The practice of maintaining at least six feet of space between individuals at all times. The purpose of social distancing is to prevent the spread of illness in indoor workplaces where employees normally interact within close quarters. Social distancing may force companies to operate at less their maximum capacity to comply with guidelines. Also see workplace distancing.

Shift involves assigning employees to specific desks or workspaces in shifts. Assigning seats in shifts allows facility managers to control everything from occupancy to allocation. Shift seating gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, as a way to limit cross-exposure among employees while keeping the workplace open in accordance with social distancing guidelines. Also see social distancing.

Space assigned to temporarily accommodate an organizational unit while their space is being renovated/built. Term used in reference to a Phased Move.

A lease granted by a lessee of the whole or part of the leasehold property. The length of the sub-lease must be less than the unexpired part of the tenant’s own lease of the property.

The process by which a facility management organization envisions its future by linking its purpose to the strategy of the overall organization and then developing goals, objectives, and action plans to achieve that future. The result of the strategic facility planning process is the strategic facility plan.

Two-to-five year facility plan encompassing an entire portfolio of owned and/or leased space that sets strategic facility goals based on the organization’s strategic objectives. The strategic facilities goals, in turn, determine short-term tactical plans, including the prioritization of, and funding for, annual facility related projects.

A space standard is a study of the space size, furniture requirements and area arrangement for an area of activity that is responsive to the need of the company. The activity area may be a personnel space or a shared facility such as files, storages, conference room, reception area, etc.

The process undertaken to determine the amount of space needed by an organization both now and in the future based on projected staff numbers and space use guidelines for the range of different functional requirements. Part of Strategic Facility Planning.

The surveying and recording of the amount and use of the various functional space types currently within an organization.  Done to understand an organization’s Occupancy.

The number of full and part-time employees, contract workers, and/or tenants located within facilities.

Shadow occupancy/vacancy is space that is shown as occupied but underused by the tenant. Identifying Shadow Occupancy is an area where CAFM systems show great ROI.

A strategic planning method that some organizations use to make flexible long-term plans.  In the CAFM world this is how organizations manage future space needs driven by growth or attrition of the workforce. Also called Scenario Analysis.

Demand maintenance request typically originating from the general employee base.

Agreement between the client or customer and the service provider on performance, measurement and conditions of services delivery.  Facilities Departments often have SLA’s in place with their (internal) customers and vendors. Typically a CMMS function.

The portion of a building or floor required for access to some subdivision of space that is not defined as primary circulation. Secondary circulation may or may not be surrounded by walls or furniture panels.

Sometimes referred to as “on-demand software”, is a software delivery model in which software and associated data are centrally hosted on the cloud. SaaS is typically accessed by users using a thin client via a web browser.

A System of Record, overall, is the source of current and historical data within an organization.  A source where not only current data can be found, extracted and shared, but historical data can be stored as well. in Facility Management, a CAFM program requires a lot of data collection and analysis, and now static spreadsheets or pen pen and paper are no longer being used to track your FM usage and planning activities, you need somewhere to store and organize all that data. That’s what a System of Record (SOR) is. If your company uses Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or practice management software, you’re using a different kind of SOR. Modern businesses use SOR programs for a range of different applications. These programs make it much easier to deal with a high volume of data inputs and provide the synthesizing power you need to really track and analyze your activities.

In a Facility Management context, SOR programs can help you keep tabs on which parts of your facilities are being used and when. SpaceIQ has the added benefit of giving you employee tracking and profile storage so you can incorporate HR needs into your SOR. As SpaceIQ shows, a SOR program can be much more than just a digital filing cabinet where you store information. It can be a multifaceted program that you use to plan, track, manage and analyze not only data but the functions connected to that data at a higher level. The SOR function of a program like SpaceIQ is just one of the essential features that makes this CAFM software so useful and vital in a successful and well-managed work environment.

A measurement of how much office space employees are using versus how much is currently unoccupied. Employers calculate space utilization when they take the number of employees divided by the building’s maximum capacity. The resulting percentage helps employers assess how much free space they have left and change floor plans if necessary.

