Managing and planning for facilities is a complex process requiring the right tools at the right time to achieve optimal results. Facility planning and condition assessment systems are critical tools in your arsenal. But with so many software options available on the market, how do you choose the right one that fits your needs and budget?

How to Choose a Facility Planning System: Your Ultimate Guide

This blog will help you narrow down your software options based on your needs and budget so you can get the benefits you need. We will also discuss the importance of having an integrated and flexible platform for managing facilities and operations, mitigating risk, enhancing efficiency, and enabling more intelligent decision-making to improve capital planning and strategically maintain and invest in physical assets. So, without further ado, let's dive into the frequently asked questions (FAQs) about choosing facility planning solutions.

What essential features should I look for in a facility planning system?

When you choose a facility planning system, it is important to determine which product features are essential for your facility's unique needs. There are critical elements to consider:

• Mobile data collection capacities 
• Analysis and evaluation tools
• Long-range planning capabilities
• Project management tools
• Budget tracking and forecasting features
• Maintenance management tools
• Real-time reporting and analytics

How do I know which software options are within my budget?

Take the time to research and compare prices from different vendors by scheduling demos to determine which software options are within your budget. You can also consider software that offers flexible pricing, such as pay-as-you-go, subscription-based plans, or configurable solutions tailored to your specific needs.

Get your free guide to Facility Condition Assessments.

How can I ensure that the software I choose is compatible and will integrate with my existing systems?

It would be best to look for software that offers open APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) and can easily integrate with your existing systems. You should also check whether the software is cloud-based or on-premise, as this can affect the level of flexibility and integration it provides.

How can I make sure the software I choose correctly fits my facility's needs?

Conducting a thorough needs analysis is the best way to ensure your chosen software fits your facility's needs. This will help you identify your facility's specific needs, goals, and pain points and find software that addresses these issues.

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How do I ensure that the software I choose can help me mitigate risk and make more intelligent decisions?

You need to look for software that offers advanced analytics and reporting capabilities to help you identify potential risks and make more informed decisions. The software should also provide real-time data and insights to help you avoid and proactively mitigate potential issues.

What are the benefits of enterprise software for strategic facility planning?

Now that you know what to look for in facility planning solutions, let's talk about Intellis facility planning solutions. Intellis offers a comprehensive and integrated facility planning software solution called the FOUNDATION Solution. Our robust platform empowers facility managers to manage operations, mitigate risk, and make better data-based decisions. With FOUNDATION, you can streamline your facilities management processes, improve productivity, and gain insights into which projects to fund and which to defer, thereby enabling your time to develop an efficient facility capital plan. 

Facility capital planning is easier with FOUNDATION because our system is fully configurable with four modules, allowing you to customize the solution to your organization's unique priorities. 

FOUNDATION.Conditions

One of the challenges of managing physical assets is keeping track of all component conditions, useful life, and repair schedules. The Conditions module simplifies and improves the assessment process by providing easy-to-access data in one integrated dashboard that is cloud-based and thus accessible across multiple devices. In addition, with mobile-enabled inspections and digital checklists, deficiencies can be identified and documented in real time, increasing transparency and making it easier to manage maintenance schedules. 

FOUNDATION.Needs

The Needs module provides a living repository of needs for all physical assets. By analyzing data and usage patterns, strategic decisions can be made to mitigate risk and automatically maintain compliance with health and safety regulations and building codes. Asset lifecycle and usage patterns can be predicted, ensuring the best use of resources. The cost associated with component and equipment repairs versus replacements can be estimated automatically, and benchmarking against peers and competitors can be done with proven unit cost libraries.

FOUNDATION.Projects

The Projects module also makes managing complex projects and evaluating changing priorities easier. It allows for forecasting future needs and managing projects for strategic improvements, optimizing time and budget. Projects can be automatically scoped, estimated, and scheduled, with rules based on facility and component priority. In addition, phase duration and cost rules can be applied to generate cash flow requirements for each potential project.

FOUNDATION.Plans

The Plans module improves transparency and accuracy for capital planning needs. For example, repair and renewal plans can be quickly generated, and integration with enterprise financial systems ensures seamless work across business units. In addition, documentation can be generated at various detail levels, providing plans and traceability to keep stakeholders informed. Ultimately, using FOUNDATION can help maintain a healthy built environment and preserve critical assets for the future.

Each module helps you manage and plan your physical assets effectively. The software also employs cutting-edge mobile data collection, analysis, evaluation, and long-range planning tools that give you the insights you need to manage today and plan for tomorrow.

Intellis' mission is to transform the built environment through data science and technology. Schedule a demo today to learn how Intellis can help manage facilities and physical assets more effectively and improve your facility planning processes.

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Intellis facility planning solutions offer a comprehensive and integrated software solution called the FOUNDATION Solution. This robust platform empowers facility managers to manage operations, mitigate risk, and make better data-based decisions. With FOUNDATION, you can streamline your facilities management processes, improve productivity, and gain insights into which projects to fund and which to defer, enabling you to develop an efficient facility capital plan. The system is fully configurable with four modules, allowing you to customize the solution to your organization's unique priorities.