This article is intended to be useful for folks new to the asset and facilities management field or as a reminder to veteran. This quick reference tool can be saved to your favorites and for easy access. Since acronyms can have many meanings, this should save you some time by finding the most likely meaning in the facility/asset context and avoid the inevitable acronym confusion.
For more depth click the link next to the associated article on Wikipedia, or other source. The eSSETS team will update this list from time to time. Suggestions for additions are welcomed and appreciated.
Facility & Asset Management Acronyms
| Acronym/Term | Stands for/definition | Comments, References |
|---|---|---|
| ADA | Americans with Disabilities Act (of 1990) | Wikipedia |
| ADAAA | ADA Amendments Act (of 2008) | Wikipedia |
| ADR | Alternative Dispute Resolution | Wikipedia |
| ASHRE | American Society of Heating, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Engineers | ASHRAE.org |
| ASME | American Society of Mechanical Engineers | ASME.org |
| ASTM | American Society for Testing and Materials | ASTM.org |
| BAS | Building Automation System | Wikipedia |
| BIM | Building Information Modeling | Wikipedia |
| BOMA | Building Owners and Management Association | www.boma.org |
| BRI | Building-Related Illness | Merriam-Webster, Aerias |
| CAFM | Computer-Aided Facility Management | |
| CBM | Condition Based Maintenance (when the need arises) | Wikipedia |
| CMMS | Computerized Maintenance Management System - a somewhat archaic label for maintenance management software. | |
| COBIE | Construction Operations Building Information Exchange | Building Smart Alliance, see also BIM |
| DDC | Direct Digital Control | Wikipedia |
| DMAIC | Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control | Wikipedia |
| DWG | Drawing file extension. Most common CAD (Computer Aided Design) file format, used by AutoCAD | Wikipedia |
| EIFS | Exterior Insulation Finishing System | Wikipedia (not stucco) |
| EAM | Enterprise Asset Management - Like eSSETS software, this term covers asset management, facility management, maintenance management, CMMS, CAFM, asset tracking, request tracking, and more. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... |
| EMS | Energy Management System | Wikipedia |
| FAR | Floor Area Ratio | Wikipedia (aka FSR, FSI) |
| FMEA | Failure Modes and Effects Analysis | Wikipedia |
| FMECA | Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis | Wikipedia |
| GMP | Guaranteed Maximum Price | Wikipedia (aka Not-To-Exceed Price, NTE or NTX |
| HEPA | High-Efficiency Particulate Air | Wikipedia (a type of air filter) |
| HVAC | Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning | Wikipedia |
| IAQ | Indoor Air Quality | Wikipedia |
| IFB | Invitation for Bid | Wikipedia, see also RFQ |
| IFMA | International Facilities Management Association | IFMA |
| KPI | Key Performance Indicator | Wikipedia |
| MSDS | Material Safety Data Sheet | Wikipedia |
| MTBF | Mean Time Between Failure | Wikipedia |
| OEM | Original Equipment Manufacturer | Wikipedia (be careful with this one) |
| OSHA | Occupational Safety and Health Administration | Wikipedia, www.osha.gov |
| PDCA | Plan, Do, Check, Act (or Adjust) | Wikipedia |
| Poka-yoke | To prevent mistakes (Japanese origin) | Wikipedia |
| PPM | Planned Preventive Maintenance (or just PM for Planned Maintenance, or Preventive Maintenance). See also CBM | Wikipedia |
| RCFA | Root Cause for Analysis | MaintenanceWorld |
| RCM | Reliability Centered Maintenance | Wikipedia |
| RFP | Request for Proposal | Wikipedia |
| RFI | Request for Information | Wikipedia |
| RFQ | Request for Quotation | Wikipedia, see also IFB |
| ROI | Return on Investment - a management term every FM should understand in order to get projects funded. One of the best investments an FM can make is to subscribe to eSSETS Software-as-a-Service! | Wikipedia, eSSETS.com |
| RPN | Risk Priority Number | see FMEA |
| RTF | Run To Failure (run it until it breaks down) | LinkedIn post by Christian Martin Baaner |
| SBS | Sick Building Syndrome | Wikipedia |
| SLA | Service Level Agreement | Wikipedia |
| VAV | Variable Air Volume | Wikipedia |
About the Author
Paul W. Roberts, eSSETS founder and CEO, has led business software projects and companies for over twenty-five years. Focus areas have included service and maintenance management, inventory control, project management, document management, and accounting applications.
Editing and additions provided by my associate: Randall R. Smith, JD, RPA. Randall has been a facilities and property management executive at three publicly held companies; FedEx Freight, American Freightways and O'Reilly Automotive.