"Flipping the House" - From 78% Reactive to 75% Preventive Maintenance
Ohio Statehouse Facilities Management Case Study
Ohio Statehouse Overview
Industry
State Government
Complex Size
9 Acres
Time Using AkitaBox
3 Years
Statehouse Building
Atrium
Senate Building
600,000 Ft Parking Garage
Grounds
(Irrigation, Landscape, Monuments)
When Phil Miller joined the facilities team at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, he expected that he’d be dealing with maintaining and replacing assets that had been last updated nearly 30 years ago. What he didn’t expect was to be quickly initiated into his role as Assistant Director and COO with a Sunday night emergency of water rushing into the elevator shaft, flooding the chamber floor.
When onsite maintenance wasn’t immediately able to locate all the shut-off valves, it was a wake-up call that revealed the urgent need for a more comprehensive approach. Phil realized that relying on instinct and outdated practices wouldn’t cut it for managing such a large and historically significant complex. This set him on a path to find a solution that could prevent future incidents and streamline operations.
The Quest for a Functional Facility Management Software
The flooding incident marked the start of a search for a better way. “We needed more than just intuition; we required a robust system to document and foresee maintenance needs effectively,” Phil recalls. This led them to AkitaBox, aimed to address key areas such as:
- Efficient tracking of asset locations, statuses, and maintenance history
- Improving communication and data access for informed decision-making
- Shifting from reactive maintenance to a preventive approach
- Staff succession planning and retention of new hires
Getting Everyone Onboard with FM Software - A Phased Approach
AkitaBox provides a centralized platform to catalog all asset information, ensuring that the details about asset locations, current statuses, and maintenance histories are easily accessible. Phil and his team chose a phased approach to adopting AkitaBox software, starting with correctly documenting assets on location based maps while allowing the team to adjust to the new tools and processes. The team was outfitted with tablets to use AkitaBox and could also use their phones.
With a previous heavy reliance on institutional knowledge, this phased approach was crucial in managing change. “There were a couple of guys that actually refused to carry the iPad initially, so we would do face-to-face check in meetings every Monday morning. They were an opportunity for the team to come together, and I’d say ‘Hey, everybody, bring your iPad. So if we have a question about a work order, we can all pull it up and look at it.’”
As a facility that prides itself as an organization based on trust, giving the team time to adapt at a comfortable pace ultimately led to more significant acceptance. Phil was able to drive home the importance of ongoing data collection around their work. The detailed data entry around assets and time spent on different maintenance tasks eventually became a point of pride among the team.
The phased implementation also allowed the team to witness incremental improvements, highlighting their move away from reactionary practices to a more organized preventive maintenance strategy within AkitaBox. In turn, the positive results played a key role in winning over hesitant team members.
“AkitaBox is an incredibly important tool that supplements everything we’re doing in our philosophy of the organization and building people up and trusting them to do their job every day”
Phil Miller • Assistant Director and COO, Ohio Statehouse Facilities
Transforming Facility Operations with AkitaBox
With AkitaBox onboard, the Ohio Statehouse facilities team has achieved significant operational improvements:
1. Ongoing Efficiency in Asset Data Collection, Documentation, and Lifecycle Management
As most facility professionals know, asset data collection isn’t limited to the initial collection for implementation of a facility management software – it’s an ongoing maintenance task that can cost organizations hundreds of hours per year as assets are commissioned and replaced. “The groundwork we laid with data collection was crucial,” notes Phil. During the initial implementation phase, the maintenance team was able to see just how easy it was to collect asset information with AkitaBox Capture and place each asset on a map of the complex.
The quick integration of assets into the AkitaBox system was also a way to demonstrate to leadership how quickly AkitaBox would help make a positive impact. The system now holds asset information on everything from HVAC isolation valves in the walls to historic monuments on the grounds. As an ongoing practice, asset data collection is set up as a work order within AkitaBox, so the team is able to track and manage just how much time they spend.
With the steady data entered by his team concerning an asset’s maintenance, condition, and documentation, management is enabled to pull reliable and consistent detailed reports. “We track how much time is spent on activities, distinguishing between reactive and preventive tasks, and establish KPIs based on each individual’s logged hours and noted activities to establish a baseline and make incremental improvements using AkitaBox.” says Phil.
