Key management is often an overlooked aspect of facility management, yet it plays a crucial role in maintaining security and operational efficiency. Recently, our team at FlowPath had the opportunity to address a key management crisis at an educational institution, a scenario that is becoming increasingly common across various sectors. Drawing from our successful experience with another similar case, we implemented a robust key request and management system to bring order to the chaos. Here's how we tackled the key crisis and the steps we took to ensure a smooth transition.
The Key Crisis
The institution faced a common yet challenging problem: new keys were distributed across their buildings, but tracking who had what keys quickly became unmanageable. To combat this issue, we introduced a systematic approach similar to the one we previously deployed. This involved implementing a key request form that streamlined the entire process of requesting, approving, and issuing keys.
Implementing the Key Request Form
We started by creating a comprehensive key request form, tailored to meet the institution's specific needs. This form allows anyone in the organization to submit a key request, ensuring that all necessary details are captured upfront. The form includes custom questions designed to gather detailed information about the request, aiding approvers in making informed decisions.
The Approval Workflow
The approval workflow is structured to ensure accountability and proper authorization at each step. Once a key request is submitted, it goes through the following approval stages:
1. Initial Approval: The initial request is reviewed and approved by a designated authority.
2. Secondary Approval: The request is then passed to another level of approval for further scrutiny.
3. Key Keeper Processing: Finally, the request reaches the key keeper, who either creates a new key or reassigns an existing one. The key keeper uses notes or custom fields in FlowPath to track assignee information.
Once the key keeper has processed the request, they comment and notify the requester to pick up their key from the office. This process ensures a documented paper trail of the transaction and clear documentation of key ownership, which can be easily reported on.
Benefits of the New Process
The new key management process using the FlowPath CMMS platform offers several benefits:
- Clear Documentation: Every transaction is documented, providing a transparent paper trail.
- Efficient Tracking: Key ownership is tracked efficiently, making it easy to generate reports.
- Streamlined Process: The structured workflow ensures that key requests are processed quickly and accurately.
Supporting the Transition
We made the transition easy for the institution by leveraging our expertise and resources:
- Organizing Existing Assignments: We helped them organize their existing key assignments, even those in written or PDF form, into FlowPath, capturing current assignments accurately.
- Custom Form Development: Our team built the custom key request form based on the institution's specific ideas and requirements.
- Self-Service Training: We provided quick and easy training documents, enabling all users involved in the process to train themselves.
- Familiar Process Concepts: We built the new system on existing process concepts that users were already familiar with, reducing the learning curve.
- Reporting Setup: We set up and demonstrated reporting capabilities, ensuring the institution could easily monitor and manage key assignments.
Conclusion
Key management doesn't have to be a headache. By implementing a structured key request and management system within FlowPath CMMS, we helped the institution regain control over their key distribution and tracking. The benefits of having a documented, transparent, and efficient process are immense, providing peace of mind and security. If your organization is struggling with key management, consider the solutions offered by FlowPath to streamline your operations and ensure a well-organized system.
