The Niagara Framework (NF) is developed by Tridium, and if you visit the company’s website, you will learn Niagara is a “comprehensive software platform for the development and deployment of connected products and device-to-enterprise applications.” If you’re like most FMs and property owners, that description sounds pretty technical and dense, as if it were written in a different language. Ironically, the notion of miscommunication within different languages illustrates perfectly what the Niagara Framework is and, more accurately, what it attempts to solve.
Let’s try to clarify Tridium’s definition by breaking it down into parts, so that by the end of this article you should have a better idea of what Niagara does. We’ll start with a simple thought experiment, then take a deeper dive into how Niagara helps buildings and devices communicate.
Niagara: The Ultimate Travel Adapter
Imagine you’re going on an overseas vacation and need a travel adapter. While at the airport waiting to take off, you spot an adapter in a retail store window. However, it’s not just any old travel adapter, it’s the Ultimate Travel Adapter, equipped with hundreds of outlets for every country, region and plug type imaginable. What’s more, the adapter has older plugs styles, so now you can charge that ancient iPod you brought along. Imagine you bought such a product. What could it do for you?
For one, it would give you the flexibility to buy and use any device you wanted. It would free you from having to use one brand. It would eliminate compatibility issues. Plus, it would let you plug all your devices into one place, simplifying the management of all your electronics.
The Niagara Framework functions like the Ultimate Travel Adapter, connect all of your devices and platforms together into one architecture. You can find a Tridium explainer video here.
Next, imagine your adapter has controls for managing each device. It also comes equipped with a dashboard that shows power consumption, current status, and security alarms. Even better, you’re able to access all of this valuable information online. With such a digital tool, you could save energy by unplugging unneeded components, quickly identify failed devices and better predict outages. In short, you could save time and money by increasing your efficiency.
Finally, image your travel adapter itself adapts to the changing technological landscape. After all, plug styles come and go, and so your adapter must also adapt or risk becoming antiquated. Such an adaptation feature could help extend the life of your equipment, letting you bring your favorite devices into the future. It would give you considerable freedom and centralised control over your travel itinerary.
This, in a nutshell, is what the Niagara Framework platform does: it works as a “architecture” for connecting systems and devices for building operation and automation. Now let’s take a deeper dive into how devices and systems communicate to better understand Niagara’s role.
Protocols: The “Language” of Machines
Dozens of systems and hundreds of pieces of hardware make up modern buildings, and each of these components must communicate with one another. To accomplish this, building devices must share a common “language” or what engineers call a protocol. The result is “interoperability” of devices, which is the main goal of platforms like Niagara. This is what Tridium means by “development and deployment of connected products” within their description.
The two dominant standard protocols for building devices are BACnet and LonWorks. These protocols are why your smart meter can transmit energy data to your BMS, even though two different companies made them. The two companies have agreed to design their products using these standard protocols so that you could integrate them easily. Another benefit of standard protocols is that you get to pick and choose which devices you want to use, as opposed to being locked into using propriety hardware from a single vendor (think Apple products).
Standard vs Open Protocols
There are two basic approaches to achieving interoperability of devices: standard and open protocols. Open protocols are when hardware designers use a propriety language for their devices, but “open” their protocol for public use. Access to the protocol gives other developers the “dictionary” for building gateways and interfaces, which “interpret” from one machine language to another. Essentially, the company is saying: Take our protocol and design something that will let other devices work with it. Developers use these open protocols to ensure interoperability between their products and others.
Standard protocols work by building consensus among many different developers to adhere to a standard machine language. So, a standard protocol isn’t proprietary but shared among the members. The upside to a standard protocol is that it requires no interpreter or gateway. Devices speak directly to one another right out of the box.
The Niagara Framework adopts a standard protocol stance towards development of building automation devices. That is, it attempts to wrangle the long list of standard device protocols under one umbrella platform—a type of protocol for protocols. But more than devices make up buildings. What’s this “device-to-enterprise application” all about?
