We have all heard the adage of “working smarter, not harder.” In the case of SMART Church Facility Stewardship, this is so true. With shrinking budgets, it is more true than ever for churches.
Working Too Hard
While we have covered this many times, this data is worth repeating.
- The best-run facilities have one full-time facility staff member to perform general maintenance (not janitorial or room setups) for every 35,000 SF
- Manual systems for event management and facility management are time-consuming. They are riddled with lots of opportunities for errors, double bookings, missed repairs, neglected preventive maintenance, and the silencer church killer…deferred maintenance.
- We live at a time in history with some of the most incredible technological tools available.
Working SMARTer
So how do we work smarter with the above as a backdrop? Below are four SMART tips to follow.
Automation
One effective way to increase your staff productivity and efficiency is to look for tasks that could be automated. With the surge of IoT devices and integrations, we have little excuse not to use automation. If you can relieve your team from having to perform mundane tasks through automation, you may see that your team can get things done that only a human can perform.
Event Management
If you are not using software that is designed for church event management, you have tremendous room for improvement and efficiency. And if you are using a limiting tool that your team can not access easily, you need to look for a change. (Hint: Try eSPACE Event Management.)
CMMS
A Computerized Maintenance Management System (eSPACE) can track work orders, manage vendors, oversee preventive maintenance, and the like. You can save significant time, aggravation, and money by utilizing it correctly.
Life Cycle Planning
An intentional plan for the inevitable capital replacement will make everyone’s lives better. Not just you, but the finance committee, the pastor, the administrator, and frankly, the congregation. If you have a SMART plan for addressing future coats and do not have to keep asking your congregation to contribute to replacing the roof, they will appreciate you.
There are more suggestions we can make, but this is a great start. How else can you work smarter?
Learn more about how eSPACE can help you work SMARTer, not harder.
