Agile & FM

Originating in the software development world, Agile is often viewed as a development methodology. You might therefore ask what relevance it has to FM?

In reality, Agile is not a methodology, but in fact a set of guiding values and principles. As such it is incredibly flexible and provides a foundation that teams can use to make decisions that result in better outcomes. It favours; individuals and interactions over processes and tools; working software over comprehensive documentation; customer collaboration over contract negotiation; and responding to change over following a plan. It may now be apparent how Agile can be relevant to FM?

However, whereas both the PMI and APM view agile as a viable approach, BIFM and the wider FM world appear to view Agile through a space and working management lens. This has resulted in Agile being reduced to a package of services to sell to clients, as opposed to an approach to working with them. The growing 'Agile Working' movement in FM has clear drivers (space constraints, flexible working, cost reduction etc.) and appears to offer some sensible outcomes. However, the focus is mainly on the physicality of 'how, when and where' we work. As such, it misses some of the key elements of Agile and most notably lacks a focus on the values and principles used to drive customer satisfaction.

In the search for cost reduction and new services, perhaps FM's have missed a trick? It may be time to re-evaluate Agile and how it can be used to support FM.