Over the past few years the International Standards organisation (ISO) has taken a serious interest in FM. A Technical Committee (TC267), which I suppose one could also call a panel of industry experts , was established in 2014. This TC quickly developed what is called mirror or local committees in many countries consisting of subject matter experts (SMEs) from industry and academia. These SME are the people who design and develop the FM standards.
The slide set attached below provides a brief overview of the ISO standards process and looks at what has been achieved for FM thus far and what is still to come.
The process of standards development is a measured and rigorous process and it normally take about three years, from start to finish. The time-line should be seen in the context of so many SMEs from all over the world being involved in the process. The end result is excellent as it represents international best practice, and is peer reviewed every step of the way. The published standard (final document) is the most authoritative source on the specific topic. This is the real value of any ISO standard.
FM standards have come to stay and will increasingly influence the way FM is done globally. No serious practitioner or user (demand) organisation should fail to embrace the change that will professionalise the industry and improve service delivery.
TC267 has so far developed and published four standards and are in the process of completing two more. Many more FM topics are in the development pipeline. See the slides for more detail. If you have questions concerning the Standards process or the role of SABS TC267, I would be happy to address them. Please contact us on info@a4fm.ac.za
Johann Eiselen
Click on the slides below to view the full presentation
