What is Space Management?

Space management is the process of making the best use of a company or facility's physical space. It involves intentionally planning, organizing, and overseeing the use of a given workspace to ensure that it's used efficiently and effectively. Space management can apply to a wide range of settings, including offices, commercial buildings, manufacturing plants, warehouses, and even residential homes.

By understanding the needs of employees, business owners and company leaders can reorganize their space to maximize its potential. This may include moving furniture, modifying the layout of the space, or implementing new technologies and processes to manage the use of the space. Through these efforts, business leaders can improve efficiency, enhance collaboration, promote employee well-being, and reduce costs.

 

Space management is a great investment for businesses of all sizes in all industries. A well-designed, thoughtfully organized space has some significant benefits for both your business and your employees.

Space management can:

• Improve employee productivity.
• Make processes more efficient.
• Help employees save time and boost productivity as a result.

A well-designed space can also facilitate collaboration and communication among employees, leading to greater teamwork and a more cohesive work environment. This results in greater creativity and innovation from your employees. And when employees feel comfortable in their workspace, their well-being—and job satisfaction—improve, so retention can improve as a result!

By making the best use of your space, furniture, technology, and energy, you can cut overhead costs. Companies can limit utilities in underused spaces or even eliminate space that proves to be no longer necessary.

Effective space management involves considering a wide range of factors to ensure that space is being used effectively and efficiently. Some of the key factors that should be taken into account when managing space include:

1. Space utilization: Start by analyzing how space is currently being used and identifying opportunities to optimize utilization. This may involve reorganizing furniture, adjusting the layout of the space, or implementing new processes or technologies.
2. Space planning: This involves developing a comprehensive plan for the use of space, taking into account the needs and requirements of employees using the space. Space management should be guided by the needs and preferences of the space users. This might include soliciting feedback and input from users, and implementing changes based on their needs and preferences.
3. Occupancy levels: Ideally, you need to know how many people are using a given space at any given time to ensure it’s being used effectively. This may involve implementing occupancy sensors or using data from room reservation systems to track usage patterns.
4. Furniture and equipment: Of course, one of the key factors of space management involves managing the selection, maintenance, and disposition of furniture and equipment. You may need to invest in an asset management system to track inventory and usage patterns.
5. Energy efficiency: Finally, you’ll need to implement strategies to reduce energy consumption and minimize the environmental impact of the space. This may involve installing energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems or implementing policies to reduce paper and other waste. You may even consider using an energy management system.

Using a dedicated space management software can help you manage many of these factors.

There are several space management tools that can be used to help organizations optimize their use of physical space. They include:

 

1. Space planning software: This type of software can help organizations create and visualize space plans, including floor plans and 3D models. It can also help to optimize space utilization and identify potential areas for improvement.
2. Space utilization sensors: These sensors can be used to monitor space usage, collecting data on how frequently different areas are used and by whom. This information helps organizations identify opportunities to improve efficiency.
3. Room reservation systems: Most organizations need software to manage conference rooms and other shared spaces to ensuring there are no conflicts among employees and to make sure every space is being used effectively.
4. Asset management software: This type of software can help organizations track the location and status of assets such as furniture and equipment to ensure assets are being used effectively and inventory is ordered in the proper quantities.
5. Occupancy sensors: These sensors can be used to monitor how many people are in a given area, helping organizations to optimize the space usage.

 

If you need to optimize the use of your space, but don’t have the time or resources to devote to creating a space management plan or invest in a number of tools, keep it simple. Accruent’s space management software helps you get the most value out of your space and your people.