Buildings: A Polyglot of Digital Voices
In addition to device languages, there are also standards and protocols for almost everything that helps your building and business function. For example, there are computing standard languages for the internet (IP or internet protocols). Then there’s programming languages for software, operating systems (Windows vs Mac) and computer networks. When you add it all up, buildings are a cacophony of digital voices singing ones and zeros to each other (#ITjokes).
To ensure these voices sing in unison, enterprise standards like CORBA, XML and DCOM were created. These standards attempt to translate between different operating systems, programming languages and computing hardware. They ensure interoperability of platforms. Without them, companies would be inundated with service calls and services would grind to a halt.
The Niagara Framework, again, connects devices to any enterprise applications within your buildings. Say you wanted to pass energy usage data through to your accounting software. Because it’s a flexible platform that facilitates interoperability, you can use Niagara to easily build these types of connections. This is what Tridium means by “device-to-enterprise application.”
The Internet Connection
One big advantage the Niagara platform brings to building automation systems and devices is wireless connections. It achieves this by using the internet to connect all your devices and controllers. Thus, it sits firmly within the market of platforms that utilise the Internet of Things (IoT) to give building owners and managers granular access to every component of their systems.
In hardwired connections, your BMS would communicate to, say, your HVAC controller through a wired connection. Hardwired connections limit your access. But Niagara wireless internet connection gives you access through web browsers from anywhere. Connection via internet opens up possibilities. For example, it makes connecting new devices much easier. Management is easier too. Check the status of your fire safety systems while at home or on vacation.
Now, give Tritium’s definition another read: “Niagara Framework is a comprehensive software platform for the development and deployment of connected products and device-to-enterprise applications.” Hopefully, you understand it a bit better now.
Summary
Many systems make up today’s buildings. Fire alarms systems, HVAC systems, access systems and security systems to name a few. Today, most modern buildings have automated the management and operation of these systems. The Internet of things has streamlined management of systems, with sensors, devices, and equipment sending streams of data back for collelction and display to stakeholders.
The Niagara Framework is essentially a system of systems, a software architecture designed to integrate multi-vendor building automation systems (BAS) under one umbrella platform. It improves flexibility in managing, connecting, and visualising of your properties and data.
Today baby boomers and seasoned FM pros are retiring at a hasty clip. According to IFMA Foundation’s Global Workforce Initiative (GWI), more than 50% of FMs will retire over the next decade or so. The change is having a dramatic impact on companies who are racing to curate decades of valuable knowledge and experience before it turns its focus to the golf course.
Sadly, most employees feel disconnected when it comes to knowledge transfer and sharing at work. According to a Gallup poll, only about a third of employees in the U.S., France, Germany, Spain and the U.K. strongly agree with the statement “In my company we openly share information, knowledge and ideas with each other.”
Clearly, there’s a knowledge gap that needs filling, and smart firms aren’t waiting for the inevitable resource hit from the “Great Retirement” to put them at a disadvantage. Instead, they’re building knowledge transfer plans well before the gold watches are given out. But what are the key elements of a knowledge transfer? How can you make the most of a retiree’s last six months? To answer these questions, we asked seasoned pros to give us some guidance.
Target Explicit and Implicit Knowledge
To start, focus the bulk of your efforts on capturing the two key types of knowledge for most businesses: explicit and implicit knowledge. Here’s a oversimplified definition of both:
Explicit knowledge (EK)—Objective info that is easily codified, communicated, shared and stored. EK contains objective facts and data and is sometimes referred to as “know-what,” as in you know what the information is.
Implicit knowledge (IK)—Subjective info that is hard to codify, communicate and share. IK tends to be subjective, context-specific and based on individual experience. IK is often referred to as tacit knowledge or “know-how”, as in you know how to do something.
Too often, firms make explicit knowledge capture the priority. With good reason—it’s the easiest, low-hanging fruit of knowledge. For example, before your building engineer leaves, you have him or her update the maintenance schedule. It’s a clear cut transaction where critical information is recorded and stored within your database.
But that same engineer’s brain also houses other tidbits of precious knowledge collected over the years. These gems of implicit knowledge could be an un-documemented energy-saving hack for your cooling plant, or a personalised way of handling an particularly obstinate vendor. Both pieces of knowledge are valuable to your company, and both will vanish with the employee, unless you capture them first.