Space Planning deals with the coordination and allocation of available office space as defined by your available floor plan. An incredibly broad subject, Space Planning handles everything from real estate needs, including size, type and purpose, down to office layout and seating assignments.  it can cover the scope of an entire multi-story building or a single room with a dozen desks. The process of Space Planning allows for the optimization of departmental placement. For example, the decision to seat a web design team directly next to the copywriting department can be an efficient choice for intra-departmental collaboration and consultation. These concerns are at the core of space planning and they can evolve over the course of an organization’s growth and development.

The act of relocating assets and personnel to places that offer sufficient space. This process is necessary for companies that have outgrown the original floor plan. The company will either have to reconfigure existing space or acquire additional real estate. Space optimization efforts tend to be a product of understanding space utilization and occupancy.

Space Management is another granular subset of the broader FM concept. Rather than managing the big-picture of the workplace as a whole, Space Management has to do with specific details such as which desks are occupied and by whom, what parts of your building are under or over utilized, how many open conference rooms there are at a given time and even details like the total number of rolling desk chairs in the office space. Proper Space Management can keep you on top of the changing space needs in your office that come with personnel changes and expansions. Whether it’s an additional desk or an entirely new office facility, Space Management allows you to track and anticipate shifts in your allocation and inventory needs.

The process of transforming a single-use space into a multi-purposed space through creative design and resource allocation. For example, employees might gather in the break room for an impromptu brainstorming session. Space fusion helps physical workspaces adapt to a company’s ever-changing needs in a quick, efficient manner.

A workplace environment that utilizes technology to assist with company operations. Employees use software and digital devices to communicate with each other and collaborate more efficiently. Smart technology also helps employees interact with the physical environment via sensors, touch screens and other IoT devices. Smart workplaces rely on automations to be more efficient. Also see IoT and smart building.

A structure that operates on its own to achieve maximum efficiency. Smart buildings include sensors that gather information and automatically adjust factors within the environment. Technology allows smart buildings to adjust internal temperatures, open electronically controlled doors, and more—all without human intervention. Also see IoT and smart workplace.

A shared desk is a workspace that’s assigned to multiple employees who work at different times. Unlike hot-desking, shared desks are dedicated to specific individuals who use the space during scheduled times. The configuration allows employers to maximize space for employees on staggered or flexible schedules.

Sensor technology allows for the automation of various data collection efforts. There are two primary sensor types of relevancy for facility management: infrastructure sensors and occupants-related sensors. Infrastructure sensors focus on utilities, making it possible to collect information or control usage for equipment, power lines, and other infrastructural facility components. Occupants-related sensors focus on the comfort and productivity of the people who inhabit a facility (i.e., climate control, security, lighting, etc.). Smart sensors can help eliminate waste by automatically turning lights off when a room is empty or adjusting HVAC settings based on ambient temperature. Many occupants-related sensors have motion-detection capabilities to enhance automation and reduce waste.

Facility managers can use stack planning as an efficient way of assigning seats to entire departments rather than seating one employee at a time. The “stack” in stack planning refers to a stacked view of multiple floors in a building. The major benefit of this space planning approach is the efficiency provided by a high-level view that forgoes fine details like individual seats and people in favor of a broader approach that makes seat assignments move much more quickly. This technique also makes it easy to group departments or teams together in a way that facilitates efficient collaboration.

Just as software as a service (SAAS) is revolutionizing the way businesses use software programs, space as a service has the potential to change the way we think about office space. The space as a service model dovetails with the coworking concept in that it sees workstations, desks, conference rooms, and other elements of a workplace being moved to a centralized model of shared space. Individuals and organizations alike can rent space on an as-needed basis without taking on the full burden of facilities responsibility that comes with office leases or ownership. These responsibilities, such as maintenance concerns, fall under the purview of the space as a service provider rather than the tenant.

Space as a service doesn’t necessarily apply only to coworking spaces in which people from different organizations share the same office. It can also be seen as a sort of property management concept in which a space as a service provider takes over facilities needs for an organization and transforms the way its spaces function.