Tackling work orders is important, but it’s also crucial to prevent them.
There will be issues that need to be addressed on a private K-12 campus, from equipment malfunctions and broken systems to process improvements and additional training. But not every facility management team approach these in the same way.
Some teams have a reactive position when it comes to repair and maintenance, and they dutifully go through work orders every morning to sort them according to urgency. There’s nothing wrong with addressing problems as they happen, but it’s also not the best strategy, because it doesn’t include tactics for preventing those problems in the first place.
With a proactive approach, a campus can run much more efficiently, because there will be a greater emphasis on maintenance and less on repair. Fortunately, it doesn’t take an overhaul to be proactive. It just takes attention to detail. For example, UG2 facility managers often “walk the campus” every week, specifically looking for minor issues to address. Those could be seemingly tiny problems, right down to a small crack on a stairway, or a door that doesn’t open quite right. Maybe there’s a little water damage at a corner of a ceiling tile.
All of these have the potential to turn into much larger safety issues. The stairway crack could become a tripping hazard, the door might break as a student is entering a room, that water spot may be from a leaking pipe that could burst eventually if it’s ignored.
A knowledgeable facility manager “knows” a campus, right down to what everything should look like and how it needs to function. Being proactive may look excessive to an observer, but the benefits can be significant:
- Cost savings: Consider the difference between taking 15 minutes to replace part of a pipe that’s leaking versus a 2-day shutdown of an entire part of the campus because of a major pipe burst, as well as the potential water damage from that event.
- Efficiency: When a facility manager is the one generating most of the work orders, that means repairs have become more minimal. The facility team can focus on more important maintenance issues without having the constant distraction of repair problems.
- Appearance and reputation: Everyone knows how it feels to be in a space that is well maintained, clean, and free of even minor issues. It simply feels better and helps a private K-12 school maintain its reputation for excellence — not just academically, but also operationally.
Value of an Experienced Partner
For more insight, check out our last post, How to Include Facility Management in Your K-12 Community and in an upcoming post, we’ll discuss the top factors schools should consider when choosing to outsource facilities management.
As you think about how to keep your campus and your community safe and healthy, don’t hesitate to reach out to UG2 about how we can help. Our new UG2 ReNewSM Cleaning4Health and Engineering4HealthSM programs are designed to ensure you have what you need, no matter what return-to-school strategy you’ve chosen. We have experience being part of private K-12 environments, and we take great pride in being part of the schools we serve.