“To Excel” or “not to Excel”, that is the question
People often automatically assume, if they hear the expressions “CAFM”, that this is a specific software for Facility Management. But based on the term itself it is not necessarily a matter of a specifically designed software for Facility Management. Theoretically you can execute “Computer Aided Facility Management” (CAFM) for instance with commonly used Microsoft Office Standard Products, like MS Excel®, thus with “simple” spreadsheet tools.
Rumour has it that there are certain “cracks” out there, who have maxed out the use of Microsoft Excel® in order to support some parts of FM processes most cost effectivly.That does not mean that we favour Excel based CAFM-solutions, but on the other hand that you can execute Computer-Aided Facility Management (CAFM) as well with “simple” tools, if these would be the adequate means for the IT-supported operation for Facility Management. From our point of view there is nothing to be said against it, as long as the consistency and integrity of the data can be guaranteed, if it can be assured that the data are free of redundancies and most important that all the people that are involved in the project have access to the relevant information. Nevertheless you should always carefully observe the maximal limits that of such solutions. But back to the jungle of terms for definitions of CAFM: To make the confusion perfect a lot of new expressions and terms were added in the last few years, terms like IWMS (=Integrated Workplace Management Systeme), CMMS (Computerised Maintenance Management Systems) etc….. Those terms have their origin partly in the efforts of the software providers to distinguish their software solutions from products of the competitors. There will be for sure a lot more terms in the next couple of years. It is crucial to consider diligently the right tools for OUR OWN Facility-Management processes, before making any choice for YOUR CAFM-System, YOUR CAFM-Software and/or YOUR CAFM-solution. A profound knowledge and a precise definition of the processes, and of course an overall information about the amount of data is essential… We will review these criteria in upcoming blogs and posts. Feel free to write us, if you have any questions.