Updated: April 04, 2023

15 Top Facility Management Books to Read in 2023

Here is our list of facility management books.

Facility management books are publications that provide insights and techniques for managing office complexes, warehouses, and corporate campuses. Examples of facility management books are Retail Facilities Maintenance by Al Tierney and The Facility Manager’s Guide to Finance and Budgeting by David G. Cotts and Ed Rondeau. The purpose of facility management books is to provide practical advice on the various aspects of facility management, industry standards and regulations, and effective risk management strategies.

Facility management books are similar to operations management books, management science books, and supply chain management books. These resources help readers learn more about team management skills and management tips.

This list includes:

  • facility management books for beginners
  • facility management handbooks
  • guides to facility management

Let’s begin!

List of facility management books

Facility management books keep organizations up to date with industry regulations and standards. Here is a list of books to help you learn more about facility management.

1. The Facility Management Handbook by Kathy O. Roper, David G. Cotts, and Richard P. Payant

Kathy O. Roper, David G. Cotts, and Richard P. Payant were named International Facility Management Association Authors of the Year in 2010 for The Facility Management Handbook. This resource provides readers with the tools and guidance to eliminate inefficiencies and create productive facilities that integrate people, place, and process. The Facility Management Handbook covers various topics, such as space planning and maintenance, benchmarking, and outsourcing. Also, readers will gain practical insight into designing, maintaining, and improving work environments that support productivity and sustain environmentally friendly practices. This handbook is still the ultimate resource for facility managers because it includes case studies and essential information on sustainability and post-9/11 security concerns.

Notable quote: ”Facility management is an essential business function; the facility manager is a business manager and should be placed at the same level as the managers of human relations and/or information technology.”

Check out The Facility Management Handbook.

2. The Complete Guide to Facility Management by Dan Lowry

The Complete Guide to Facility Management explains what it takes to be a successful facility manager today. In this book, Dan Lowry teaches facility management professionals of all backgrounds and education levels the four facility management knowledge domains. These domains include operations and maintenance, project management, business finance, and leadership. With The Complete Guide to Facility Management, readers will understand how to develop as a facility manager in a way that maximizes value to the organization.

​Notable quote: ”Facility management is built on four basic knowledge domains: Operations & Maintenance, Project Management, Business Finance, and Leadership. The more we practice basics, the better we become at executing advanced functions (which we also will discuss).”

Check out The Complete Guide to Facility Management.

3. Retail Facilities Maintenance: The Circle of Management: A 30-Year Experience Management Narrative by Al Tierney

In The Circle of Management, Al Tierney shares his 30 years of experiences with readers. This book addresses the facility maintenance, emergency, and life cycle needs in the properties where facility managers do business. Tierney believes that the staff and facilities maintenance manager dictate the application practices for themselves, the vendors, and the contractors performing the maintenance improvements. In this book, readers will learn the lifecycle of building components, the purpose of facility maintenance, and practices to enable the success of a vendor or contractor.

Notable quote: “Many of the facets of facility management are driven by changing technologies, and it is our job to inform our stakeholders how to improve the facilities we manage.”

Check out The Circle of Management.

4. Facilities Management Operations Handbook by John Williams

The Facilities Management Operations Handbook addresses the needs of managers who manage hard and soft services and administration. In this book, John Williams covers all the details and tricks of the trade that will ensure the complex runs smoothly. The resource provides information on areas like setup, HR and workforce calculation, space planning, policies, and procedures. Also, Williams helps readers understand the concepts of stock holding, KPIs, and configuration management.

Notable quote: “Another driving force for using facility management is the advantage of getting a lot of diverse forms of work from the facility manager all for a fixed fee, and this can be very dangerous.”

Check out Facilities Management Operations Handbook.

5. Facilities Manager’s Desk Reference by Jane M. Wiggins

In the Facilities Manager’s Desk Reference, Jane M. Wiggins covers all the principal services of facilities management. Also, Wiggins provides the information required to ensure compliance with current laws, identify creative ways of reducing operational occupancy costs, and deliver opportunities to adopt new practices when using the built environment. The book provides a comprehensive scope of hard and soft facilities management issues. This book is highly practical, making it ideal for the busy facilities management practitioner. Facilities Manager’s Desk Reference suits students and professional facilities managers.

Notable quote: “Facility management is about taking control, adding value, supporting the business, and ensuring that the space and working environment enhances the productivity of the core activity and the staff.”