Knowledge Management Systems
Effective knowledge capture requires a “knowledge management system” or KMS for recording, storing and sharing info and processes. But don’t let the term intimidate you. Yes, there are plenty of paid KMS platforms with loads of bells and whistles, but an effective “system” could be a simple Google doc. Corporate wikis like Confluence are popular platforms for curating information, and if you already have Office 365, Microsoft Teams lets you add a wiki app. The sophistication of your KMS will depend on the size of your company and the amount of info you want to curate.
Accessibility
Regardless of the KMS, it should be centralised and accessible. All staff need access to documentation applicable to their department. Otherwise, you construct roadblocks to both access and contribution. Also, run a single system. Using different tools across teams erects barriers and creates potential software conflicts.
“Accessibility is super important,” explains project management expert, Dan LeFebvre. “Certainly, the type of documentation an accounting team needs is different from what another team might need. But if all information is in the same place, and you can control who has access, then at least it’s consistent. You’re telling everyone, no matter who you are, this is where you go to access all of the information we have at the company.”
LeFebvre suggests assigning one person to manage your KMS. One point of contact makes it easier to ensure consistency and facilitate documentation.
Easy Contribution
Even if you have the world’s best KMS, you still have to motivate your retiring employees to contribute, especially those eyeing the exits. “The real challenge is often not the tool itself, it’s simply getting people to document their processes and knowledge,” explains LeFebvre.
Hesitancy can stem from lack of interest. “It’s extra work,” says LeFebvre. “And nobody likes extra work.” But, he admits, it’s often the case that some seasoned workers simply don’t know where to begin:
“It’s difficult to explain something you’ve learned over twenty years. If someone’s been at a company for a long time, they often don’t think about the process. They just do it. What they think is one step, may actually be fifty steps for someone who doesn’t understand the process.”
Cross-Training Staff
There are many benefits to be had by training employees to do different jobs within the company. Spreading knowledge and skills among team members staves off burnout and improves collaboration across the organisation. More importantly, it helps build a company’s resilience during retirements and high turnover.
Steve West—a former GM at Auckland Unlimited—uses cross-training to build flexibility into his organisations. “I’ve always tried to have a flexible workforce, where there’s a transfer of knowledge, so everything isn’t stored in one person’s head.”
Measure Knowledge Transfer
Like any effective manager, West understands the power of measuring a problem. He is currently developing an information management system or “resource matrix” that measures and records the knowledge and experience of his staff for cross-training purposes. “I use it to locate who has full knowledge, who has some knowledge, and who has no knowledge. Then we start to rotate employees through different venues. It’s helped us work towards building some flexibility so that knowledge is shared across all resources.”
Getting Staff Buy-In
Cross-training can be a tough sell to those who don’t like getting out of their comfort zone. To win over recalcitrant staff, West suggests practicing simple communication and encouraging employee contribution. “I even ask my staff to contribute to their own knowledge appraisal. I may have got my appraisal wrong. Maybe she’s got more knowledge on this value than I thought she did.”
“At the end of the day, it’s about simple communication: Here’s what I want to do. Here’s why it’s an unacceptable risk to the business. Do you agree or disagree? Generally speaking, if you persuade with logic, most people will probably get on board. They might not always like getting out of their comfort zone, but if you sell it in terms of its power of affecting their professional development, they’ll buy into it.”
Knowledge Transfer Via Mentorships
Pairing up retiring staff members with in-house or new employees is an effective way to transmit elusive implicit knowledge. Mentees get a chance to shadow and learn first-hand from older workers, plus they gain opportunities to form instant personal and professional connections with other staff members, which can help the on-boarding process.
West’s organisation uses mentorships and has seen huge success pairing experienced employees with new comers. But he cautions managers to not limit their experiences to a mentorship, and he ensures effective knowledge transfer by shifting his mentees from one venue to another.
“You can’t keep them bored too long either. Mentees need development in other areas too. It’s no good placing someone with a mentor and leaving him there and waiting to see what happens for the next few years. You’ve still gotta keep them interested and engaged in the business.”
