Steward Your Physical Assets Through These Difficult Times

Budget cuts require tradeoffs. With the right data, applied in an effective decision-making framework, leaders can understand the tradeoffs they are weighing, determine the likely implications of those decisions and ensure the choices made align with the long-term priorities of the institution.

Strategic investment means aligning short-term decisions with long-term priorities, so the first step is developing a common language for communicating how those priorities directly impact facilities management. Once common ground has been established from the boiler room to the board room, focus on growing those areas which are most in-line with institutional priorities.

It is rare to please everyone when making a decision about a university’s facilities. It is however possible to invite multiple stakeholders into the decision-making process and generate buy-in for swift, thoughtful action. This can be done by educating key stakeholders using a common vocabulary and providing an objective, data-based perspective of your physical assets.

Across higher education the average classroom is only used for about 60% of the day, so it’s safe to assume that EVERY institution out there has space that they can eliminate. It is critical to figure out where that space is, then communicating clearly about how and why it needs to be removed. As financial pressures mount, finding these spaces will be the fastest way for an institution to right-size, both in terms of physical space and mission-critical programs.

Yes. These uncertain times provide an opportunity to re-establish your vision of the future state of your organization and to evaluate potential short-term changes against your long-term vision.