The SpaceIQ's Guide to Evaluating Workplace Management SolutionsA practical (and short) guide to selecting the tool that’s right for you.

This is what we do, so allow us to make a mind-numbingly complex process as simple for you as possible. We’ve boiled it down to a series of pin-pointed questions that will enable you to evaluate your IWMS or CAFM options with confidence.

Does it do what i need?And how much does it do that I don’t need?

You want to find the right balance. A product may not currently fulfill all your dreams, but may be the right choice if it excels in tackling your most critical, time-consuming tasks. Products, after all, tend to improve and expand over time. On the other hand, a product that does much more than you need is likely to be hard to use and will hurt adoption. More on that below.

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Do you have a product match?Does the product target my company size (employees, floor/building/location count)? Products that work well for a 20,000 employee company are not ideal for 2,000 and vice-versa.

How easy is it to plan and manage change? It’s critical for you to be able to easily create move and stack planning scenarios visually and analyze them quickly. Your solution should also have a streamlined way to put your plans into effect.

How closely does it match my existing processes, or does it offer “best-practice” style process that I would like to adopt? You want technology to work for you, not the other way around: having to change your practices dramatically should be a red flag.

Will it help me reduce the time and effort of handling routine tasks? Well designed products would typically allow for bulk updates (e.g. allocating multiple spaces to a department in one click) and automation. This will free you and your team to focus on more strategic work.How long should setup take? Product demos and sales meetings tend to dazzle, but sadly, don’t reflect the real world. Any modern product should havea 30 day or less setup period. A short implementation will help you achieve your benefits quickly!

Is this a cloud-based (SaaS - software as a service) solution? Cloud-based solutions offer many benefits including easy access from everywhere and, typically, continuous improvements. Unlike legacy solutions, there’s nothing to install and upgrade with cloud solutions. This one’s easy: if it’s not a cloud solution it doesn’t merit consideration.

Will it take days, weeks, or months to implement? Longer projects are more vulnerable to priority changes: losing IT’s ability to participate is a common problem. In addition, since lengthy projects often indicate higher complexity, they are riskier and more expensive.

What would my IT be required to do? A great solution would require minimal upfront work from IT, but would enable easy integrations over time with your company’s directory or HR systems, single-sign-on (SSO) solutions, etc.

Does it rely on old technology like Java or Flash? Both were used to offer a desktop-like experience for early web applications. They are being phased out, however, because they require significant computing resources and cause compatibility and security problems. A solution that relies on HTML 5, the current standard for rich cloud applications, is more likely to work well in your environment and will be future-proof.

Will it be easy to implement?Implementation (and later, adoption) is typically where projects run into trouble. Research shows that the most successful projects are incremental, allowing you to focus on achievable tasks, build positive momentum and re-asses your needs as you go. In contrast, big projects and complex customizations are costly, distracting and suffer a high failure rate.

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To dramatically improve implementation, ask:

How do I drive wide adoption?Adoption and usage are key to your success. Think about three constituencies: your team, employees, and executives. They all have a role to play and you want to ensure they are well served.

To ensure overall success, ask:

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Would the solution require advanced skills from my team? For example, some products require using expensive and specialized tools like AutoCad. This could mean additional licensing costs, skill mismatch with your team, and limiting your options when hiring.

Is the tool complex? Complexity is your enemy. It makes adoption difficult and time consuming, reduces productivity, and is usually accompanied by a high price tag. Warning signs include the need for lengthy training sessions, cluttered or old user-interface, and long implementation times.

Does it serve employees and managers? This benefits you in multiple ways: it saves you time, gives you better data, and increases your service quality. Some of the things to look for include Employee and Meeting Room Finder (including via mobile apps employees love to use like Slack), and ability to delegate seating assignment (within the allocated boundaries) to managers.

How easy is it to share information with executives? Your execs may not be direct users of the system (although that could be nice), but you will want to easily share data, reports, and spreadsheets with them. Can you get information easily out of your system in a convenient format to share with your executives?

Think aheadWhat is the vision behind the solution and how will the product evolve?

Don’t settle for a list of roadmap items. Great products have a personality and a certain point of view. This makes them a wonderful fit for some and also a bad fit for others.

If the product’s vision and attitude match yours, you’ve hit the jackpot.

One last question Will the solution address your current and future (sometimes unknown) needs?

You’re selecting technology that should serve you for at least a few years. Choose a vendor and product that are forward-looking and flexible.

We wish you great success.

sales@SpaceIQ.com 650 772-4997 www.SpaceIQ.com