Summary: GAO discussed automated building operations and maintenance and facility management, specifically: (1) the definition of facility management; (2) the facility manager's information resource needs; (3) some of the current developments in the area; and (4) what still needs to be done. GAO noted that: (1) facility management involves cost containment and reduction, the management of assets, and the use of facilities as tools of the organization; (2) the facility manager needs information to manage his organization's facility assets, evaluate facility performance and cost effectiveness, ensure that the organization's needs are met effectively, efficiently, and economically, and adjust existing and future facilities to improve performance and responsiveness; (3) the facility manager now has computer-aided tools to assist him in master planning, space planning, space management, automated inventory systems, and voice-activated data entry systems for building inspectors' use; and (4) there still remains a need to integrate programs and databases, solve interface problems, and clearly define the facility manager's and top management's facility information needs and data requirements.
