Innovations in SLA’s?

So the last year we heard a lot about the ‘experience level agreement’, but what about the original ‘service level agreement’? Is Facilities Management ready for the big step towards the ‘experience’ or should we first start to innovate the SLA? To create a better experience for the Facilities Manager during his daily work?

Developing and fine-tuning an SLA during the contract procedure will take a lot of time. Every supplier and Facilities Management department has their own vision on service levels. Because of that fact, developing and fine-tuning SLA’s will take a lot of time and at the end they are not completely measurable. So would it not be nice to have a Service Level Standard based on the NEN 2748?

Glenn Portier has just started his research on the standardization of service levels. The goal of his research project is to develop a service level standard with the outcome of efficient and effective contract management. Because of the standardization benchmarks will become more valid and reliable. Developing the SLA will cost less time for both parties, which will result into a win-win situation. This research is interesting for the Facilities Management work field and will have a enormously added value.

Marcel Broumels wins the LOOFD FMN student-of-the-year award 2008

Marcel Broumels, NHTV Facility Management graduate student is this year’s winner of the LOOFD FMN student-of-the-year award 2008. For the second year in a row this award has been presented to a promising young newcomer in the field of Facility Management. This award is granted on the basis of the overall quality of the sent in graduation thesis. Marcel Broumels was chosen from three nominees.

The jury consisting of Mr. Ad Smits, Director of FM Hogeschool Zuyd; Mr. Farid Azarkan, General secretary, Facility Management Nederland (FMN); Mr. Wim Kooyman, Editor in Chief of Facility Management Magazine; Mr Frank Voss, Deputy Manager Facility Management Affairs, Van Lanschot Bankiers and previous chairman of IFMA Holland; and Mr. Pablo Hunnego, Manager Shared Services Organisation Facility Company of the Ministry of Transport and Public Works and Facility Manager of the year 2007/2008, were unanimous in their decision.

Marcel was praised for the overall quality of his thesis and his innovative research method. Furthermore, the future developments in the field of facility management, put in an international context and the “people factor” were specifically appreciated.

It is Marcel his third award in one year. He already won the European Student -of-the-year award 2008 (EUROFM) in Manchester and the NHTV research award 2008.

New tool for expectation management

Managing expectations within a facility context starts with applying imagineering on a strategic level (detailed information on the link 'Imagineering Academy NHTV', download 'Imagineering Roadmap to business transformation'). The top management formulates a frame work by defining the experience the company wants to provide their staff members. For this I have coined and am designing an experience frame work. The facility manager converts experience frame work (strategic level) into Service level Agreements (tactical level) and the Product Service Catalogue (operational level).