Construction Management  498C

Relocation and Operational Issues

Introduction

What Completing This Course Will Do for You

Facility Life Cycle 3, Relocation and Operational Issues, provides an overview of issues related to office moves, facility maintenance, risk management, and current issues for facility managers. Among the topics you will study are relocation scheduling, types of maintenance plans, ergonomics, disaster recovery and planning, computer-aided facilities management (CAFM), and alternative work arrangements. In this course, you will begin to develop the practical skills needed to perform an office move by carrying out a major project related to a strategic office relocation. In addition, you will continue to acquire the people skills required for facility management by studying the skills you will need to be an effective supervisor.

Learning Objectives and Course Organization

After mastering the material in this course, you will be able to

• strategically plan for and carry out a move (Lesson One);
• strategically plan for the occupancy and start-up process, and follow-up after occupancy (Lesson One);
• carry out a maintenance program, including inventory management, tenant improvement, and staff management (Lesson Two)
• identify needs for ADA compliance and develop solutions (Lesson Three);
• identify security needs and implement a security program (Lesson Three);
• plan and execute a disaster recovery program; including employee education (Lesson Three);
• analyze ergonomic issues and oversee modifications (Lesson Three);
• solve indoor air quality problems (Lesson Three);
• adapt the facility for alternative work environments (Lesson Four);
• develop and implement a commute trip reduction plan (Lesson Four);
• select appropriate computer-aided facility management software (Lesson Four);
• exercise the skills required for time management and conflict resolution (Lesson Four); and
• identify skills needed to be an effective supervisor (Lesson Four).

Course Organization

There are four lessons in FLC 3; each lesson is three weeks in duration. For Lessons One and Two, extensive commentaries in the course guide help you focus on the main points of the readings from the text. For Lessons Four and Five, the focus is on current issues, such as ergonomics and alternative working environments. Instead of relying primarily on the commentaries and texts for information on these topics, you will rely on information from a variety of Web sites, selected for their professional presentation of the issues.

Texts and Technology Requirements

In FLC3 you will continue to use Facilities Planning and Relocation, Volume I, by David Owen. Owen's book will help you develop a schedule and budget for a move; assist with the installation and moving of furniture and equipment; guide you through the follow-up process after occupancy; and provide you with wonderful work sheets and checklists.

In addition, you will continue to use Facility Management by Rondeau et al. Rondeau's book focuses on the issues that are the primary responsibility of the facilities manager; that i., building systems, risk management, and business strategies.

Technology Requirements

As with FLC 1 and 2, you need a browser of version 5.0 or higher to access the syllabus, online quizzes, and discussion forums. If you are using America Online's browser, you will have to download and use Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer. See the course guide for FLC 2 (part 1), p 4, for download instructions.

What Do I Need to Do to Complete this Course?

To successfully complete this course, you must

• complete a final project involving an office relocation;
• complete reading assignments in the texts, the supplemental reader, and this course guide;
• actively contribute to the online course discussion; and
• complete and submit all written assignments; including mentor interviews.

Final Project

In lieu of a final exam, you will carry out a final project in which you develop a plan to relocate a small business. All students will be working on the same project. In Lesson One, you will be given sufficient information (floor plan, data about the business, etc.) to complete the project. We encourage the use of online discussions and instructor online time to assist you in working on your project.

Actively Contribute to the Online Discussion Question Forum

Note online discussion forum changes for FLC 3:

In FLC 3, you'll continue to participate in the online discussion question forum, but there will be one change. In FLC 1 and 2, satisfactory participation was measured by one substantive response to each discussion question, or a thoughtful response to another student's posting. In FLC 3, more will be asked of you—satisfactory participation will require one substantive response to each discussion question and one thoughtful response to another student's posting. Each student, then, will make two postings for each discussion question. There will be two to three discussion questions for each lesson.

In addition to discussing assigned topics in the discussion question forum, please continue to use the general discussion forum to share work experiences, thoughts on the readings, ideas about assignments, and any facility management issues. You also should continue to communicate with your classmates via e-mail and telephone.

Complete Reading Assignments in the Course Guide, Texts, and Supplemental Reader

For most of the lessons, readings are assigned from one or both of the texts and the supplemental reader. My commentaries in the course guide serve as an introduction to the topics covered in the texts. I recommend that you read the commentaries first, then the text readings. Follow up with the articles from the supplemental reader. These articles will enable you to solidify your understanding of the lesson's key concepts as you see how they are discussed in specific applications.

