Facility operations

Facility Operations as part of Facility Management
Facilities play a major role in many different industries, such as Sports, Entertainment, Manufacturing, and Healthcare. Each industry has a different mission, and with different missions come different problems. For example, a manufacturing facility will not have the same problems as a sporting facility, so they will manage with departments like Maintenance, Engineering, Process Innovation, Production, etc.

The following topics should be addressed in a Building Operations Plan:

1. Tenant occupancy and operations schedule 2. Building and System level equipment performance 3. Computer managed maintenance system (CMMS) 4. Life Safety / Fire Control

A Sporting facility operates with events, so Facility Operations will oversee two major departments, Building Operations and Event Production.

Hierarchy

Within Facility Operations, the two departments have several teams they must manage. In the chart, the hierarchy of Facility Operations is shown. The teams managed by Building Operations and Event Production are discussed in the Teams section.

Departments

Facility Operations of a sporting facility is divided into two departments. Each venue will have variations of these departments, but the description of their responsibilities’ will be the same. These departments will work together on management and planning.

Building Operations

Building operations is the general name for the day-to-day operations of the venue. In baseball parks like Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, and Camden Yards, this department is called Ballpark Operations. The general overview of responsibilities that this department must deal with is to manage the structural integrity of the building, managing any construction that takes place in the facility, as well as the management of the workers involved in the construction. In a facility that must accommodate multiple events, such as Madison Square Garden in New York, NY or the TD Garden in Boston, MA, Building Operations would be responsible for the assembly and disassembly of these events. For example, the TD Garden is the home of the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins, and also hosts major concert tours throughout the year. Building Operations would manage the change from hockey rink to basketball court to stage for a concert. This is a massive task, and many times quick changeovers must happen overnight. Building Operations will also manage the maintenance staff, such as cleaning crews, renovations, etc.

Event Production

An event is anything that happens in a facility that is deemed “important”. Typical events that will occur in a Sports and Entertainment facility include games, concerts, graduations, etc. Event Production will manage the event, more specifically the clients coming into the facility, the security, and the food and beverage. While Building Operations manages the actual facility, Event Production manages what happens inside of it. In relations to sports and entertainment, the clients would be the teams, artists, celebrities, as well as their “entourage” that visit the venue. With concerts, Event Production manages the backstage area, as well as the locker rooms for sporting events.

Teams

In order for a facility to operate, the following teams must be managed in a way that will bring out their maximum effectiveness.

Teamsters

All equipment brought into the facility is transported and unloaded into the venue via Teamsters. Teamsters will drive, haul, and unload trucks into the facility for the sole purpose of delivering the goods to the construction team that are working inside the facility. Teamsters are unionized by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and are managed by the Building Operations department within the facility.

Labor Unions

Once the equipment is unloaded into the facility by the Teamsters, the Labor Union workers are responsible for moving and assembling of the equipment. Labor union workers can be anything in the construction field, such as carpenters, operating engineers, electricians, etc. The unions these laborers work for are complex organizations with strict rules where no overlap is allowed. In simpler terms, electricians will not do the work of a carpenter or a laborer, as it is not in their job description. A team of highly skilled professionals must manage the union members to coordinate the work. The Building Operations department manages this team as well.

Maintenance

The Maintenance team includes cleaning crews, janitors, etc. The primary responsibility of the Maintenance team is to make sure all aspects of the facility are functioning at all times. This team is managed by Building Operations.

Security

Detail of both hired guards and local Police enforcement. Event Production is responsible for the level of security needed at each event. For example, at both Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium, security detail tends to be much higher when the Red Sox play the Yankees than when both teams play non-rivals.

Food and Beverage (F&B)

The F&B team handles the buying, selling, and distribution of all Food and Beverages in the facility. Also manages contracts and licenses. The Event Production department manages this team.

References

1. "Hierarchy of Facility Operations." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 26 July 2010. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Facilities.JPG>.
2. International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT). Web. 19 July 2010. <http://www.Teamsters.org/>
3. Tompkins, James, John White, Yavuz Bozer, and JM Tanchoco. Facilities Planning. Third ed. Danvers, MA: John Wiley and Sons, 2003. Print.
4. Unions.org - Union Directory. Web. 18 July 2010. <http://www.unions.ord/home/>. 5. The Facilities Management Handbook Third Edition David Cotts, Kathy Roper and Richard Payant <http://www.amazon.com/Facility-Management-Handbook-David-Cotts/dp/0814413803> 6. Find Local Cleaning Companies <http://cleanconnect.co/how_it_works.php>