Total Facilities Management

Citation

Waheed, Z. (2010), "Total Facilities Management", Facilities, Vol. 28 No. 9/10, pp. 494-495. https://doi.org/10.1108/02632771011057215

A well‐established introductory text in the field of facilities management the third edition of Brian Atkin and Adrian Brooks' Total Facilities Management appears four years after the well‐received second. It sets standards that few introductory texts in our field have equalled in terms of clarity of presentation, ease of understanding, and the breadth of concepts covered. The previous editions that provided a “balanced guidance based on best practice underpinned by robust theory” to facility professionals (excerpt from the preface to the second edition) were popular with both practitioners and academics. The third edition further adds to the previous text by bringing together fresh ideas to explore theory in practice, and a wide range of new and relevant case studies on issues pertinent to facility managers.

This edition also takes a broader view of FM as a discipline not only covering issues surrounding the physical assets and the users (people issues), but also social and environmental issues that facility managers increasingly need to address in their work. New chapters on information management systems, the management of specialist services, intelligent buildings and facility planning have been added to deal with these emerging topics in FM. The presentation is lucid and crisp throughout. Chapters begin with a list of key points being explained in each, explain the concepts and the practice and finish off with handy and practical checklists. The reader is never impressed with more information than required. The practical implications of the various alternatives available during decision making are always explained thoroughly, while remaining non‐sector‐specific and adaptable.

Overall, Total Facilities Management presents a comprehensive introduction to the work that Facilities Managers undertake on the operational as well as strategic level. Not only that, but it helps professionals using the book in understanding the changing dynamics of our profession, so that they may be able to assess and shape its future. It succeeds in balancing the coverage of the micro‐level procedural issues with the macro‐level regulatory and environmental issues. However, what is most clever about the text is the fact that the authors have almost effortlessly presented the practical knowledge about facilities (that successful facility managers perhaps may know only through intuition and experience) alongside theory practitioners must be aware of‐ and all of this in an accessible, fluid and logically‐presented text.