Top 10 Tips For Facility Management Audits

Facility Management Audits (FMA) involve evaluating the effectiveness of risk management, policy control, governance, processes and performance within an organisation to help identify deviations and develop a corrective action plan.  

For over 30 years, it’s been SFG20’s mission to uphold maintenance standards. As well as being the UK industry standard for building maintenance specification, we also provide educational resources with practical tips on key topics such as achieving compliance and Facility Management Audits. 

In this guide, we’ll be sharing our top 10 best practice tips for conducting an effective Facility Management Audit. Make sure to read on, as we’ve also included a free downloadable Facility Audit checklist for you and your team to use. 

1. Define Clear Objectives And Scope Early 

Before starting an FMA, clearly pinpoint the goals, areas requiring evaluation and specific aspects that you want to assess. This will help to focus the audit and ensure all important elements are covered.  
You may want to start with the below pointers:  

• What are the key areas of focus and criteria for the audit? 
• How will you measure and report the results? 
• What type of audit will you be conducting?  
• How long will the audit take? 
• Who will be responsible for the audit?  

At the start of the audit process, it can be useful to agree on a simple scoring system. For example, you may want to group your findings by “Poor”, “Average” and “High” to provide a clear assessment of each area. Be sure to define the assessment criteria, so others reading the report can understand why it was given the score it did. 

Using an audit scoring system will not only give you greater visibility of areas for improvement, but also allow you to analyse trends over time.  

3. Use A Checklist  

Using a detailed checklist for your audit that’s tailored to your facility’s individual requirements will help you to thoroughly evaluate all processes, assets, technologies and policies.  

To help you get started, we’ve created a free downloadable FMA Checklist for you to use (please note that this is not a definitive list and can be modified where/if necessary). 

Free Facility Management Audit Checklist

4.Gather Data Through Multiple Methods 

By combining data-gathering techniques such as physical inspections, document reviews, interviews with staff and occupants as well as photos and videos, you’ll be able to achieve a holistic view of your facility’s practices and processes.  

Once the audit is complete, your data should be analysed and evaluated using data analytics and reporting tools. Ensure to compare your data against established standards, benchmarks and best practices to identify any risks, gaps and areas for improvement.  

5. Categorise Findings Based on Urgency and Impact

By categorising the issues you find by urgency and impact, you’ll be able to form a prioritised corrective action plan with clear timelines, responsibilities and performance indicators.  

Impact refers to any potential benefits or costs that would come with implementing or not implementing an improvement action, while urgency refers to the time-sensitivity and/or pressure of addressing the issue with an improvement action.  

You may want to use a simple low-to-high scoring matrix to demonstrate the impact and urgency of each issue.  

For example, any action deemed as “high impact” and “high urgency” would take precedence, while “high impact” and “low urgency” would take second priority. “Low impact” and “low urgency” would take the least priority.  

You may also wish to score each action from low to high in terms of both feasibility, which refers to the likelihood of successful improvement of each issue, as well as the resources available to implement the improvement action.  

6. Collaborate With Stakeholders

When developing your corrective action plan, engage with relevant stakeholders to leverage their insights and expertise to ensure that you’re able to properly rectify issues and prevent recurrence. 

Your corrective action plan should set out specific measures to resolve current issues, implement preventive strategies and bolster overall compliance. 

7. Communicate Effectively 

Effective communication is crucial for Facility Management Audits. 

Alongside working with relevant stakeholders, you’ll need to ensure you have clear channels available for internal communication.  

As well as conducting regular team meetings, consider using specialised digital platforms and tools that facilitate quick, easy and safe information sharing and documenting so that you can keep everyone involved informed and up to date. 

8. Deliver A Detailed Report 

An audit report is the culmination of all of your efforts, so make sure that it covers all relevant details but is also clear enough for others to understand. Your audit report should include: 

• The scope and objectives of the audit 
• The methodology and tools used 
• Data and findings 
• Analysis and evaluation 
• Identified issues and recommendations for corrective actions including your rationale  
• Expected costs and benefits of implementing the recommendations including the Return on Investment (ROI)  

Facility Management Audit reports should also be accompanied by applicable supporting documents such as charts, graphs, tables, photos, and videos. 

9. Monitor Progress

Once corrective actions have been rolled out, you’ll want to consistently assess the effectiveness of the improvements.  

This proactive measure will verify that your recommendations are being properly implemented (therefore upholding accountability) and will allow you to make adjustments to the action plan if certain initiatives are not producing the desired results.  

 10. Arrange Professional Support If Required

Depending on your organisation's needs, you may wish to hire an external auditor instead.  

External Facility Management Auditors can bring a more objective and independent perspective to your FMA, and are usually well-versed in industry best practices, codes and standards specific to an organisation's industry.   

If you choose to conduct an internal audit using internal people within your facilities management department, ensure that you assign individuals with a strong understanding of relevant industry codes and standards that are relevant to your organisation.  

Stay Clued Up On Compliance  

Facility Management Audits are an essential practice to identify and mitigate risks to help to maintain the longevity, efficiency and compliance of built environments. By prioritising the above actionable tips, you’ll be well on your way to FMA success. 

As the UK’s industry standard for building maintenance specification, it’s our mission to help make buildings safer and drive forward facilities excellence.  

To give you the best possible chance of making your building safe, SFG20 have created a complete Facility Management Audit Guide which covers the purpose of FMAs, types of audits, the audit process, the benefits of conducting FMAs and more.  

If you’re interested in learning more about Facility Management Audits, head on over to our ultimate guide below - we haven't missed out a single detail, so you won't either.

Facility Management Audit Guide