Check out Facilities Manager’s Desk Reference.

6. The Facility Manager’s Guide to Finance and Budgeting by David G. Cotts and Ed Rondeau

Leaders may find making financial decisions daunting regardless of the industry. In The Facility Manager’s Guide to Finance and Budgeting, David G. Cotts and Ed Rondeau provide a finance and budgeting guide to enable facility managers to understand work programs, programmatic planning, and budgeting. Also, Cotts and Rondeau explain how to make financially sound decisions on projects requiring capital funding. Readers will also learn how to integrate an information system and database with a budget. This book will help readers to use unit-cost indicators to benchmark facility management initiatives.

Notable quote: “Upper management does not view facility managers as contributors to the corporate bottom line or even as being particularly conscious of that bottom line.”

Check out The Facility Manager’s Guide to Finance and Budgeting.

7. Facilities Management: What Really Matters: A Guide To The Human Aspect Of Successful Facilities Management by Doug Pearson

In Facilities Management, Doug Pearson introduces some human resource aspects of facilities management. Also, this book raises awareness of these topics and provides facilities managers with the knowledge to improve their leadership effectiveness. Pearson suggests that leadership in facility management should occur in all directions, downward to staff, sideways to colleagues, and upward to senior management. This book covers areas across change management, conflict, the power of a positive attitude, and customer service. Pearson believes in developing the facility management department, training and retraining staff, and conducting quality assurance and performance management.

Notable quote: “The ideal facility manager must have Aristotle’s logic and Solomon’s wisdom, a priest’s discretion and a gambler’s poker face, a lawyer’s shrewdness, and a marketing director’s charm.”

Check out Facilities Management.

8. Total Facility Management by Brian Atkin and Adrian Brooks

Total Facility Management provides a comprehensive guide to what facility management means to facility managers, owners, operators, professional advisors, and occupiers. In this book, Brian Atkin and Adrian Brooks show readers how to implement the concept and principles of facility management. Total Facility Management touches on common challenges professionals and students face in the field and provides practical solutions to solving these challenges. Also, readers can benefit from examining human resources management, well-being, workplace productivity, and performance management health.

Notable quote: “Effective management of non-core business (i.e., support services) enables an organization to function at its most efficient.”

Check out Total Facility Management.

9. Facilities Management: Managing Maintenance for Buildings and Facilities by Joel D. Levitt

Facilities Management is one of the essential guides to facility management. This book covers the facility manager’s crucial roles and responsibilities concerning building maintenance. Joel D. Levitt touches on essential facilities maintenance and management topics such as risk management, building safety, operations, purchasing, and staffing. In addition, readers can brush up on the most recent technological and governmental developments that impact the successful management of complex facilities.

Additionally, this resource includes many readily usable assessment forms and resources for in-depth practical knowledge. Facilities Management is a great starting point for managing maintenance as a newbie or professional.

Notable quote: “When the economy goes sour, property development organizations start to look to building management and, in turn, maintenance departments as a revenue source.”

Check out Facilities Management.

10. Facilities Management Cleaning Manager: Handbook by John Williams

Facilities Management Cleaning Manager is one of the best facility management handbooks. John Williams designed this book for the cleaning manager who seeks as much knowledge as possible about maintaining a building complex safely and effectively. Facilities Management Cleaning Manager touches on the nontoxic cleaning agents, safety precautions, job descriptions, policies, and procedures in facilities management. This book is a handy reference material for beginner and professional facility managers.

Notable quote: “Look and listen and say little; the client will tell you what he wants. You must make sure you hear it and can react quickly to the message.”

Check out Facilities Management Cleaning Manager.

11. Sport Facility Operations Management: A Global Perspective by Eric C. Schwarz, Stacey A. Hall, and Simon Shibli

Sport Facility Operations Management introduces modern ideas and best practices for managing sports facilities. The book features real-world case studies, discussion questions, Technology Today, and Facility Focus. In addition to sports, the book covers additional topics on project management, social and digital media, revenue generation and diversification, and performance analytics. Sport Facility Operations Management is crucial for instructors and students in sport management, especially those specializing in facility management. Professionals in the field who manage sporting venues, from local grassroots complexes to international mega stadiums and arenas, will find this book interesting.

Notable quote: “Sport facility operations management seeks to maintain and care for public, private, and nonprofit facilities used for sport, recreation, and leisure to ensure the safe and secure production and distribution of products and services to users.”