Mentorships are also a valuable opportunity to build a culture of knowledge transfer throughout your organisation. LeFebvre advises businesses to make documentation a part of the company culture. “Make it a normal part of the process to dump knowledge as employees think of it. During a mentorship, for example, the mentor may at some point think: Oh, I completely forgot about this part of the process. You want their next thought to be: I better write this down’.”
In every act of communication, we strive to influence others. Even when our communication is simply to inform, we seek to align someone else’s view of reality to ours. While we can influence others’ behaviors, the higher aim is often to change their minds as well. However, it’s this sense of “mind control” that burdens the term with negative connotations today.
It’s often thought that to influence someone is to hold a hypnotic power over them, usually for nefarious reasons or personal gain. Someone or something is a “bad influence.” We often ascribe the act to politicians, cult leaders, or Rock-and-Roll lyrics. Social media “influencers” are opportunistic marketers. Irresponsible folks drive “under the influence.” You get the idea.
Even though the term has gotten a bad rap recently, the premise of influencing as a part of communication isn’t nefarious at all; in fact, it’s a basic component (and outcome) of any effective communication. And savvy communicators understand how to use influencing strategies to get their message across more effectively. Here are some tips on how to communicate better by influencing your audience.
Soft Landings Approach
Influence requires an understanding that most people fear and resist change. Even when your audience knows change will be beneficial, some push back is inevitable. At these points, communication can become strained or breakdown. When possible, you can influence a successful outcome by easing folks into change rather than “ripping off the bandaid.”
“I do a lot of organisation transition and change management,” says Phoenix Lavin, a veteran FM who’s worked in the industry since 2003. “Sometimes that change is painful, and there’s a bit of grief and disruption.” Lavin suggests meeting resistance to change by taking elements of a “soft landings” approach:
“A soft landings approach incorporates taking the time to introduce people to change. Rather than leaving people feeling like change is being forced on them.”
Phoenix Lavin
“A soft landings approach incorporates taking the time to introduce people to change. Rather than leaving people feeling like change is being forced on them.”
People fear change primarily because they feel a lack of control. In these moments, fear tends to consume our focus, making it tough to communicate. Engage in active listening and let your clients vent their frustrations. Allowing your audience to express their anxiety, lets you identify and focus on the source(s) of that anxiety. You may not think their “problems” are a priority, but by refocusing and being empathetic, you make your audience more receptive to your own ideas.
Also, invite your audience to contribute to the project. It will give them a sense of control. “It’s about how they can see themselves in this new building/facilities,” Lavin explains, “and how they feel engaged and part of the build and operation process.”
By engaging your audience in the problem solving process, you also give them stock in the solution, and they come away from the conversation confident they’ve contributed. You will know your soft landing was successful, if your audience comes away not knowing they’ve even “landed.”
“I’ve got to gently move you around here so you barely realise you’re going around the corner,” Lavin explains. “Then voila! All of sudden now it’s your idea not mine. That’s the influencing component of good communication.”
Avoid Language that Creates Hierarchies
As is often said of words: they matter. The wrong words can alienate your audience by putting others at a lower level and/or yourself within a higher one. We often interpret these linguistic positions on an unconscious level, but they impact our audience’s reaction nevertheless. To level the field, choose language that communicates equality. Lavin provides a relevant example for facilities management:
“In our industry, we are often shackled with the term ‘service’ (which is linked to the term ‘servitude’). What we hear in that word is: You are here to do something for me, and, therefore, I am greater than you. When we look at communication, we’ve got to understand our audience and adjust our language so we’re not in a position of servitude, but in a position of competency and credibility.”
Instead of “customer,” Lavin suggests using terms like “stakeholder” or “end-users” to refer to the people benefiting from your input and expertise. This is especially important in relation to in-house management.
Another loaded term to avoid is “discussion.” Within it, Lavin says, lurks aggression and an imbalance of power. “It’s a one-way exercise,” she says. “It says I’m pounding something into you. I’m going to say what I have to. Instead, I tell people to use open terms like ‘dialogue’ or ‘conversation’ or ‘chat’.”
