Put The 3 P’s into Practice

PUTTING INTO PRACTICE

Maintaining the safety and well-being of the occupants of a school is no easy task, especially when budgets are tight. The key is to always maximise the efficiency of the assets you have and achieving value for money.

Taking a strategic approach to premises management means that you are more likely to meet the aims your school requires and of those who inhabit the space. It also means that things won’t be so likely to go wrong, creating a safe and healthy workplace for your people.

The key is to sit down and physically plan out what you need to do, who is going to do it and by when. It all comes back to the three Ps – People, Place and Process.

What are your key performance indicators for a premises management strategy?

• Financial indicators – make sure your approach is financially efficient. Can you afford to set out the building in the way you want to? Research and write down all the costs involved.

• Stakeholder experience – how are you going to make sure the people using your building are happy? What do your specific stakeholders need? Try asking them with questionnaires and consultations.

• Operational excellence – this is about compliance, efficiency and taking a preventative approach, such as maintenance rather than repair. Consider, for example, a flood. Plan for it with extra drainage and it’ll pay for itself. Should the worst happen, then you’ll lose less downtime. • Innovation and learning – How are you going to incorporate feedback from your staff and pupils? How will you build reviewing practice and compliance audits into your overall approach? Consider this first and you won’t have to go back and fix things that should never have been.

If you build consideration of these factors into your strategy, you’ll be well on your way towards being the best of the best. You also won’t have to rely on wiping those memories of the time the air-con stopped working during that heat wave – Bonus.