In episode 140 of the Asset Champion podcast, host Mike Petrusky speaks with Cameron Christensen, CEFP, FMP, and Director of Asset Management for Facilities Operations at Princeton University. The two talk about Christensen’s new role and why he believes that people are the key to success in facility management. Christensen covers how the pandemic changed how people think in facility and asset management and why he believes industry leaders must approach the traditional ten-year campus master plan with flexibility and dynamic planning. They also look at how technology is an accelerator of strategy, not the strategy itself, and how that means facility management professionals will continue to be essential, especially as they adapt to evolving needs and challenges.
Agenda
- Role and importance of people in facility and asset management
- Concept of dynamic planning in facility management
- Potential impacts of technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT)
- Future of the facility management field and profession
What you need to know: Facility and maintenance takeaways
Takeaway 1: The necessity of dynamic planning in facility and asset management
Facility and asset management are in flux, particularly for educational institutions, where long-term campus master planning faces the challenge of often rapidly changing needs. Dynamic planning is set to become even more important because it offers more flexibility and agility.
“One of the things we found in our research that the average tenure of a university president is only about six years. Now, there are presidents who definitely beat that and they’re on campus for 10, 20, 30 years, and that’s great. But the average tenure is about six years. And if you got a ten-year master plan, that means you’re putting together a master plan that this president won’t even see it through,” Christensen explains.
Takeaway 2: The role of technology in asset management
While AI and IoT hold a lot of potential, the industry needs to collectively keep them in their proper context and not lose sight of the human element and mission.
“There’s a lot coming down the pike with technology. IoT seems to have taken a backseat to AI, but I feel like it’s still such an important thing, making sure that our machines are talking to each other, we’re getting good data, and having that technology and the IoT and those data resources and analytics create talking points that help us inform our strategy and adjust our strategy as we respond to the needs of our constituents.”
At the same time, Christensen explains, technology is only one part of the total solution.
“Technology is not the strategy. It’s an accelerator of strategy. It’s a very important piece of our strategy, but it’s not the strategy itself,” he says.
Takeaway 3: The importance of human resources in facilities and asset management
Despite the emergence of new technologies, Christensen shares that the success of any strategy relies heavily on the people implementing it.
“The pandemic certainly shifted us into a new paradigm of thinking, and it’s really easy to get lost in the bigger, better thing. But we can’t forget to bring along our teams. People are the key to our success in facilities, and without them, all these fancy new technologies are going to be limited in their effectiveness.”
He then reiterates: “So that’s what I would say is, don’t forget the people. The people are our key to success.”
Asset management insights
- The role of facilities professionals is gaining more prominence as organizations develop strategies and identify the need for agility in the built environment.
- The traditional campus planning process can be challenging in a dynamic environment. Facilities must introduce elements of flexibility and dynamic planning to pivot to the needs of their constituents.
- The role of facilities professionals is gaining more prominence as organizations develop strategies and identify the need for agility in the built environment.
- Technology is not the strategy in facilities management, but an accelerator of strategy. It’s important to keep it in its proper context to avoid unintended consequences.
- People are the key to success in facilities and asset management, and without them, new technologies would be limited in their effectiveness.
Do a deep dive into more asset management insights by exploring all Asset Champion Podcast episodes and read Cam’s article about “The Living Master Plan”
