MANUAL DE OPERACIÓN Y MANTENIMIENTO DEL BANCO DE PRUEBAS

In the traditional office sector, which is characterised by low rates o f organisational change, m anagement activities are concentrated in operational decision-m aking which affects the annual operations o f the facility. Decisions tend to focus on layout issues, security, access, open and enclosed office space, inventories o f furnishings and settings, stacking plans, procurem ent and tenure. As business changes more rapidly over time, the merge o f facility plans with business plans over different time horizons will inevitably require a new space m anagem ent approach. This approach is established through the use o f real estate databases, by systematic appraisal or audit o f an existing part. The intention is to build a coherent corporate premises strategy, which will serve as a back-drop for establishing a strategic formulation, com prising a full appraisal o f the company's current objective and com patibility with the existing real estate structure (Elliot & Malien, 1995).

When balancing supply and demand in the managem ent o f facility space, the skill is in matching the right provision to the required need (Avis & Gibson. 1996:28). In past studies the performance o f space managem ent is measured by the level o f suitability achieved between supply and demand, as in the ORBIT 1 study (Duffy, 1983). or the capacity for buildings to respond to change, as in the ORBIT 2 study (Davis et al, 1985). Space management can also be m easured through the supply which is available and the demand which is required. Thus the whole process o f m anagem ent revolves around the activity o f balancing the availability and provision o f space. From a management viewpoint, the balance is the degree o f tolerance between the activities and the spatial elements w hich accommodate them. This is achieved by matching any

type o f activity element with any type o f spatial elem ent, or some quantity in dem and with some quantity in supply, or some quantity o f use intensity per unit o f time with some quantity o f capacity measures.

According to some authors, the balance o f qualitative aspects can be measured using either organisational 'fit', or 'building utility ’ concepts. As the term implies, organisational Tit' is "a definition o f corporate office quality not ju st in terms o f the physical accommodation, but o f how well m atched this is to the organisation" (Ellis, 1984:255). On the other hand, the term 'building utility' is related to the issues o f daily performance and its operations. It also relates to the inherent adaptability o f the building to a range o f use patterns over time. In some aspects quality and utility can be interrelated, such that poor quality space will relate positively to low building utility.

From another perspective, the term 'fit' implies that it is com mon for buildings not to be used 100% efficiently. Such inefficiency could be derived from the building configurations, grid constraints and design obstructions (BWA. 1994; Becker, 1990). or in achieving viable organisational boundaries. The fit-factor is an allowance which takes account o f the fact that fitting into actual buildings inevitably causes some inefficiencies in occupation due to natural obstructions from columns, awkward angles and the size o f floors. The fit-factor has been estimated between 5% (Eley & M armot, 1995 to 10% (Davis et al, 1993b). A factor o f 5% is com m on in regular rectangular buildings, while a larger percentage may be appropriate in particularly difficult buildings. Another requirem ent is the turn-around space, estim ated at 2% o f the total usable area. This is the degree to w hich the 'requirem ents for' and the 'allocation o f space can and should be accom m odated. If the fit factor is too high then

there is general inefficiency in space use. If the fit-factor is too low, then organisations and their activities may be spatially inhibited and constrained.

Some obvious difficulties in the m anagem ent o f space is the extent to w hich demand- led provision will remain adequate over the long term period. As w orking practices change, procedures are no longer a reliable guide, even for the m edium term future (Nutt, 1993:29). There needs to be an approach in identifying market needs, quantifying the resources available and establishing an optimal way in which to match them (Bender, 1983). On the demand side, the users can be asked what their requirements are in the current situation and roughly what they think they may need in the future, but on the supply side it is not possible to ask such questions because necessary inform ation is not available yet. What will happen when imbalance is not reconciled? There will be high operating costs, which would affect profit maximisation strategies, and high dissatisfaction among users, leading to high staff turn-over and a reduction in the usable life o f the facility.

Figure 2.1, shown earlier, represents the basis for investigation, where the source o f the space m anagem ent problem is related back to m easurem ents o f spatial size, and whether they are adequate or inadequate. The inadequacy o f space is divided further into space scarcity or space surplus. Although adequate space may not pose an immediate problem, a potential problem does arise in the utilisation level, where the targeted situation is to maintain the facility space in a state o f equilibrium. Equilibrium is defined as the situation in which space which is available is considered to be adequate, suitable, appropriately located and reasonably utilised in all four operational levels in the organisation. This could be measured as the utilisation rate. Obviously, each level o f operation will apply a different utilisation rate. When at least

one o f the three conditions changes in attribute, a disequilibrium or imbalance will occur.

Following this, there are the eight prevailing problem circum stances. Sometimes an organisation may have adequate space o f appropriate type, but this may be either under-utilised or over-utilised; the im mediate problem is space in use. Otherwise, an organisation may have a surplus o f space, though too o f an appropriate type. Alternatively, a surplus o f space could also be coupled w ith inappropriate types o f space, in which case the im mediate problem is qualitative in nature. In addition, an organisation may have a scarcity o f space, although o f an appropriate type. Alternatively scarcity could be coupled with a problem o f inappropriate space types, in which case the im mediate problem is qualitative in nature.

Space management deals with the entire scope o f problem areas. Currently, where space adequacy may seem to present a crucial problem , space availability is increasingly becoming a concern. In such cases, the overall attitude o f m anagem ent is dictated by an understanding o f the use o f space in an organisation. In physical terms, the use o f space depends on the design features o f the facility organisation. Sometimes, design features present opportunities to m anagem ent and sometimes they act as constraints. At this point, there is a concern to relate space to the user in terms o f usage rather than allocation. There is also an awareness that these spatial constraints can be managed so that they do not hinder the operations o f the organisation.

Hence in the management o f facility space in organisations under contemporary conditions, there are three crucial problem areas; firstly, the assessm ent o f the total dem and for space, secondly, the decisions which have been reached on the provision 43

o f space in different time scales, and finally, given the opportunity and constraints o f the building design, the most favourable m anagem ent decisions to be taken under conditions o f uncertainty.

References

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Avis, M & Gibson, V., 1995, Real Estate Resource M anagement: A study o f m ajor occupiers in the UK, Oxon: GTI Specialist Publishers Ltd.

Becker. P., 1990, The Total Workplace: Facilities M anagem ent A n d The Elastic

Organisation, New York: Van No strand Reinhold.

Bender, P., 1983. Resource M anagement: An Alternative View o f the M anagem ent Process, New York: John Wiley & Sons.

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Ellis, P., 1984, "The Impact O f Changing Office Production Processes on Office Quality for The User”, pp. 253-383, in Brandon. P., and Powell, J., (eds.). Quality and Profit In Building Design. London: E & P Spon.

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Kenny, G., 1977a, Polytechnics: The Shared Use o f Space and Facilities. London: Department o f Education and Science, A rchitects and Building Branch.

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