We received a call from a past client about an expansion project they were looking to do. He said his boss must have been looking at one-too-many aerial photos of their facility because his instruction was to "make the building square". This building had been added on to multiple times over the years which made it sprawled out and not well connected. His boss’s solution was to tear down the parts that stick out and fill in the areas between. This may be a solution that will make the facility look good to the birds flying overhead, but it would do very little to solve their real problem which is a need for “more efficient space”. His boss was correct in that his operation was not efficient. His mistake was that he jumped to a solution before he identified the real problem, which has everything to do with the flow through the facility.
You may have a building that has been added on to many times, one that has never had an addition, or maybe you are looking at building new. Whichever the case, how the building flows should always be the starting point for your building needs. Before you start thinking about walls and square footage, we suggest that you:
Identify each of your work areas and the tasks that will be accomplished in those areas.
Determine the type of relationship each task has to the other tasks (Absolutely Necessary, Ordinary, Undesirable, etc.)
Create a flow chart of how your organization functions from the information gathered
Had his boss done these steps he would have identified the right problem and found an effective solution. Whether your facility is used for manufacturing, retail, offices, or a church, PDMi we can help you create a flow chart and develop a facility plan that will be the right solution to the right problem. Give us a call.