EAOS FAQ

We all have questions about large initiatives and programs. This is a collection of some of the questions we hear all the time to help you get quickly up to speed.

What is EAOS?

EAOS stands for Enhanced Assets, Operations, and Services and it will redefine how and when we do maintenance on our campus assets.
The goal of the Enhanced Assets, Operations and Services (EAOS) program is to help us find a better balance between the proactive and reactive maintenance needs on the Point Grey campus. From discussions across Building Operations, we believe that we are not doing a good job in balancing priorities and can do better. As a whole, we want to be regulatory compliant, meet contractual obligations, and reduce asset ownership cost and failures. This program will assist us to make the right decision when assessing competing priorities between regular maintenance and as needed repairs.

When is this going to start and how long will it last?

The program will be completed in two phases. Phase 1 is now underway and should take between 8-10 months. In Phase 2 we will implement what we found in Phase 1; therefore we do not have a timeline for this at this stage. We will keep you updated as we progress through Phase 1.

What will happen in Phase 1?

The first activity in EAOS is to document what we are doing now through a current state analysis. We will get consensus from everyone in Building Operations on all the items we need to fix.
We will then document best practices out in the wider world and analyze the gaps between what we are doing and best practice, and how big the gaps are. This will help find solutions to what needs to be fixed, but will also identify what works well in Building Operations.
Finally, a recommendation will be defined, discussed, approved, and implemented.

What will happen in Phase 2?

In Phase 2 we will implement the agreed processes, procedures, systems, and structures that will help us meet our maintenance goals of running the campus, while getting better return on our investment and mitigating risk.

How will this impact my job?

This program has the potential to impact everyone in some way, and that is why we want your help to develop how we operate in the future.

How will staff levels be impacted?

We don’t know exactly, but what we do know is that our budget is finite and we need to be smart about how we work so were spending the right effort in the places for the best result.

Will this change my job description or the structure of Building Operations?

Right now we really don’t know what changes we will come up with collectively as a group in Phase 1; therefore we simply do not know, and cannot guess, what impacts might come. We will keep you informed and involved throughout Phase 1.

Haven’t we done something like this before? How is this different?

Parts of this type of project have been attempted before—but never using this kind of strategic approach or with this level of managerial commitment. EAOS has a far greater strategy foundation than past attempts. This will be a comprehensive review of every aspect of our business that will help us work smarter, whereas in the past the approach has been to focus on point solutions rather than the big picture.
One aim of the program is for it to help make us sustainable as a unit. EAOS will involve every level of Building Operations, whereas in the past, management has predominantly driven initiatives of this type.

How can I participate in EAOS?

For this to be a successful process, we need your input and feedback. There are a number of ways your can participate:

Do I have to participate?

No, you do not have to participate but we strongly encourage you to, as each person will have their own perspective on what’s working well and what isn’t. To build the most comprehensive picture, we need help from every part of our operations.

How are partners like unions and customers involved?

Unions and customers are key stakeholders and will be involved in Phase 1 as we document our current state and what needs to be fixed.

Has this program come out of the university’s budget savings measures?

UBC as a whole is addressing our cost structure and strategic alignment to our academic mission. Although this program will help to right size our efforts, the real drive was from discussions with you to improve the way we work. Of course, all of the work performed in EAOS will be in compliance with current spending controls, like travel restrictions, and our results will be aligned with the UBC’s mission.

Who can I contact for more information?

For this to be a successful process, we want to keep you informed. The best way to contact the team is by email: eaos.buildingops@ubc.ca.  You can also explore this section on the EAOS page on the Building Operations website.

How will I be kept informed about what’s happening?

EAOS will make good use of our existing communications channels—such as the new newsletter, the building operations website, and established team and crew meetings. We will also be developing some channels just for EAOS so you can see the project at a glance, all in one place.

EAOS Phase 1 frequently asked questions

We all know what’s going on with maintenance, can’t we just get going on the solution?

There are literally dozens of solutions we could imagine, we need to choose the one that keeps the campus running, at the lowest cost, while mitigating the most risk. Although there are ideas about what the problems are and what solutions could be implemented, we don’t yet have a sense of how big or small the problems are nor do we have consensus on the solutions. To make this change stick, it will be critical for us to get to the root cause and ensure we are all in agreement on the solutions as we move forward.

Isn’t this just about buying software?

Just buying off-the-shelf maintenance tracking software is a solution that has been tried a few times with limited success. To avoid the past pitfalls of being focused on the solution before you really understand the issues, EAOS is looking at many aspects of Building Operations, such as:

  • asset inventory
  • maintenance planning
  • ad-hoc service requests
  • contractual obligations
  • planning
  • scheduling
  • tracking
  • training
  • mobile capability
  • performance on assets
  • costs and how we are organized around tasks
  • employee roles responsibilities and training
  • customers and their expectations and roles

As you can see, this program is far reaching and looks at every aspect of our organisation.

