The Office of Planning and Facilities Management will begin the testing of Archibus, an improved online tracking system for facilities requests, this summer, with the goal of campus-wide implementation by fall 2013.
Vice President for Planning and Facilities Robin Morey will oversee the introduction of the system with the help of an outside firm Computer Facility Integration.
Archibus, the system for which former Georgetown University Student Association President MikeMeaney (SFS ’12) and Vice President Greg Laverriere (COL ’12) advocated during their term, is intended to lessen slow response times and improve communication regarding work requests in response to student and faculty concerns about the antiquated current system.
“Right now our system does not provide very robust capabilities. It’s quite old,” Morey said. “[The current] system has not been keeping up.”
Archibus will allow students and faculty to submit work requests online, which will then be sent directly to the mechanic providing the service. The system will also compile data about buildings on campus, which will allow the facilities office to track and address recurring problems, as well as to group work requests for the same building in one batch.
“Being able to respond in a timely manner and have all that information going to one place I think will help a lot,” GUSA President Clara Gustafson (SFS ’13) said. “Response time is the major goal.”
Archibus is intended to increase the facilities office’s accountability to students and faculty.
“Students are the customers when it comes to facilities issues. It will also help faculty and staff who are using different rooms [and] different buildings,” Gustafson said.
The website will provide an opportunity for students and faculty to submit feedback after their orders have been processed.
“When you have that instant feedback and that data, I think that adds a level of accountability for us to help manage our business and provide better service,” Morey said.
According to Morey, the university will also use Archibus as an inventory management system to track stock and automatically replace frequently used items.
