Critical is also one of the few software companies in the world with a CMMI maturity level 5 rating, which demonstrates their agile culture and a quest for continuous improvement. Therefore, Critical’s FM also needs to respond to the demands of so many employees while maintaining an agile methodology and a strategic vision of the business.
It was precisely about agility and adaptability that we spoke with Miguel Valério, head of Facility Management at Critical Software since 2018. Due to his extensive experience in the sector, he was one of the experts we consulted on FM trends. Now, you can read the full interview about the challenges we face and the determining factors for the future of FM.
Miguel, what’s the main challenge for Facility Management in 2022?
The first challenge will surely be the openness and ability to incorporate FM under a strategic lens, against the strictly operational approach of the past. Current and future trends demand that. Agile and flexible management, with enormous adaptability, is a part of any FM’s DNA.
However, it should be a constant effort. That way, organisations can focus on their business models and be assured that their entire operation is supported in the best possible way, in the most cost-effective manner. In that sense, service integration will be one of the trends with the highest acceptance. This approach allows internal teams to focus on activities with greater added value and that generate bigger results, be it for management and/or for users.
“Flexibility, collaboration, and experience should guide future workplaces”
Will the pandemic continue to disrupt the sector in 2022?
The workplace is constantly evolving, which represents a second challenge. In a short time frame, new policies, approaches and work habits led to a shift in workplace paradigms in many industries. And there will be key points that should guide future workplaces:
Flexibility, given that facilities should adapt to each activity/ occasion, assuring companies the optimisation of their space and offering users the chance to work with a variety of options at their disposal; Collaboration, which is the way spaces potentiate communication, interaction between teams, and productivity in a comfortable, efficient and safe manner; Experience, which allows an organisation to offer something unique to their workers throughout the workday.
“We’ll see intelligent workplaces – completely digital ecosystems where the synergy between the physical and virtual worlds will be enhanced.”
The pandemic accelerated digital transformations across the board and FM was not an exception. What do you think will be the implications in the long-term?
Indeed, technology could be a synonym for the word “future”. A good deal of what will become the future of FM depends directly on technology. At the moment, FM is going through a digital transformation, which will grow exponentially in the next few years. For the time being, from a managerial standpoint, we rely on automated systems, sensors, and aggregated information for decision-makers, on digital platforms.
