand, Culture and Workspace (case study)

May 16: Work Space Etiquette (how to)

May 17: Making Sense of BIM for FM Managing for the Building Life Cycle (white paper​)

And of course, follow us throughout World FM Week to find out what we’re getting up to!