Complete and Submit All Written Assignments

There are three to five writing assignments for each lesson. For the first lesson, you will complete a short diagnostic writing assignment that will enable me to assess your writing skills. Other assignments are from several paragraphs to two pages in length.

What Makes up the Course Participation Grade?

There is one component of your course participation grade: your postings to the required online discussion question. Your course participation grade will reflect whether or not you (1) completed this activity and (2) demonstrated thoughtful application of course concepts to the discussion.

When Will I Receive my Course Participation Grade?

I will grade you twice on your course participation. You will receive the first grade after you have completed Lesson Two. This grade will reflect your participation in Lessons One and Two. You will receive your second grade after you complete Lesson Four. This grade will reflect your participation in Lessons Three and Four.

Your Mentor for FLC 3

As in FLC 1 and 2, you will have the opportunity to apply what your are learning to the real world. You again will establish a relationship with a mentor, an experienced facilities manager, and through interviewing your mentor, you will see practical applications of the concepts you study.

Because FLC 3 is a bridge to Studio I, your mentor for FLC 3 must be the same person who mentors you for Studio I. You may keep the same mentor for FLC 3 that you had for FLC 2, as long as that person is willing to mentor you as you complete the facilities audit project you will carry out for Studio I. Qualifications for a Studio I mentor are

• employment as facilities manager for a facility of at least 25,000 sq. ft.;
• willingness to spend about 20 hours with you throughout the ten weeks of the Studio I course;
• willingness to assist you in selecting various contractors to interview;
• willingness to help you develop interview questions; and
• availability to tour a selected facility with you for your first audit.

Assignments Points

Your assignments will be weighted as follows:

Assignment Due Dates

See the course calendar for assignment due dates.

Late Assignments

If you know that your schedule during FLC 3 will prevent you from turning in an assignment on time, please let me know the first week of class. If unforseen circumstances areise that mean your work will be late, let me know before the assignment due date so that I can approve a late submission. Without my approval, 10% will be deducted from the assignment grade for each day it is late.

Time and Information Management

As with FLC 1 and 2, this course mirrors real-life facilities management in terms of the time allotted for accomplishing tasks and the amount of information you will encounter. This section gives you suggestions for managing your study time and for handling the quantities of information you will need to absorb and evaluate in this course.

Budget Time for Assignments

The information in this course is designed to give you a comprehensive overview of the issues and processes that are important to your facilities management career. Be sure to budget enough time each week to complete the reading assignments, and the viewing assignments when given. This will help you learn to assimilate and organize the quantities of information that will come your way—through a variety of media—as a facilities manager.

Reading Tips

Because facilities management is about information, you have a considerable amount of reading to do for this course. You should spend approximately three to five hours per lesson on the reading assignments. Use the lesson objectives and key terms as guides for what you should learn from the readings. As noted above, it will be to your benefit to read the commentaries first, then the assignments in Owen and Rondeau, and then the articles in the supplemental reader.

Your Facilities Management Resource Book

In the introduction to FLC 1, you were advised to start gathering and organizing information on facilities management-the material from this course, as well as articles and brochures on facilities-related subjects. Continue to add to your resource book throughout this course.

Recall that the developers of the UW Certificate Program in Facilities Management suggest that you organize your resource book in a three-ring binder with separately tabbed sections and extra pockets in the front and back for temporary storage of loose sheets. Gathering facilities information in this way will help you to integrate key concepts, terminology, and the knowledge of resources that you are learning about in this course. This organizational tool also will be an important resource book for your future employment in the facilities management field.

Enhance Your Professional Development: Additional Resources

As was recommended for FLC 1 and 2, make a point of regularly looking at professional journals, trade publications, and Web sites for facilities-related organizations and businesses. Consider joining a professional organization or listserv; doing so will add to your professional portfolio and keep you abreast of trends in the profession.

Resources

Numerous Internet, book, and professional journal resources are listed on your class syllabus.

Concept Maps

Review the information in the FLC 1 course guide about concept maps, and continue to use these tools as you study the material in FLC 3.

Study Tips

Before you begin your readings for FLC 3, look back over the study tips outlined in the FLC 1 course guide.

Use Your Student Handbook

When you registered for FLC 1, you received a copy of the UW Distance Learning student handbook. This handbook contains administrative information as well the requirements for completing the facilities life-cycle courses. It also includes details on how to submit assignments, plan your time, use the UW libraries, and use electronic mail and the online course discussion tool. Please review the information in the handbook before you begin Lesson One of this course.

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