Marko Opić and Sebastian Hein on the success factors in digital facility management
Key criteria for CAFM selection in technology-based FM processes
Fulda, June 2025 – The CAFM trade fair, organized by Der Facility Manager and gefma in cooperation, has established itself as a regular industry meeting place. This year, around 300 trade visitors came together to learn about the latest developments in computer-aided facility management, or CAFM for short. Alpha IC was there too. Sebastian Hein and Marko Opić opened the event with a presentation on the targeted selection of CAFM software – a topic that is more relevant than ever in view of growing demands on data quality, integration, and automation.
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Why CAFM selection is not a standard process
The introduction of CAFM software is not an IT project, but a comprehensive organizational change process. It affects not only technical systems, but above all structures, roles, processes, and corporate culture. The selection process therefore does not begin with a comparison of functions or offers, but with an honest and structured reflection on your own organization: What goals should be achieved? Which processes are established and where are there potential gaps? What data is available and what is its quality? Only when these fundamentals have been clarified can a CAFM solution be selected that is not only technically suitable, but also strategically effective.
The most important success factors In their presentation, Sebastian Hein and Marko Opić outlined the key factors that determine the success or failure of a CAFM project.
The five most important factors are summarized below:
1. Effective FM organization
Without clear processes, roles, and responsibilities, no software can be implemented effectively. Management in particular must understand the relevance of facility management for the company. Learn more here: Facility Management Consulting from Alpha IC.
2. Awareness of change and goals
Computer-aided facility management brings transparency—and that means change. This requires awareness and willingness, as well as future goals: What should be represented in CAFM in two, five, or ten years?
3. Strong project team
In addition to taking all stakeholders in the extended team into account, committed, competent, and communicative project management—and a representative for them—is essential. Regular communication about the progress of the project enables early countermeasures to be taken when challenges arise, while a clear separation of the necessary resources from day-to-day business ensures efficiency. In addition, sufficient financial resources are crucial for the targeted implementation of the planned measures.
4. Data structure & consistency
No system can perform well without structured, consistent data. Here, too, the separation of resources from day-to-day business comes into play: clearly defined areas of responsibility ensure maximum expertise.
More on the topic of digitalization: Digitalization strategy for building management | Alpha IC.
5. Have the courage to leave gaps
Perfection is not the goal. The focus is on reliability and transparency in dealings between all parties involved: clients, manufacturers, consultants, implementation partners, data collectors, and others.
Beestate & Computer-Aided Facility Management: When data leads to decisions
The presentation also covered the combination of CAFM systems with digital tendering platforms such as Beestate. Structured data in computer-aided facility management can be used to generate tenders, compare bids, and award contracts efficiently. The result: transparency, efficiency, and resource savings—especially for recurring services such as maintenance, cleaning, or renovations.
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Artificial Intelligence & Cybersecurity: The Trends at the Trade Fair
In addition to the software selection itself, two topics dominated the trade fair discussions:
Artificial intelligence (AI): New potential is emerging, particularly in the helpdesk area (chatbots) and in photogrammetric data acquisition.
Cybersecurity: With increasing networking, the need for secure, certified systems is growing – e.g., according to GEFMA 444.
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Conclusion: Computer-aided facility management is more than just software
The CAFM trade fair 2025 showed that anyone who takes digitalization in facility management seriously must take an organizational, technical, and cultural approach. Choosing the right software is only one component of this – but it is a crucial one.
