A management framework for the built environment: BEM2/BEM3

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a process capability assessment tool to identify process maturity levels in the “built environment management” disciplines in various industries. Design/methodology/approach – The researchers investigated and evaluated current FM/RE management models and analysis tools and developed an assessment tool to measure Facility Management (FM) capability of an organization. The “Built Environment Management Model” (BEM2) is a process framework for FM/RE, which is extended into the “Built Environment Management Maturity Model” (BEM3) to measure FM/RE maturity. Using the tool, the research team analyzed the FM capability of more than 50 organizations with major real estate portfolios in the USA and Europe (primarily Austria). Findings – BEM2 and BEM3 provide a simple, yet comprehensive tool set for the FM/RE industries. The resulting capability profiles provide a high‐level overview of current practices in FM. Further, the capability profiles allow organizations to benchmark their FM capability against peer groups and industry leaders. Research limitations/implications – The two models are currently limited to a description of processes and are as such explaining the sequence and maturity of FM/RE business processes. The do not yet address the skill sets and capabilities required to effectively perform these functions. The integration with existing models in organisational and project management can also be further explored. Practical implications – The capability profiles allow organizations to benchmark their FM capability against peer groups and industry leaders. The findings will help to further professionalize FM functions to raise the efficiency of organizational processes. Originality/value – The proposed contributes to the discussion on standardization and taxonomy development in the FM/RE discipline. It draws principles from related management models and applies them successfully in FM and real estate management.