An integrated workplace management system (IWMS) is an ultimate software platform for organizational uses of workplace resources, including the management of real estate portfolio, infrastructure and facilities assets of a company. IWMS solutions are commonly packaged as an integrated suite or as individual modules that can be scaled over time. They are used by corporate occupiers, real estate services firms, facilities services providers, landlords and managing agents. Traditionally focused on supporting real estate and facilities professionals, IWMS solutions are becoming more employee-oriented, expanding their focus to include all building occupants and visitors.

Core functional areas of IWMS

IWMS tends to integrate five core functional areas (or a subset of the five) within an enterprise.

Real estate management

This area involves activities associated with the acquisition (including purchase and lease), financial management and disposition of

real property In English common law, real property, real estate, immovable property or, solely in the US and Canada, realty, refers to parcels of land and any associated structures which are the property of a person. For a structure (also called an Land i ...

assets. Common IWMS features that support real estate management include strategic planning, transaction management, request for proposal (RFP) analysis, lease analysis, portfolio management, tax management, lease management, and lease accounting.

Capital project management

This area involves activities associated with the design and development of new facilities and the re-modeling or enhancement of existing facilities, including their reconfiguration and expansion. Common IWMS features that support capital project management include capital planning, design, funding, bidding, procurement, cost and resource management, project documentation and drawing management, scheduling, and critical path analysis.

Facilities management

This area covers activities related to the operation and optimized utilization of facilities. Common IWMS features that support facility management includes strategic facilities planning (including scenario modeling and analysis),

CAD Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve c ...

and

BIM Building information modeling (BIM) is an approach involving the generation and management of digital representations of the physical and functional characteristics of buildings or other physical assets and facilities. BIM is supported by vario ...

integration, space management, site and employee service management, resource scheduling, and move management.

Maintenance management

This area covers activities related to the corrective and preventive maintenance and operation of facilities and assets. Common IWMS features that support maintenance management include

asset management Asset management is a systematic approach to the governance and realization of all value for which a group or entity is responsible. It may apply both to tangible assets (physical objects such as complex process or manufacturing plants, infrastr ...

, work requests,

preventive maintenance The technical meaning of maintenance involves functional checks, servicing, repairing or replacing of necessary devices, equipment, machinery, building infrastructure and supporting utilities in industrial, business, and residential installa ...

, work order administration, warranty tracking, inventory management, vendor management and

facility condition assessment Facility condition assessment is an analysis of the condition of a facility in terms of age, design, construction methods, and materials. The individuals who perform the assessment are typically architects and engineers, and skilled-trade technician ...

Sustainability and energy management

This area covers activities related to the measurement and reduction of

resource consumption Resource consumption is about the consumption of non-renewable, or less often, renewable resources. Specifically, it may refer to: * water consumption * energy consumption ** electric energy consumption ** world energy consumption * natural ...

(including energy and water) and waste production (including

greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate chan ...

) within facilities. Common IWMS features that support

sustainability Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...

and

energy management Energy management includes planning and operation of energy production and energy consumption units as well as energy distribution and storage. Energy management is performed via Energy Management Systems (EMS), which are designed with hardware ...

include integration with building management systems (BMS), sustainability performance metrics, energy bench-marking, carbon emissions tracking, and energy efficiency project analysis.

Implementation Planning

IWMS components can be implemented in any order—or all together as a single, comprehensive implementation—according to the organization's needs. As an implementation best practice, a phased approach for implementing IWMS components sequentially is often advised—though a multi-function approach can still be followed. Each IWMS functional area requires the same steps for its implementation, though extra care, coordination and project management will be necessary to ensure smooth functioning for more complex implementations. Adoption of as-shipped business processes included in the IWMS software over an organization's existing business processes constitutes a “core success prerequisite and best practice” in the selection and implementation of IWMS software. As a result, organizations should limit configuration to all but the most compelling cases.

Analyst coverage

Since 2004, the IWMS market has been reported on by independent analyst firms

Gartner Gartner, Inc. is an American research and advisory firm focusing on business and technology topics. Gartner provides its products and services through research reports, conferences, and consulting. Its clients include large corporations, gover ...

, Verdantix, IWMSconnect and IWMSNews.

Gartner Market Guide for Integrated Workplace Management Systems

Until 2014, Gartner published the IWMS

Magic Quadrant Magic Quadrant (MQ) is a series of market research reports published by research and advisory firm Gartner that rely on proprietary qualitative data analysis methods to demonstrate market trends, such as direction, maturity and participants. Thei ...

, evaluating IWMS vendors on two criteria: 'completeness of vision' and 'ability to execute'. As the market further matured, the Magic Quadrant reports were replaced by an annual Market Guide, focusing more on the development of the market itself than on comparative positioning. The original author, Michael Bell, first described IWMS software as "integrated enterprise solutions that span the life cycle of facilities asset management, from acquisition and operations to disposition." In this first market definition, Gartner identified critical requirements of an IWMS, including a common database, advanced

web service A web service (WS) is either: * a service offered by an electronic device to another electronic device, communicating with each other via the Internet, or * a server running on a computer device, listening for requests at a particular port over a n ...

s technologies and a

system architecture A system architecture is the conceptual model that defines the structure, behavior, and views of a system. An architecture description is a formal description and representation of a system, organized in a way that supports reasoning about the s ...

that enabled user-defined workflow processes and customized portal interfaces. Gartner released updated IWMS Market Guide reports, as follows: The latest Gartner Market Guide for Integrated Workplace Management Systems was published on January 28, 2020, by Carol Rozwell, Former Distinguished VP Analyst, and Rashmi Choudhary, Principal Analyst.

Verdantix Green Quadrant Integrated Workplace Management Systems

Since 2017, Verdantix publishes Integrated Workplace Management Systems Green Quadrant reports and Buyer's Guides. The research firm's proprietary Green Quadrant methodology uses weighted criteria for vendor evaluation, grouped under 2 categories: Capabilities (breadth and depth of software functionality) and Momentum (strategic success factors).

Evolution of IWMS

While the core functions of IWMS remain critical, it is evolving into a cloud-based software platform that is built with the workplace experience at the center. Modern IWMS, providing an interactive user interface across multiple devices, enables employees to access a variety of workplace services from a mobile app, kiosk, or desktop. According to the latest Verdantix research, 80% of executives who consider IWMS software identified the quality of the user interface as the most important factor influencing their decision. With the growth of the

Internet of Things Internet of things (IoT) describes devices with sensors, processing ability, software and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other communication networks. The IoT encompasse ...

, a trend that is gaining ground is the integration of IWMS software and Smart Building solutions on a single platform, also termed IWMS+. This allows for IWMS to draw on real-time data from sensors to manage the modern work environment. In 2022, Verdantix introduced the term "connected portfolio intelligence platforms" (CPIP), describing the next evolution of IWMS with a more open architecture and enhanced interconnectivity with smart buildings and their ecosystems.

References

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