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Measures & Metrics

Updating the Staffing Guidelines Trilogy

[reprinted from the November/December 2010 issue of Facilities Manager]

A dedicated group of educational facilities professionals is currently deep into the work of revising and updating APPA’s popular series of guidelines publications on custodial, grounds, and maintenance operations.  The target for release of the new editions is mid-year 2011.

• First published in 1992, then fully revised in 1998, Custodial Staffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities has become a huge seller for APPA and has been adopted and adapted by thousands of facilities and custodial services operations worldwide.  The five levels of clean introduced in the custodial guidelines became a model for the other APPA guidelines books and for other organizations developing metrics and measures for their own facilities activities.
  
• Published in 2001, the next publication in the trilogy to appear, Operational Guidelines for Grounds Management, was jointly developed and published by APPA, the National Recreation and Park Association, and the Professional Grounds Management Society.
  
• The third book in the series was Maintenance Staffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities, published in 2002.

APPA staff and the Information and Research Committee determined that it was time to revise all three publications at the same time.  This would result in a more consistent and coordinated approach to definitions, graphics, case studies, and the five levels of service.  In addition, the new books will incorporate topics related to technology, service innovations, sustainability, and the application of the guidelines in many different types of institutions and organizations.

We have the great good fortune of having Alan Bigger, APPA Fellow, serve as the editor-in-chief for the entire revision and update process.  Alan is a past APPA President and retired in 2009 after years of service at Earlham College, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Missouri.

Alan is accompanied on this project by three capable and knowledgeable professionals who serve as the chairs of the respective task forces responsible for each of the three books:

• Casey Wick, Hamilton College – custodial
• Tom Flood, Elon University – grounds
• Tom Becker, Philadelphia University – maintenance

In turn, each task force chair oversees a number of skilled practitioners who are researching and writing the chapters of the new publications. 

We are excited about the forthcoming revised editions of these key APPA publications.  In the months to come we will share more information about the books’ availability, related Web-based material, and accompanying software programs.  In the meantime, we look forward to providing APPA and the facilities profession with these new and updated resources for campus and facility improvement.

--Steve Glazner, APPA director of knowledge management and editor of Facilities Manager