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strategic facility planning

Definition
'''A strategic facility plan (SFP) is defined as a two-to-five year facilities plan encompassing an entire portfolio of owned and/or leased space that sets strategic facility goals based on the organization’s strategic (business) objectives. The strategic facilities goals, in turn, determine short-term tactical plans, including prioritization of, and funding for, annual facility related projects.'''

Background
Strategic Facility Planning has its origin in military base planning where long-term capital budgets for construction are an important part of supporting the mission of each base. The American Architectural Firm, CRS, and and architect George T. Heery (now with the Brookwood Group), pioneered a process of analyzing space needs for multiple office buildings, followed by construction plans that would address changing organizational needs for the entire enterprise. Other notable architectural firms such as Gensler and HOK developed their own methods, which they shared at numerous conventions and industry publications. It was not until the late 1980's and 1990's that the term made its way into the mainstream lexicon of architects, interior designers, facility managers, in-house planners and business executives. An early definition was published in the American Institute of Architects "Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice, 13th edition" in 2000, where the following was offered by architect, Thomas O. McCune:

''Strategic facility planning is the process of translating an organization’s strategic business plans into medium- or long-range facility plans and alternatives. Traditional architectural space planning skills play a role but must be supplemented by skills in forecasting, financial analysis, scheduling, real estate transactions, hedging, and site selection.'' The focus on the building-related needs of entire enterprise with multiple sites is what differentiates strategic facility planning from "master planning," which typically focuses on one site and "workplace strategy" which is "the dynamic alignment of an organization's work patterns with the work environment to enable peak performance and reduce costs."

Process
The most referenced document in the field is "Strategic Facility Planning: A White Paper" published by the International Facility Management Association, where the process is explained in detail. In broad terms the process can be divided into four phases:


 * Understanding - Thoroughly understand the organization’s mission, vision, values and goals. Many organizations follow a balanced scorecard of four key measurements: financial performance; customer knowledge; internal business processes; and learning and growth.
 * Analyzing - Use analytical techniques, such as SWOT analysis, SCAN, SLP or scenario planning, to explore the range of possible futures and the triggers used to analyze an organization’s facility needs.
 * Planning - Develop plans that meet the long-range needs of the organization. At minimum, the SFP should be reviewed annually and further updated periodically as conditions require.
 * Acting - Take actions as planned and implement the SFP. Feedback from actions taken can be incorporated into the next plan and/or project to provide continuous improvement to future SFPs. The cyclical nature of constant planning for the changing future and adopting plans along the way are normal events. These changes and updates must be managed to ensure they are achievable.

Characteristics
In the Facility Management Journal, William T. Adams, FAIA describes the attributes of a Strategic Facility Plan which are summarized here:


 * Strategic Facility Plans are Long Range - When time periods of three to five years or more are considered, real estate costs become variable costs; that is leased space can be vacated, new facilities can be constructed or current facilities can be sold.  Costs and benefits associated with these actions can be evaluated within the context of the enterprise's financial planning process.


 * Business Plans are the Only Basis of Strategic Facility Plans - Business needs are not developed or evaluated within the context of current facilities. Senior management directives drive facility-related decisions.


 * Strategic Facility Plans are Dynamic - The planning process is recurring and snapshots of the future as represented in master plans or lease changes may change on an annual or quarterly basis to support changing business needs. This on-going review and redefinition is more important than the details of proposed master plans or future lease commitments.


 * Strategic Facility Plans Offer the Greatest Benefits - Flexible Strategic Facility Plans can enable an enterprise to withstand a downturn because they promote flexibility through the development of scenarios that address issues associated with both downturns and upticks in a company's fortunes.

Different Types of Strategic Facility Plans

 * Banks and Credit Unions - Financial Institutions can have a mix of large, high-end office buildings in downtown locations, scattered Operations Centers (low cost office space) that are often located in residential or industrial areas, and a network of retail branch banks that are located to provide convenient access to customers throughout their footprint. Changes in the retail branch network often drive changes in office space requirements and a a high level perspective on planning is required in order to gain optimum results for the organization as a whole.  Strategic Facility Planning for Financial Institutions requires a high level of coordination with Branding, Marketing and Bank Equipment staff due to the retail nature of the branches and the special equipment located in the branches.

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Definition
'''A strategic facility plan (SFP) is defined as a two-to-five year facilities plan encompassing an entire portfolio of owned and/or leased space that sets strategic facility goals based on the organization’s strategic (business) objectives. The strategic facilities goals, in turn, determine short-term tactical plans, including prioritization of, and funding for, annual facility related projects.'''