Some words and phrases may create or reflect frustration as well. As tensions rise in our conversations, our language often becomes more formal sounding or even legalistic. Try to maintain the same level of formality and tone as when you began the conversation, otherwise, your audience will immediately detect such changes, become defensive and make your influence less effective. “These are subtleties,” states Lavin, “but they’re how you change the dynamic of a conversation for the better or worse.”
Include Yourself in the Conversation
In the spirit of equality, speakers and writers should also include themselves in their arguments and narratives. Say “we” rather than “you.” Self-inclusive language helps eliminate hierarchies and signals that you have a stake in the outcome too, that you’re acting in good faith. It also forces you to empathise. If your message is “we’re all in this together” then the implication is that everyone must appreciate one another’s perspective.
“Anyone who is an effective communicator puts themselves into the narrative,” explains Lavin, “not in an arrogant way, but in an understanding, empathetic way. We can take a lesson from Te Reo Māori. In Te Reo Māori, we could start a meeting by saying tēnā koutou which is Greetings to everybody in the room (3 or more) or we can say tēnā koutou katoa which is greetings to everybody, and I’m including myself in the statements going forward.”
“Anyone who is an effective communicator puts themselves into the narrative.”
Phoenix Lavin
Inclusive language is also a prime launching point for bolstering your own credibility and experience. Politicians often use unifying language to great effect. Most never pass up a chance to point out their “working class roots” or “humble beginnings” to connect with their constituents. There’s a simple reason for the ubiquity of this approach: it works. If you’re sincere about your connection, your audience will (and should) respond positively.
“If you’re part of the organisation,” Lavin explains, “then communicate that these decisions are affecting you too. Let’s say you’re at the top table for an expensive capital replacement, and the stakeholders say, The business can’t sustain this. Your response should be: We understand the hesitancy, and we understand the drivers of the business. As a part of the workforce, I understand this. That type of language creates an unconscious connection. So, suddenly you’re not just a person saying I want something from you. You’re saying We need to do this together.
Got an Expert? Bring them Along
Credibility is such a key part of influencing that it’s foolish to omit someone with expertise in the arguments and ideas you’re presenting. Too often, we feel overly confident or too prideful to admit our ignorance of a topic, opting instead to “fake it ‘til we make it.” It’s a dangerous gamble that can tank your influence if you’re outed by a technical question. Lavin advises that if you think your credibility may be questioned, to bring someone else into the room:
We always think we have to do difficult conversations on our own, but we don’t. There’s nothing wrong with saying, ‘Oh, I’ve brought Ms. X along with me today because she’s currently working with X systems and she’s got a better overview and understanding of this.”
The need for expertise requires FMs to build and maintain professional relationships. Find people who can provide you with answers and guidance when you’re stuck. “I still need to bounce things off people,” Lavin admits. “I’ll ring people and say, I’ve got to bounce this off you. This is where I’m going, and I can see it’s not going to work but I can’t quite see my way out of it. When you’ve got a great network of people who have skillsets different from yourself, you can do that.”
Conclusion
At its most complex level, the art of influencing is about abiding by simple courtesies of communications. It doesn’t take an advanced degree in communications or being a master orator to be empathetic, inclusive and thoughtful about the words you use. There’s no “political correctness” to abide by. For most managers, these “strategies” are basic mores of professional conversation. Often the real art of influencing is not in the execution of these simple courtesies, but in the remembering to do so.
Facilities managers must master many skills to be effective. Communication, multi-tasking, technical knowledge, and resilience to name a few. But in a market disrupted by pandemics, climate change, tech innovations and new regulations, knowing how to prepare for the future can be a challenge. To narrow things down, we asked FM experts in both education and the private sector to give us their perspectives on what skills FMs should be shoring up now for the future. What we found was not just a focus on new tech, but a good mixture of hard and soft skills, with the latter leaning heavily on communication.
1. Innovation Awareness
Tech tools for FMs are growing steadily, with an expanding list of digital solutions for BMS, CAFM, CMMS and energy management. The 2018 Global FM Market Report reports cloud-based services and anything-as-a-Service (XaaS) models will be two major trends moving into 2025. In short, the complete digitalisation of building management is fast approaching.
