In episode 185 of the Asset Champion podcast, host Mike Petrusky speaks with Alana Dunoff, ProFM, FMP, IFMA Fellow, a strategic facility planning consultant, adjunct professor, instructor, and longtime leader in the facility management community. Drawing on lessons from a recent workplace strategy project and decades of experience in strategic planning, Alana explains why traditional planning approaches need to evolve as organizations move faster and facilities teams face constant change.
Together they explore Alana’s concept of “preventative planning,” a continuous planning rhythm modeled after preventive maintenance that helps facilities teams stay aligned with changing business priorities. Alana shares why the process of planning can matter more than the plan itself, how stronger relationships with organizational leaders help FMs anticipate change, and why facilities professionals need to become more proactive and visible as strategic partners. She also discusses AI as a practical tool for productivity and critical thinking, the importance of learning new technology rather than fearing it, and the need to bring the next generation of facilities professionals into the industry through mentoring and in-person connections.
Agenda
- Preventative planning and why strategic planning should become a continuous FM practice
- Building agility into facilities strategy as organizational priorities change
- Using data, relationships, and regular planning to move from reactive to proactive facility management
- Implementing AI and how facilities professionals can use technology while maintaining critical thinking and expertise
- Mentoring, in-person connections, and developing the next generation of facilities professionals
What you need to know: Facility and maintenance takeaways
Takeaway 1: Strategic planning needs to become a continuous process
Facilities teams have traditionally treated strategic planning as a major exercise that happens periodically, often requiring significant time and resources. Alana argues that approach no longer matches the speed at which organizations change.
She proposes treating planning more like preventive maintenance: Instead of creating a plan and returning to it months or years later, facilities leaders can establish a regular rhythm for reassessing priorities and staying connected to the direction of the organization.
“Let’s call it preventative planning, where we are actively thinking about planning on a regular basis, just like we are changing filters,” she says.
That could mean revisiting plans monthly or quarterly rather than waiting for the next major strategic planning exercise. The goal is to keep facilities strategy connected to the organization as business needs evolve.
Takeaway 2: The planning process prepares facilities teams to adapt
Alana draws on Dwight D. Eisenhower’s observation that “plans are worthless. Planning is everything.” For facilities leaders, the value comes from the work behind the plan: collecting data, talking with stakeholders, considering different possibilities, and understanding how facilities support wider organizational priorities.
“The plan is a snapshot in time,” Alana says. “But by going through the process of planning, we are able to adapt and be more flexible and be more agile because we’re thinking about it.”
Preparation gives facilities teams a stronger foundation for adapting when business requirements, departments, buildings, spaces, or other organizational priorities change.
Takeaway 3: Facilities leaders need stronger connections to the business
Preventative planning depends on understanding what is happening elsewhere in the organization. Facilities teams cannot remain aligned with changing needs if they only learn about major decisions after they happen. So, Alana encourages FMs to seek information rather than wait for someone else to bring it to them.
“Go talk to senior leaders. Go find out what’s happening in the organization. Don’t wait for it to come to us. Go get it,” she says.
Alana also encourages facilities professionals to continually refresh their processes, collect data, listen, and challenge assumptions. Doing that work helps teams understand where the organization is heading and prepare facilities and spaces accordingly.
Takeaway 4: Facilities professionals should learn to use AI without giving up critical thinking
Alana sees AI as a tool facilities professionals need to understand rather than avoid. Her own approach has evolved as she has spent more time using AI to explore ideas and improve productivity.
“The best thing you can do with technology is learn it and know it,” she says, because that puts facilities professionals “in the driver’s seat rather than in the passenger seat.”
She applies the same principle when teaching students, encouraging them to use AI for some activities while deliberately reserving others for their own critical thinking. The distinction matters because technology can help people work more efficiently, but professionals still need to understand when and how to apply it.
For facilities leaders, the practical lesson is to experiment, learn, and develop enough familiarity with emerging technology to understand where it can add value to their work.
Takeaway 5: The next generation of FM needs opportunities to connect in person
Technology may be changing how people communicate and work, but Alana believes facilities management remains fundamentally centered on people and physical environments, creating an opportunity for established professionals to bring students and newer professionals directly into the FM community through mentoring, classroom participation, facility tours, conferences, and professional organizations.
She specifically highlights opportunities to expose students to events such as World Workplace and programs such as IFMA’s mentoring program. These experiences allow emerging professionals to see the breadth of the field while developing the interpersonal connections required in a profession focused on people and buildings.
“Come to the session, come to the meeting, be in person, see the value of being connected to people,” Alana says. “Because ultimately that is what we’re responsible for.”
Facility management insights
- Strategic planning is more useful when facilities teams treat it as an ongoing practice rather than a one-time exercise.
- A regular preventative planning rhythm can help FM stay aligned as organizational priorities change.
- The planning process helps teams collect data, consider different scenarios, and prepare to adapt when circumstances change.
- Facilities leaders can strengthen their strategic role by building stronger relationships with senior leaders and proactively seeking information about organizational priorities.
- FMs should learn how to use AI and emerging technology while continuing to rely on their own expertise and critical thinking.
- Mentoring, facility tours, conferences, and other in-person experiences can help introduce students and emerging professionals to careers in facility management.
- The same preventive mindset used in maintenance can give facilities teams a useful framework for moving from reactive planning toward greater organizational readiness.
Do a deep dive into more asset management insights by exploring all Asset Champion Podcast episodes. Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSkmmkVFvM4H3pwnlU2AuqynuRDpvnh4J