Check out Sport Facility Operations Management.

12. Facilities Management for the Arts by Cameron Christensen

Facilities Management for the Arts summarizes typical facilities management best practices from an expert in arts management. Although the facility management of arts organizations is comparable to other businesses, there are also distinctive situations that can challenge even the most seasoned facility employees. In this book, Cameron Christensen offers readers a broader and more in-depth understanding of what may be a challenging career. Facilities Management for the Arts will provide readers with the knowledge to advance in professional endeavors and operations.

Notable quote: “Security is unique, especially when we are guarding precious works of art or high-profile guest artists.”

Check out Facilities Management for the Arts.

13. Plant Management: Essential Leadership in Manufacturing Facilities by Louis Bevoc, Rachel Collinson, and Allison Shearsett

The most important workers in industrial facilities are frequently the plant managers. Plant managers deal with almost every employee associated with the company and are in charge of all elements of plant operations. To understand the roles of plant managers, this book analyzes what these individuals do and how they work. This publication also outlines the difficulties plant managers must overcome to operate at their best. Additionally, the authors draw attention to the variety of skills these leaders need to achieve the organization’s goals and objectives.

Notable quote: “Production is the heart of a manufacturing plant. Without it, products do not get made and cannot be sold.”

Check out Plant Management.

14. Facilities Management Key Performance Indicators: for Commerce and Industry by John Williams

The lifeblood of any firm or industry is its key performance indicators, or KPIs. These indicators ensure that industries uphold quality standards and meet regulatory obligations and customers’ needs. John Willams wrote Facilities Management Key Performance Indicators for commerce and related industries. This book intends to cover all the disciplines available in these fields with practical examples for each area. These KPIs apply to massive and complex sites as well as modest to medium-sized complexes. This book is one of the best facility management books for beginners, and companies will find its knowledge beneficial. Also, the book can spare readers from having to spend days or weeks searching for those elusive KPI points that the client demands.

Notable quote: “We, therefore, need a system whereby we can measure our performance and keep a record of all planned and unplanned events that occur in the month.”

Check out Facilities Management Key Performance Indicators.

15. Fire Safety & Fire Fighting Systems: Facility Management by Varinder Taprial and Priya Kanwar

Several deaths have occurred due to fire outbreaks in apartment and business buildings. Sometimes, the hazards stem from insufficient fire prevention measures or fire control and rescue techniques. However, the situation is considerably better today due to increased awareness and technological improvements. In Fire Safety & Fire Fighting Systems, the authors identify fire safety as a crucial component of facility planning, building, and operation. Varinder Taprial and Priya Kanwar believe that although active precautions and means of detecting and combating fires exist, passive measures like material selection and evacuation routes are crucial during the design stage. This book will teach readers about active firefighting techniques in structures and general fire safety. Both recent grads and facility management professionals will find this book helpful.

Notable quote: “In general, a fire can cause loss of property, productivity, reputation, and human lives as well as leave a traumatic psychological impact on people affected by it.”

Check out Fire Safety & Fire Fighting Systems.

Conclusion

Facility management books are a priceless source of information for workers in facility management. These books offer advice and information on various facility management-related subjects, such as upkeep and repair, energy management, security and safety, and customer service. By reading these books, facility managers, building owners, and stakeholders can stay current on industry trends and best practices while creating practical plans for optimizing their facilities. Facility management books provide a wealth of information regardless of what stage you are in your journey.

Next up, check out these articles on management blogs and information management books.

FAQ: Facility management books

Here are frequently asked questions about facility management books.

What are facility management books?

Facility management books are resources that provide insights and techniques for managing locations such as stadiums and museums. These books provide readers with knowledge of various facility management fields like space planning and utilization, asset management, and security and safety.

What are the best books on facility management?

The best books on facility management include:

  • Fire Safety & Fire Fighting Systems: Facility Management by Varinder Taprial and Priya Kanwar
  • Plant Management by Louis Bevoc, Rachel Collinson, and Allison Shearsett
  • Sport Facility Operations Management by Eric C. Schwarz, Stacey A. Hall, and Simon Shibli.

By following the guidelines in these books, facility managers can improve their operational efficiency and productivity.

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People & Culture Director at teambuilding.com.
Grace is the Director of People & Culture at TeamBuilding. She studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, Information Science at East China Normal University and earned an MBA at Washington State University.

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