In the last post, I talked about the first temptation of filling your tool best, buying your software too early. For our second post on the Tools layer of the “Onion”, I will move on to the second temptation, trying to find a single piece of software that does it all.

People have often asked why we don’t call the tools layer “software”. While it is true that most of the tools that we use are software, I feel that it is more about the job the tool has as opposed to the specific software that is important. Additionally, software to me is a singular term whereas tools implies that there are multiple tools in your tool belt. I think this is an important distinction.

For nearly my entire career, my clients have all been looking for the one piece of software that does everything they need and does it well. To-date I have not found such a platform. There are tonnes of different pieces of software, many with a significant number of modules (Work Orders, Space Planning, Capital Planning, Move Management, Equipment Management, Energy Management, etc.). If you listen to the software salespeople (and yes I do sell software as well), you would think that every module within a suite is the best-in-class product.

The truth is that modules of some software are world class (usually the initially launched module), while others are mediocre or just plain bad. Based on today’s market, trying to find a single software that will provide you excellence across the Asset Management spectrum is like trying to use a single screwdriver on every different type of screw.

One of the reasons for this is that many software companies have grown by acquiring other smaller companies and “integrating” the other modules onto a single platform. The truth is oftentimes when you scratch below the surface, the two modules are actually two entirely different products that are barely integrated at all. I have even seen it that after an acquisition, so many of the original programmers leave and the remaining staff barely know how to even support the acquired module, let alone be able to integrate it into the acquiring platform.

Perhaps someday, there will be a single software platform that does everything that a facility asset management needs at the highest level. Until then, we will continue to recommend that our clients pick the best tools for each specific job needing to be done and sort out the integration.