ARCHIBUS offers strategic master planning software.

ARCHIBUS, Inc., a world Leader of facilities management (FM) automation technology and developer of ARCHIBUS/FM, the #1 CAFM system and CIFM Enterprise Solution worldwide, announces the release of the seventh module in the ARCHIBUS/FM family of FM automation tools: ARCHIBUS/FM Strategic Master

This state-of-the-art planning tool extends and expands the power of master planning from the facility management organization to the Boardroom. It enables professionals managing a single property, a campus, or a diverse portfolio of buildings sprawled across a city, a region, or the globe, to examine current space usage, to analyze and forecast space needs, to compare proposed layouts based on adjacencies against existing conditions, and to allocate space based on business goals.

The tremendous benefits gained through use of the techniques and methods incorporated in the ARCHIBUS/FM Strategic Master Planning module facilitate the creation of FM Value even while dealing with the complexities of downsizing, mergers, acquisitions and expansions. Bruce K. Forbes, president/CEO of ARCHIBUS, Inc., observes "The creative innovation and utilization of FM technologies has enabled exponential growth of productivity, profitability and FM Value. The Strategic Master Planning module plays a significant part in FM Cyberspace. Built upon FM Best Practices, this product empowers FM professionals to stay current with what's happening, broaden their scope of opportunity, and help their management clearly identify and realize its corporate vision."

There are five activity areas in the Strategic Master Planning that may be used individually or collectively to optimize the management of business assets and increase efficiency. These activities are: Requirements Programming, Forecasting, Allocation, Layout, and History.

The Strategic Master Planning module offers several techniques and methods for achieving the next step in the strategic master planning process: designing an optimal layout that defines locations of each organizational unit on each floor. One of the most widely used and requested methods for laying out a floor plan is Blocking. Blocking is based, in part, on the automatically generated stack plan. Trial layouts facilitate documentation of the departmental area blocking on a particular floor.

Maintaining a historical record of the way space was used in the past is very useful for planning for future space requirements. The History activity automatically records "snapshots" of space inventories at various times during an organization's evolution. This activity also provides the information needed to compare trends related to the usage of space during different time periods. ARCHIBUS, Inc. has pioneered automated facility management techniques since 1976. For more information, visit their web site at http://www.archibus.com or call (617) 338-1011.