This article is about activating this module as an implementation consultant. For more detailed information on how to manage or use the concepts in this module as an application manager or a user (for instance, details on how to create an object), see the related module in the application managers and/or Users part of this knowledge base: Application Managers / Users
1. Master data
Master data forms the foundational elements within any IWMS (Integrated Workplace Management System), serving as the backbone for organizational operations and decision-making processes. It comprises essential information that remains relatively static and is important for the organization's day-to-day activities.
Master data serves as a reference point for various operational processes, enabling users to accurately identify, track, and manage assets, buildings, areas, and contacts across different functionalities within the software. By maintaining a centralized repository of master data, organizations can streamline processes, improve data integrity, and enhance decision-making capabilities.
2. What is this module about
Buildings and areas are one of the master data modules of Workplace Management.
For more information on the content of this module, including detailed descriptions of some of the core components, see: Master data Buildings & Areas module in the 'Application Managers' section.
3. Why use this module
Master data, in this case, buildings and areas, serves two main purposes:
Integration Across other Modules:
The Buildings and Areas module allows you to use location information in other modules. This offers practical benefits in other modules. Some examples:
Requests: Connecting requests to specific buildings or areas helps the Service Desk quickly locate and resolve issues. Tracking open or total requests per building or area also assists in resource and maintenance management.
Reservation Management: Reserving areas within buildings becomes easier, ensuring efficient use of space and better room availability.
Contracts: Linking Buildings or areas to contracts ensures the cost can be tracked per building or area. Leading to better and more data-driven strategic decision-making.
Comprehensive Portfolio Management:
Apart from the use in other modules, the Buildings and Areas module can aid in managing your real estate, as it helps to get insights into the organization's buildings, including details like location, ownership, occupancy status, and maintenance history. This overview helps in resource allocation, cost-saving, and strategic decision-making. The same applies to the areas, as understanding the spatial layout improves operational efficiency and compliance.
The Buildings and Areas module offers practical solutions for improving other modules and processes and managing your real estate portfolio.
3.1 Choices to be made within the module
The most relevant choices that can be made before using this module are the following:
Contextual access
By default, every user can select every building and area in other processes if linking a building and/or area is enabled for that module (e.g., every user allowed to create a request is by default able to select every building and area in that building when creating a request as long as buildings are used in the request module). The same applies to users authorized to create and edit buildings (and the areas in the building), as by default, this system group (3. Edit buildings and areas) is assigned to a user overall, thus applying to every building.
If this should not be the case (e.g. user should only be able to see/select specific buildings or only be able to edit specific buildings or parts of a building (all areas of a given floor), contextual access should be enabled via Module settings → Buildings and areas: Contextual access to buildings (or directly via the module activation). For more information, see: contextual access.
Additional categories
If the default building or area categories (described in the Master data Buildings & Areas module) are not sufficient, additional categories can be added. See Master data Buildings & Areas module for more information on this.
4. How to activate this module
As for every new module, use the ‘Module activation’ option on the administrator startboard (only available for level 2 and level 3 admins). For more general information about these 'Module activation' options, see Module activation.
4.1 Prerequisites before activating this module
The Buildings and Areas module does not require any other modules to be activated.
4.2 Module activation
For this specific module activation, only one setting applies:
Contextual access to buildings: This will enable contextual access to buildings. See before and contextual access
After starting the module activation, the buildings and areas-related imports become available to download in the next step. For more details, see further down (Data imports).
Starting the module activation will also enable the relevant user groups to be assigned to user profiles via the User profile management dashboard which can be found on the admin’s startboard. For more details, see further down (User groups and profile suggestions).
4.3 Data imports
When activating this module, some data imports become available, which can be used to quickly import relevant data into the system (as opposed to manually entering this data, which is also possible).
Relevant data imports become available in the module activation after the activation has been started. Default data imports can also be found on the admin`s startboard (only for level 2 and level 3 administrators).
For more information on data imports in general, see: Data imports
If the buildings and areas module is activated, the following default import connectors become available:
Reference | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
FMB-F-021 | Import buildings | This can be used to import buildings of the customer. |
FMB-F-022 | Import areas | This can be used to import the areas of the customer's building. |
FMB-F-025 | Import user access in context of building | This import becomes available if contextual access to buildings is enabled and can be used to import which users should have access to view or edit which building. |
4.4 User groups
When a module is activated, system groups become available that can be assigned to user profiles. These system groups will give users access to (a subset of) navigation menu options, startboard tabs, and tasks in the relevant workflow(s).
For more general information on user profiles, system groups, users, and the user profile dashboard, see: User management
For the Buildings and areas module, the following system groups become available:
Reference | Name | Description | License needed |
|---|---|---|---|
GOB-G022 | 2.View buildings and areas | The group gives viewing rights on buildings and areas. It's only relevant if contextual access is used, otherwise, all system groups give access to buildings and areas (within the context of a process: if you’re authorized to create requests, one can link any building if contextual access is not used). | Requestor |
GOB-G007 |
| The group gives edit rights on buildings and areas. If contextual access is enabled, this can also be given in the context of specific buildings to users. | Full user |
FMB-G140 |
| If contextual access to buildings is used (Settings, master data), this group can be assigned to users to access the navigation menu option "Buildings". Access to specific buildings should be given via the "View buildings" or "Edit buildings" group (in the context of a building). If users are given the group "View buildings" or "Edit buildings" overall, they already have access to the navigation menu option "Buildings" with that group. | Limited user |
4.5 Navigation menu and startboard options
When a module is activated, the relevant navigation menu options become available to users with the correct authorizations (based on the system groups).
For more general information on the navigation menu and startboard, see: https://spacewell.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/KB/pages/441712705/Authorizing+users#2.2-Navigation-menu-and-Startboard
For the buildings and areas module, the following navigation menu options become available:
Navigation menu option | Available to system groups | Description |
|---|---|---|
Buildings |
| The option to search for all buildings. |
Areas |
| The option to search for all areas, without the need to first open a specific building. |
It is not necessary to have access to the navigation menu option(s) for master data, in order to be able to select these objects in other processes. E.g. end users most likely do not need to search for buildings via the navigation menu, they only need to be able to select a building in a new request or reservation. If contextual access to buildings is NOT used (default behavior), users that have the authorization to create a Request, Reservation, Visitor, Purchase order, or any other process can also select any building and area in those processes (if applicable in that process)
5. Additional reports
Via the navigation menu option ‘reports’ → Folders, Folder 'Master data', key users can find additional reports with regards to the Master data objects:
6. Additional settings and options after enabling
For most modules, additional settings can be configured after the initial module activation via the 'Module settings' option on the administrator startboard. A module is always activated with the most used settings pre-defined. After the module is activated, the module may have more advanced settings available, which can also be managed via the Module settings.
To navigate to all Building and area settings, go to Module settings → tab Buildings and areas. Hover over the available settings to get more information.
7. Additional information
If the Buildings and areas module is enabled, it is also possible to activate the Space Management options via module settings → Buildings and areas: Space Management. This additional sub module is enabled by the following setting:
For more information about this sub module, see: Space Management in the application managers part.
8. User manual
For the user manual with a more step-by-step explanation of the Buildings and areas module: Masterdata: buildings and areas
9. Q&A
Waiting for questions to be answered.