Do you feel like you’re in “budget jail” as the facility manager of your property? Maybe you have strict upper management that doesn’t give you the money you want to expand programs. Or, maybe you’re in charge of setting the budget but aren’t sure how to do it so you’re saving instead of wasting resources. Budget jail doesn’t feel good for anyone in your shoes. However, there is a solution to break out and make your facility more efficient in 2021.
Identifying Budget Jail
It’s possible that you’re not sure if the term “budget jail” describes your facility. Below are just a few characteristics of this limiting circumstance and how it manifests itself in the facility manager’s role:
- The facility doesn’t use zero-based budgeting to account for new expenses and investments for the year
- The maintenance budget is reduced from last year arbitrarily, with no regard for the department’s needs or plans
- Top management decides the budget and does not take into account expenses that are not on an annual cycle. For example, equipment with a ten-year service life cannot be budgeted for every year, but management does not look at the service log to determine the annual budget.
- The budget has no room for planned investments, but has ancillary funds saved for emergency repairs; more room is reserved for reactive rather than preventative care
- Investments are only included if they provide a short-term benefit, but not if they aid in long-term sustainability.
The Solution
As the facility manager, it is your job to ensure that preventative maintenance is a top priority. Even budget constraints are not as important as this, because preventative and reliability-centered maintenance will always result in cost-savings. In order to break out of budget jail, you have to prove this to yourself (or the upper management making the budget).
First, schedule an audit with your most trusted maintenance technicians and operators. Their perspectives will help you to determine the areas of improvement that are most needed, and which will provide the greatest value to your business. Then, you must take a bold move. You must make the decision to invest in preventative maintenance and equipment upgrades they recommend, even if it requires using your reactive maintenance resources.
This is a risk, and one you should consult upper management with if needed. However, by breaking the budget with preventative maintenance improvements, you can easily reduce the number of accidents or emergencies occurring within the given year. Could this result in additional expenses if the right preventative measures aren’t taken? Yes; but if no preventative maintenance services are scheduled, you can count on emergencies happening throughout the year.
MaintenX is here to help you break out of budget jail and put money into the maintenance services you need most. Our preventative maintenance programs help you save money over time and reduce facility downtime. Not sure about what preventative maintenance can do for you? Contact our team today to learn more!