Background
Strategic Facility Planning has its origin in military base planning where long-term capital budgets for construction are an important part of supporting the mission of each base. The American Architectural Firm, CRS, and and architect George T. Heery, pioneered a process of analyzing space needs for multiple corporate office buildings, followed by construction plans that would address changing organizational needs for the entire enterprise. Other notable architectural firms such as Gensler and HOK developed their own methods, which they shared at numerous conventions and industry publications. It was not until the late 1980's and 1990's that the term made its way into the mainstream lexicon of architects, interior designers, facility managers, in-house planners and business executives. An early definition was published in the American Institute of Architects "Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice, 13th edition" in 2000, where the following was offered by architect, Thomas O. McCune:

''Strategic facility planning is the process of translating an organization’s strategic business plans into medium- or long-range facility plans and alternatives. Traditional architectural space planning skills play a role but must be supplemented by skills in forecasting, financial analysis, scheduling, real estate transactions, hedging, and site selection.'' The focus on the functional construction-related needs of an entire enterprise with multiple sites is what differentiates strategic facility planning from master planning, which typically focuses on one site and "workplace strategy" which is "the dynamic alignment of an organization's work patterns with the work environment to enable peak performance and reduce costs."

Process
The most referenced document in the field is "Strategic Facility Planning: A White Paper" published by the International Facility Management Association, where the process is explained in detail. In broad terms the process can be divided into four phases:


 * Understanding - Thoroughly understand the organization’s mission, vision, values and goals. Many organizations follow a balanced scorecard of four key measurements: financial performance; customer knowledge; internal business processes; and learning and growth.
 * Analyzing - Use analytical techniques, such as SWOT analysis, SCAN, SLP or scenario planning, to explore the range of possible futures and the triggers used to analyze an organization’s facility needs.
 * Planning - Develop plans that meet the long-range needs of the organization. At minimum, the SFP should be reviewed annually and further updated periodically as conditions require.
 * Acting - Take actions as planned and implement the SFP. Feedback from actions taken can be incorporated into the next plan and/or project to provide continuous improvement to future SFPs. The cyclical nature of constant planning for the changing future and adopting plans along the way are normal events. These changes and updates must be managed to ensure they are achievable.

Characteristics
In the IFMA Journal, William T. Adams, FAIA describes the attributes of a Strategic Facility Plan which are summarized here:


 * Strategic Facility Plans are Long Range - When time periods of three to five years or more are considered, real estate costs become variable costs; that is leased space can be vacated, new facilities can be constructed or current facilities can be sold.  Costs and benefits associated with these actions can be evaluated within the context of the enterprise's financial planning process.


 * Business Plans are the Only Basis of Strategic Facility Plans - Business needs don't necessarily have to be developed or evaluated within the context of current facilities. Senior management directives drive facility-related decisions.


 * Strategic Facility Plans are Dynamic - The planning process is recurring and snapshots of the future as represented in master plans or lease changes may change on an annual or quarterly basis to support changing business needs. This on-going review and redefinition is more important than the details of proposed master plans or future lease commitments.


 * Strategic Facility Plans Offer the Greatest Benefits - Flexible Strategic Facility Plans can enable an enterprise to withstand a downturn because they promote flexibility through the development of scenarios that address issues associated with both downturns and upticks in a company's fortunes.

Different Types of Strategic Facility Plans

 * Local Government Entities - A capital improvements program is a blueprint for planning a community's capital expenditures and is one of the most important responsibilities of local government officials. It coordinates community planning, financial capacity and physical development. A capital improvements program is composed of two parts -- a capital budget and a capital program. The capital budget is the upcoming year's spending plan for capital items (tangible assets or projects that cost at least $10,000 and have a useful life of at least five years). The capital program is a plan for capital expenditures that extends five years beyond the capital budget. http://www.mass.gov/dor/docs/dls/publ/misc/cip.pdf


 * Banks and Credit Unions - Financial Institutions can have a mix of facility types including; large, headquarters office buildings (typically in downtown locations), Operations Centers (low cost office space in suburban or industrial locations), and a scattered network of retail branch banks that are located to provide convenient access to customers throughout the bank or credit union's service area. Changes in the retail branch network often drive changes in office space requirements and a high-level perspective on planning is required in order to gain optimum results for the organization as a whole. Strategic Facility Planning for Financial Institutions requires a high level of coordination with Branding, Marketing and Bank Equipment staff due to the retail nature of the branches and the special equipment located in the branches.


 * Museums - While other types of strategic facility planning focus on supporting changing organizational staff needs, museums must optimize planning for customers, collections, staff, trustees and events. Using the strategic facility planning process, museums can optimize resource allocation over the long term for the benefit of all stakeholders.


 * Colleges and Universities The Society for College and University Planning promotes an approach to planning called integrated planning. Integrated planning is the linking of vision, priorities, people, and the physical institution in a flexible system of evaluation, decision-making, and action. It shapes and guides the entire organization as it evolves over time and within its community.  While most Colleges and Universities have a master plan that identifies future buildings, their location and future renovation projects, the Society for University Planners (SCUP) promotes an inclusive and comprehensive process that links the university strategic plan, the master plan and departmental level planning.


 * Corporate Facilities - Strategic facility planning was initially applied to office space planning, but has grown to include R&D facilities and other types of corporate facilities.


 * U.S. Government - The General Services Administration has a mission to Deliver the best value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to government and the American people. Their vision is providing government with the services and resources it needs to accomplish its work as effectively and efficiently as possible.  Due to the size of the organization, the agency identifies a strategic framework in their FY2014-2018 Strategic Plan that provides guidance to agencies.  The strategic framework includes:       Mission      Strategic Goals      Priorities      Strategic Objectives and key performance goals      Management objectives and performance goals