While digitalisation and automation produce more accurate building data and save time, such a dynamic tech landscape requires FMs to stay savvy about new tech. Dr. Eziaku Onyeizu Rasheed, a Senior Lecturer at Massey University, explains:
“Since the start of the Facilities Management profession, the FM’s role has evolved from the technical maintenance of building systems to more proactive, digitalisation of building management. So, FMs need to upskill to be conversant with the associated technological innovations.”
The struggle to keep up is putting pressure on already over-extended FMs. However, resources like online courses, industry blogs, workshops, conferences and FM organisations help fill knowledge gaps with the least time investment.
We can’t always know what’s happening with our audiences’ viewpoints. We can’t know how they got there, or how they take in information. But what we can do is create connections, and from that understanding.
Phoenix Lavin, Design and Construction Interface Manager
2. Perspective-Taking
In psychology, perspective-taking is the ability to perceive a situation or understand a concept from another person’s point of view. It’s a key personality trait for FMs who must manage many stakeholders and consider different perspectives. And with the pandemic and changing workspaces disrupting normal routines, FMs must adapt quickly. Adopting another’s perspective can facilitate that change quicker and easier.
“You need the ability to adapt your ideas with those of others,” Rasheed explains, “and to be aware that there are different views of particular issues and topics.” Her point is well taken: consensus and compromise first demands an accurate understanding of another’s stake in the situation.
Phoenix Lavin, a Design and Construction Interface Manager at Programmed, agrees. Lavin is a veteran FM who’s honed her skills of perspective-taking. She suggests the first step is tackling one’s own unconscious bias:
“We all bring a perspective to the table that’s informed by our ethnicity, race, socio-economic status and education level. These biases often ‘blind’ us to how others see issues.” she explains.
So how do you overcome unconscious biases? You don’t completely. It’s something to be managed rather than “cured.” However, for Lavin part of the answer is creating meaningful connections with others. Connections force us to see others as individuals rather than obstacles. “We can’t always know what’s happening with our audiences’ viewpoints,” she explains. “We can’t know how they got there, or how they take in information. But what we can do is create connections, and from that understanding.”
3. Building Systems Basics
Modern building management systems now automate much of the reporting, scheduling and monitoring for FMs. But today’s property managers still need a basic understanding of hard building systems for proper asset management.
Gas, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and fire safety are each complex systems in their own right, but today’s smart building technology is integrating each into a larger, connected whole. FMs must manage the complexity of these connections, which begins with a good foundation in technical knowledge.
Technical knowledge has even more value today, given the break-neck pace of technological and environmental changes. Rasheed highlights the importance of technical skills. “While their role has expanded to include the importance of soft skills,” she states, “today’s FMs still require technical knowledge to successfully navigate the complexities of the profession, especially in emergency situations.” A foundation in technical knowledge is an effective stopgap against the uncertainties of global warming, cybersecurity threats, pandemics and an evolving workplace.
Today’s FMs still require technical knowledge to successfully navigate the complexities of the profession, especially in emergency situations.
Dr. Eziaku Onyeizu Rasheed, Massey University
4. Communicating to Influence
All facilities managers need a deep understanding of communication. They tackle everything from delivering bad news on a CAPEX project to breaking down a technical topic for end-users. “What makes a good FM,” says Lavin, “is the ability to take information, process it, and then deliver it in a way that’s understood by your audience.”
It’s a straightforward notion, but Lavin explains there’s a deeper complexity to effective communication than simply sending and receiving messages:
“Effective communicators also seek to influence,” she says. “They ask: What is it I want my communication to do? Where am I driving people? I do a lot of organisation transition and change management. Sometimes that change is painful. I have to move an organisation away from the trainwreck they’re heading towards, and there’s a bit of grief and disruption.”
Lavin’s “soft landing” approach helps build inclusion and influence. “Soft landings are when we take the time to introduce people to change,” she explains. “And rather than leaving people feeling like change is being forced on them, it’s about how they can see themselves in this new building/facilities and how they feel engaged and part of the build and operation process.
