Abstract
This research report investigates how facilities management (FM) professionals make decisions about building maintenance, a central responsibility in FM that accounts for a majority of operational effort and costs. Given the complexity of maintenance activities and the many conflicting factors involved (like cost, safety, condition, schedules, and compliance), the study aims to identify and rank key criteria that influence maintenance decision-making. To do this, the authors conducted a comprehensive literature review and a nationwide survey of facilities management professionals from IFMA and APPA. The result is a set of fundamental decision criteria (e.g., health and safety, code compliance, condition, cost, funding availability, sustainability, etc.) ranked by importance, which can serve as the foundation for developing a structured multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model for building maintenance. The report also highlights differences in priorities between public and private FM organizations and suggests areas for future research.
Date of this Version
2024
DOI
10.13140/RG.2.2.19256.40964
Comments
This document is the authors’ final report prepared for the Center for Facilities Research (CFaR) part of APPA – Leadership in Educational Facilities APPA Research Project CFaR038-18.