Because it affects so many departments, selecting enterprise-level facility and workplace management software requires the careful consideration of various stakeholders from across the organization. The challenge is finding the right people so you can capture insightful feedback. But once you have the right team in place, you can work together to find a solution that supports employee experience and business goals. 

Facility and workplace leaders 

Although this choice is obvious, it’s worth remembering all the reasons why. The first is that the software can help strengthen and streamline all their workflows. It’s going to change the facility management team’s entire operations, from space planning to planning capital projects. They need to be part of the selection process because of how much it’s going to affect them. 

That said, a modern unified platform brings together people and data from across the organization. So, while it’s obvious you need facility managers on your selection team, these days it’s just as obvious that you need more than just this one group. 

Also, it’s likely that the facility and workplace leaders are the people who initially petitioned for the project, so they’ve already invested time learning about available options. Of all the groups on the selection team, they come in with the most knowledge and best-informed opinions. They can tell you the challenges they currently face, the features they want, and which platforms deserve the team’s attention.

Director of real estate 

The commercial real estate (CRE) director oversees everything from acquisitions and leasing to property management and tax issues. Like other leaders in the organization, their primary goal is to protect the organization’s bottom line, including choosing assets wisely and keeping an eye on space use. 

One of the most important features of modern workplace tech is tracking space utilization data. Depending on the platform and how the organization sets everything up, that might include sensors, a visitor management system, and room and desk booking features. 

The better the organization uses space, the smarter its real estate investments and the healthier the bottom line. For example, the right data can help the CRE director see how much and which types of office spaces employees need to best support workplace trends. They could reduce two floors of office space into one, and then change half the individual desks into shared meeting spaces.  

By bringing the director of real estate into the conversation, you can ensure the solution your organization chooses will help achieve their current space utilization goals. 

They can also help future-proof decisions. Just like the facility and workplace leaders, the CRE director follows both company- and industry-wide trends, so they know which software features can help them best adapt to trendlines, including the shift to the hybrid work model, the rise of the midweek mountain, and the growing pressure to meet sustainability goals. 

Employees 

In the end, the platform exists to support the workforce by optimizing the workplace environment. But asking every employee in an organization to participate in the selection process just isn’t possible. Instead, it can be helpful to put together a sample group or take a poll to determine what’s most important to the workforce. By determining the most common needs and concerns and finding a solution that helps people overcome these issues, team members will be more likely to adopt the new technology once it’s rolled out. 

On the topic of adoption: Make sure to include in the selection process employees you know can become strong advocates for the software solution. You need people who can contribute opinions and insights during selection. But they also need to share enthusiasm during implementation and beyond. Look for employees that have the respect of their coworkers and who are already the “trendsetters” in the office. 

C-Suite 

Depending on the size and structure of your organization, a member of the C-suite may only come into the mix briefly to sign off on the final decision. But not involving top-level executives earlier in the process is likely a mistake. Top-tier executives have access to sensitive data and high-level business objectives and plans middle management might not, and it’s this sort of insight that can help steer the decision toward a solution that will provide measurable, sustainable return on investment. 

It’s important to involve the C-suite. And it’s just as important that everyone at the company knows about their involvement. When the top of the organizational chart lends its weight to the project, it’s easier to get every other department on board. Without C-suite buy-in, you run the risk of lower adoption. 

IT leaders 

Traditionally, the information technology (IT) department’s involvement in selecting and adopting a worktech solution depended on whether the software was on-premises or cloud-based solution. If you opt for a hosted or on-premises option, the IT team will be tasked with rolling out, integrating. and maintaining the software, so looping them into the entire conversation was crucial. 

However, if you went with a software as a service (SaaS) solution, the IT team only needed to be involved from a collaborative standpoint — helping your organization determine how to transition to a digital workplace and leverage the solution to support these efforts. Remember, the IT department is the in-house expert on the organization’s existing software, so can quickly identify which worktech will be easiest to integrate and which might cause potential challenges. 

But today, the IT department will likely want to be involved from the start, and they’ll have a list of technical questions to ensure the solution meets best practices for stability and security.   

Federal selection teams can leverage FedRamp, a marketplace built and maintained by created by the General Services Administration in partnership with the US Department of Defense and NIST to accelerate the adoption of secure cloud solutions at government agencies. 

The right solution starts with selection 

Choosing a worktech solution can be a complicated process if you’re not taking the right feedback into account. But by looping in leaders from facility and workplace leader, IT, and the C-suite and collecting insights from the workforce, you can streamline decision-making and select a solution that will help your organization improve the employee experience and reach its goals. 

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Jonathan writes about asset management, maintenance software, and SaaS solutions in his role as a digital content creator at Eptura. He covers trends across industries, including fleet, manufacturing, healthcare, and hospitality, with a focus on delivering thought leadership with actionable insights. Earlier in his career, he wrote textbooks, edited NPC dialogue for video games, and taught English as a foreign language. He holds a master's degree in journalism.