Attention! - there are users in the facilities

Paper in proceeding, 2008

The field of FM and real estate is continuously challenged to utilize the experiences from the users in the planning of facilities and establishing of services related to facilities. The question raised in this paper is how FM professionals can achieve design solutions, and usability and functionality of premises that meet the users’ requirement and how close to the organizations activities the FM organization can get. To achieve design solutions that are state of the art can be achieved already today, but to deliver for the business activity usable and efficient facilities requires a process where the users are enabled to “own” their premises and where the FM-provider is professional in managing the meeting between core activities and FM processes. This paper, based on a case study of a hospital design project, discuss the process of how the users are related, engaged and integrated in the organizational development process in order to understand also the use and role of new facilities. The result of the study indicate that there needs to be a process for managing organizational culture and a communication strategy that address all affected by the organizational and facility changes. This is needed in order not to create a gap between those who are informed and those who are not, and by doing so decrease the risk of cumbersome and inefficient starting processes when new ways of working are to be implemented.