Impacts of poor quality of information in the facility management field

Purpose – This paper aims to analyse the quality of information and its impact on the facility management (FM) service processes from a lean management perspective. Waste has a key role in lean management when improving productivity. Unfortunately, the potential of waste elimination has not been utilised in FM. Poorly managed information has already been recognised as a source of waste. Design/methodology/approach – The quality of information and related waste activities were studied in a value creation context through four in-depth case studies. The research included 130 interviews and workshops with the case organisations and their customers. Findings – The results confirm that poor quality of information produces a lot of waste activities. In the cross-case analysis, three impacts were found as a result of the poor quality of information in FM service processes: a lot of time is wasted for searching, a great deal of extra work is conducted and potential is lost. Research limitations/implications – Although the case study approach has its limitations, this study with its extensive data provides findings that are grounded in solid evidence. Practical implications– By utilising waste elimination and re-engineering value creation processes, FM organisations could improve the quality of information and increase their overall efficiency. Originality/value – This paper provides a deeper insight into the impacts that poor quality of information generates.