“I’ve got to gently move you around here so you barely realise you’re going around the corner, and then voila! All of sudden now it’s your idea not mine. That’s the influencing component of good communication.”
5. Communicating to Build Credibility
Lavin adds that good communicators also work hard to establish their credibility, which takes more than just demonstrating your expertise on a subject. Sometimes it requires changing someone’s perspective of a situation or showing their non-expertise.
“It’s hard to create credibility in a job that people feel they can do themselves. With soft services, for example, everyone thinks they can do it. No one thinks there’s any technical know-how or planning in these things. It’s a bit like painting your house. Everyone feels they can paint their own house because they see people do it on TV…that is, until they go to do it.”
Lavin suggests overcoming these types of biases by reframing the situation. “You may come up against someone who says: I just don’t believe it takes two hours to vacuum a room. So, I ask them ‘How did you get to this idea?’ and they say, I compared it to vacuuming my own house.’ I ask, How often do you vacuum your house? and they say, Once a week. I say, “Well, how about I get the cleaners on your floor just to vacuum once a week for the next month. We’ll still pay them the same. Then you tell me how your physical environment feels to work in after a month.’ So far, no one’s taken me up on the offer.”
6. Adaptability
If FMs had a master soft skill, it would be adaptability. Like the buildings we manage, we like to think of our processes, habits and personalities as strong, immovable, structures that produce predictable outcomes. And while the work of facilities management has always required a certain level of nuance and flexibility, those personal qualities are in higher demand today. Pandemics, building tech, governmental regulations, flexible workstations and artificial intelligence are disrupting the management of built environments.
What’s more, the rate of change is faster than the production of new FMs, so continual education and adaptability are certainties for anyone looking to make a long-term career in facilities management. “Our ideas and practices cannot always be repeated,” Rasheed explains, “but we should adapt them to the prevailing nature of events. FM practice must adapt to accommodate these changes and remain relevant to organisations.
Technical writing skills are essential for today’s facilities managers, who must produce a wide range of communications for a variety of readers. One day, you might be writing a CAPEX proposal for an executive, the next pinning a “how-to” memo for janitorial staff. So versatility and speed are prime requisites. Here are five technical writing tips that will improve the effectiveness and clarity of any written communication.
Tip 1: Fast-Track Your Audience Analysis
While some projects do require an in depth look at your audience, most FM technical writing can get by with evaluating a reader’s knowledge level of a subject. Use these three questions to fast-track your audience analysis and make your writing more targeted and concise.
What does my audience need to know?
This question delineates the key parts of your goal and states the desired outcome. The answer is usually one sentence, such as “To appropriately dispose of PPE” or “To understand the benefits of a third-floor remodel.” How well you answer this question determines your writing’s success or failure.
What do they already know?
Your audience’s attention and time is valuable, and you will lose both with superfluous information. Any steps, data or info your audience already brings to the writing should be jettisoned. Include information that’s “on the fence” within footnotes or at the end of your main document.
What do they not know?
Are there ideas or information you need to provide before your reader even begins the process of reading? Identify any assumptions you have about your audience’s experience, education and knowledge or else risk alienating them. For example, the goal of your writing may be “to explain the benefits of replacing the boiler system” but your assumption is that “every owner already knows the function of a boiler.” When in doubt, over-explain.
It’s obvious that the second and third questions are at cross purposes, and you must be vigilant in separating the “wheat from the chaff.” This is a good thing. The push and pull makes you an active writer, forcing you to constantly examine your information for relevance.
Tip 2: Use Active Voice
Writing in active voice is one of the most ubiquitous technical writing tips around, so it’s worth repeating. When you write in an active voice, you follow the standard sentence structure that puts the subject before the verb. This is opposed to passive voice. Here is an example of each:
Active Voice: “We ask that all tenants follow the recycling protocols for paper waste.”
Passive Voice: “We ask that recycling protocols for paper waste be followed by all tenants.”
In the above example, the subject (“tenants”) comes before the verb (“following”). In passive voice, the opposite occurs. So, what’s the big deal?
