Risk mitigation is the reason that mission critical facilities organizations exist.  Risk mitigation is one of the key differences in the operational philosophy of these organizations. Each person within the organization understands their place and how they and their actions support this operational imperative and philosophy.

The last time I checked, there were several hundred companies purporting to do “mission critical facilities.”  While I know of many great companies that do this work on an outsourced basis, there are many companies that don’t seem to have a real grasp of what a mission critical facilities organization is or how to support it.  The most common error is thinking that a property management team that has been “upgraded” can properly operate a mission critical facility.  Because of this it is imperative that the company with needs in this area do their due diligence and ensure that the company they are trusting their business to has all the crucial elements in their program to be successful.

If your organization or company is making the decision to develop its own mission critical facilities organization, the leadership of your company or organization must solidly commit to expend the time, effort, and resources necessary to make it successful.  Once the leadership has done that and the organization is built, they must recognize there is a similar commitment to its ongoing support.  This is not a one-time effort; it is an effort that must continue as long as the mission critical organization exists.  The costs for a mission critical facilities organization can easily run into millions of dollars annually for salaries, equipment, training, engineering, and technological support.  In my experience, a base team of ten people plus their support can easily cost $2 million a year.  This cost has to balance against the company’s operational experience and the consequences of the facility’s failure to meet its mission.

Mission critical facilities are a very specialized type of facilities organization and need specific support.  If your facilities success and business are tied together at the bottom-line, then an organization that is focused on risk mitigation is your only way to go.