What is EAOS Phase 1?

EAOS Phase 1 will see the EAOS team work with the shops in Building Operations to create a picture of our “AS IS” current state. We’ll be doing this through a series of Fact Finding sessions in the first week of March, 2015.
After Fact Finding is complete we’ll check back with shops that our “AS IS” picture is correct in a series of Feedback sessions towards the end of March. Once we all agree, we’ll be checking in with similar leading organizations across BC to benchmark their best practices and align them to ours to create a picture of what we want “TO BE”. Finally, we’ll go back to the shops for one more series of feedback sessions before we start exploring the best way to put our “TO BE” vision in place at UBC.

How long will Phase 1 last?
Phase 1 is planned to run from the Launch in January through to September.

How can I participate in EAOS phase 1?
We will have many opportunities for you to get involved:

  1. Fact Finding sessions 4-11 March
  2. Feedback Sessions April/May
  3. Creating the Future State sessions Jul/Aug

We will be using a variety of methodologies in these sessions to empirically capture your opinions, ideas and feedback on our progress. And

What is a Fact Finding Session?

We have sorted Building Operations and our Customers into 13 targeted Fact Finding sessions. The EAOS program goals were used to develop a pool of 150 questions that we will use to quantify the current state. Each session’s participants will answer about 40 questions oriented to their different groups and work tasks.
The sessions were conducted in-person at the beginning of March. If you missed the sessions, you can still participate via online surveys:

The survey has been broken up by subject, so you can participate in the ones that pertain to your work—even faster than the in-person sessions.

Checks are in place within each survey to ensure that only people with applicable knowledge can participate in any particular survey—to prevent you from wasting your time answering questions that don’t apply to you.
Things to note about the surveys:

  • Only a participant’s employee type and shop will be collected in the way of identifying information
  • These surveys are for Building Ops employees only – data that comes from participants who don’t identify themselves as a Building Ops employee will get deleted.

What questions will be asked during the Fact Finding sessions?
We will be asking questions that help us find gaps and issues in planning, scheduling, assigning, or tracking work, as well as questions that help us find issues with managing our assets, unearthing issues with the types of maintenance, looking at customer service, and examining the types of information we collect.
The sessions were conducted in-person at the beginning of March. If you missed the sessions, you can still participate via online surveys:

The survey has been broken up by subject, so you can participate in the ones that pertain to your work—even faster than the in-person sessions.

Checks are in place within each survey to ensure that only people with applicable knowledge can participate in any particular survey—to prevent you from wasting your time answering questions that don’t apply to you.

Things to note about the surveys:

  • Only a participant’s employee type and shop will be collected in the way of identifying information
  • These surveys are for Building Ops employees only – data that comes from participants who don’t identify themselves as a Building Ops employee will get deleted.

Who is involved in the Fact Finding sessions?

We have sessions for all operational areas:

  • Trades Managers
  • Customer Service( i.e. FM’s , Service Centre)
  • Architecture( Carpenters, Masonry, Roofers, Paint shop, Glaziers)
  • Electrical (Electrical Services, Electrical Utilities, CAIT’s, FLS, Elevators, Electrical Support)
  • Plumbers
  • Steamfitters
  • Metal shop
  • Technical Services
  • BMS
  • Construction Office
  • Custodial
  • Utility workers
  • Municipal
  • Refrigeration
  • Customers.

The only groups that are not include are those that support i.e. payroll, clerical, tool crib, stores, and garage.
This wide range of expertise is sure to help us get to the heart of the issues.
The sessions were conducted in-person at the beginning of March. If you missed the sessions, you can still participate via online surveys:

The survey has been broken up by subject, so you can participate in the ones that pertain to your work—even faster than the in-person sessions.
Checks are in place within each survey to ensure that only people with applicable knowledge can participate in any particular survey—to prevent you from wasting your time answering questions that don’t apply to you.

Things to note about the surveys:

  • Only a participant’s employee type and shop will be collected in the way of identifying information
  • These surveys are for Building Ops employees only – data that comes from participants who don’t identify themselves as a Building Ops employee will get deleted.

What is a Feedback session?
We will be collecting information about how we currently operate during the Fact Finding sessions we will then validate that what we heard and the gaps , opportunities, and issues are what you told us. During these sessions we will review the information collected about our current state.

Can I still participate in the Fact Finding sessions?

The sessions were conducted in-person at the beginning of March. If you missed the sessions, you can still participate via online surveys:

The survey has been broken up by subject, so you can participate in the ones that pertain to your work—even faster than the in-person sessions.
Checks are in place within each survey to ensure that only people with applicable knowledge can participate in any particular survey—to prevent you from wasting your time answering questions that don’t apply to you.
Things to note about the surveys:

  • Only a participant’s employee type and shop will be collected in the way of identifying information
  • These surveys are for Building Ops employees only – data that comes from participants who don’t identify themselves as a Building Ops employee will get deleted.