Well, active voice imbues your writing with confidence and presence; passive voice leaves it sounding flaccid and lifeless. Putting the subject after the verb also creates the sense that you’re trying to hide or downplay the actor of the action; it leaves a hint of insincerity and doubt in your tone. This is why committees and boards often deploy passive voice to mitigate responsibility for their decisions (“It was decided that…” rather than “The Board has decided that…”). Use an app like Grammarly and Hemingway App to identify and remove passive voice in your writing.
Tip 3: Add Graphics…Then Add More
One of the most effective writing tips isn’t about writing at all. Pictures really are worth a thousand words, and adding visual elements like tables, graphs, illustrations and photos improves your overall communication efforts. Graphic elements add dimension to your document’s layout and give a much needed break to monolithic walls of text. Much like a road-weary traveler, your reader needs the occasional “off-ramp” to rest and regroup—graphics are fit for purpose.
Some FMs find one barrier for using graphics: time commitment. While it does take some time investment to create graphics, today’s online apps significantly speed up the process. Bookmark these design tools in your browser and use them to churn out graphics for your next technical writing project or presentation :
Canva—Online design app for creating presentations, posters, and graphs for free.
Note: It’s certainly possible to use too many graphic elements, so be strategic. Like every word you write, each image in your layout should serve a function, whether explanatory or merely aesthetic.
Tip 4: Examples are Your Secret Weapon
Relevant examples distill a complex idea into something relatable and real. Plus, including examples in your technical writing forces you to consider real world implications for your information; it proves to the reader that you’ve considered the information or argument from a practical perspective, rather than merely a theoretical one.
For example, say you wanted to include after-hours AC charges in your standard commercial lease and wanted to make sure your tenants understood the process. After explaining your formula (Fixed Rate x Number of Operating Hours = AHAC Charges), you could include an example calculation:
Tenant A uses 10 hours of after-hours air conditioning for the month of January, their total charge would be $75/hr x 10 hrs = $750. Tenant B uses 15 hrs for June. Their total AHAC charge would be $75/hr x 15 hrs = $1,125.
When including examples, use real world data and situations. If the above example reflected actual electrical usage rates for the property, it would communicate to tenants how much they should expect to pay.
Tip 5: Match Your Writing Structure to Your Purpose
Your writing purpose should, in large part, determine your structure. That is, let form follow function. Is your writing meant to inform, to persuade, to explain or do something else? For most FM writing, the goal is explanatory or informative. Here are several common writing structures to aid both types:
Steps-in-a-Process
Listing and explaining steps is an effective way to organise information for a process. Steps-in-a-process is appropriate for a short memo or “how-to” manual showing tenants how to sign onto an online portal. Step-by-step formats also work for longer, more complex processes when you group the steps. If your O&M manual contains 75 steps, chunk them into larger sections. Presenting steps in this way helps your audience conceptualize the larger process and aids memory, much like chunking a phone number into parts.
Hierarchy
Technical writers often organise informative pieces based on priority, typically moving from highest to lowest. Use introductory paragraphs and summaries to highlight key points, orient your reader and save them time. For legal documents like SLAs, start off by defining the most important concepts (e.g., “parties” or “description of services”) and end with the standard T&Cs. In contrast, moving from lowest to highest priority is effective for more persuasive writing. If you’re trying to justify an investment in CAFM or IWMS, for example, present your best reason at the end. It gives your argument an emotional punch.
Time
Time is an intuitive way for readers to understand information based on an order of events. Progress reports are the perfect project for a chronological framework. Most begin with past work completed, move to the present and then explain any future work to be done. Incident reports and disaster preparedness manuals are other candidates for a time-based framework because they guide readers through a series of events.
There is no one “correct” structure for any technical writing project. Your topic may not follow an A-to-B format or have priority points to make. Regardless, it’s essential you deliver on the purpose of your writing. Whatever meets that goal is the structure you should use.
Conclusion
Use these five technical writing tips as a starting point to improving your communication. And include this last tip: be patient. Few FMs has the time or patience to invest in becoming a better writer, so it’s critical to be realistic about your progress. Find opportunities during your day to practice. Rather than tackling all at once, master one of these writing tips at a time. Ten move on to another. An incremental approach improves your odds of sticking to it.