2. Effective Communication Channels Utilizing AkitaBox
“When we asked the people here three years ago what the number one issue was, the answer was communication—poor communication and lack of communication,” says Phil. The communication tools within AkitaBox along with improved access to work order histories ensures streamlined communication and operational efficiency.
“I could be in a meeting, but I can jump over to a work order if I hear something isn’t going quite right. I can look at the activity and see what’s happened over the past several days to get an idea of what’s going on. I can see that they’re communicating, and then I can respond right into that activity block, which again enhances our ability to communicate.” The communication isn’t limited to just his team – when heading into meetings with stakeholders, Phil is prepared with real time data for any questions or challenges.
3. A Tremendous Flip from Reactive to Preventive Maintenance
One of the most impressive accomplishments by the Ohio Statehouse facilities with AkitaBox is the team’s flip from reactive to preventive maintenance. “I do a monthly report, and back in September 2022, we were dealing with 78% reactive work orders,” says Phil. “Jumping to September 2024, we’re at 25% reactive, meaning we have shifted and flip-flopped, reaching 75% preventive maintenance. To see that kind of change in two years just blew me away.” Phil gives a nod to his team’s diligence in ongoing data gathering in AkitaBox to support this achievement.
How did they make this impressive shift to preventive maintenance?
Once their initial information was entered into AkitaBox, the team could see their work was mostly reactive for several reasons. “First, prior to AkitaBox, all our PM work orders were on pieces of paper attached to clipboards scattered throughout the complex,” says Phil. “Our staff had previously used a different work order system for only reactive work.” In response, the team began establishing maintenance schedules and inspection programs to set up in AkitaBox, which meant going around the complex collecting all the clipboards and other hard-copy documents and deciding which were best as maintenance schedules and which were best for inspection programs and then talking with the team about the relevance and specifics of this PM work.
Next, they had to document PM efforts that weren’t well recorded. “Some of the maintenance staff were accustomed to doing daily tasks that were not documented but considered necessary and passed down from long-term employees to the new staff,” says Phil. “Notably, this meant that some of the staff was often simply waiting for orders from management. Unless there was an obvious need, maintenance staff were unclear about expectations and priorities of our work.”
Just as importantly, the team needed to change the attitude of if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. “Honestly, that was more about building trust,” says Phil. “We had to illustrate that trust is a two-way street.” They aimed to empower employees and allow them to work autonomously – trusting. AkitaBox was the tool they used to catapult this philosophy.
Using reports in AkitaBox allowed the team to fully see and understand where improvements were needed – focusing on KPIs and individual efforts – being trustworthy. Most importantly, the team needed to see AkitaBox being used as a carrot rather than a stick – again building an organization on trust. “Like any other organization, team building, recognizing individual efforts, and having face-to-face conversations and the like were all part of the overall efforts,” says Phil. “AkitaBox continues to be our most important tool for planning, justifying resources, and succession implementation.”
4. Enabling the Next Generation with Modern Tools and Practices
The inevitable retirement of longtime staff members has required a solid succession plan. Over time, some of Phil’s initially resistant workers became some of the most diligent users of the system, leaving a trail of knowhow for the future.
“I think some of the younger people look at our organization, and when you hand them an iPad and an iPhone, for them, I think that says they’re working for a modern, state-of-the-art organization versus just an old school maintenance job where you’ve got somebody barking orders at them.” He notes that younger workers appreciate the transparency and the ease of their job with the help of AkitaBox.
“When we talk to new people, we say we want you to be able to work on your own. We want you to be autonomous. We want you to communicate. We want to communicate with you. These are all tools at your disposal to make your job easier.” ~ Phil Miller
Into the Future of FM with AkitaBox
Phil and his team are headed into the future confidently, with solid time savings in communication, employee replacement, and keeping employees feeling empowered and happier. “We’re saving time, and we know that time is money.”
Phil intends to advance the use of AI within AkitaBox to refine data precision, gain insights, and enhance operational efficiency further. The focus remains on continuous improvement and maximizing resources.
“In just three years, we’ve moved from foundational learning to implementing strategic facility management solutions,” says Phil. “The journey isn’t over, and we aim to continue evolving with AkitaBox as our guide.”
