We live in a data-informed world—but the built environment, and facilities management specifically, are a step behind, according to a new research report by IFMA, “The Rise of the FM Analyst.”
This report, which interviewed 37 FM professionals across six global regions, highlighted six key insights that can help facilities leaders spend less time trying to track down data from disparate sources and more time figuring out what the data is trying to say, said Dr. Matt Tucker, IFMA’s director of research, who discussed the key takeaways from the report at the 2025 IFMA World Workplace conference and expo.
6 Key Insights from the Report
The report uncovers six truths about global FM and the ways in which data analysis plays a role in each of them.
1. The FM Analyst Mindset
In most organizations, this isn’t a job title, Tucker explained. The FM analyst mindset is about being curious in terms of where your data can be found, how to obtain it, and what it’s saying. “More importantly, the fundamental bit—how do we communicate that story to people who need to know?” he asked.
2. Capability Development Challenges
Different global regions have different ways of collecting and using data, but there was one commonality that was nearly unanimous, Tucker said—people tend to learn how to understand data on the job. “There are very few courses and programs available to help develop your staff or yourselves, specifically linking to data,” he said. “That’s a challenge.”
3. Organizational Support
Leadership buy-in varies by region. In North America or northern Europe, facilities management may be considered an important function in the business. You may feel it needs more visibility and understanding, but it still has a strategic relevance. “Many of the organizations in that market understand that if they invest in their FM, it makes their core business more profitable,” Tucker said. “If you have that leadership buy-in, it makes it easier to ask for money to invest in data, systems, and processes.”
Other regions undervalue FM, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, Tucker noted.
4. Data Maturity Constraints
Most people who have access to any kind of tracking software find themselves using multiple systems that don’t talk with each other very well, and there are different owners for each data system, Tucker said. “Data fragmentation is probably the biggest issue we face in the industry,” he explained. “We’re behind the curve.”
5. Global Contexts
The report goes into significant detail on the state of FM and data in each global region. In Europe and North America specifically, one major challenge facing larger organizations is that they have older legacy systems that may be operated across the world. “Trying to change those systems is a huge investment and a huge rollout,” Tucker said. “Although they’re quite advanced in collecting and analyzing data, they’re often using backwards systems. Trying to get the modules to work with that can be tough.”
6. The Importance of Translation
Storytelling is a natural companion to the FM analyst’s curious nature, and it’s incredibly important. How do you tell your story to other stakeholders who need to listen to you? How can you give them what they need so they can give you what you need?
“How many people have been in a meeting, and what you’re seeing on the screen is just an overwhelming data mess?” Tucker asked. “It’s too much detail. You haven’t got time. It’s a 30-minute meeting, and I have three more back to back. We need to know what it’s saying for the audience in the room.”
The 6 Traits You’ll Need for Success
FMs adopting the analyst mindset can come from anywhere, but there are a few key personal traits that can help you succeed, Tucker said.
Curiosity: Be curious with everything you do, he advised. Question where data comes from. “Knock on the door of the C-suite,” he said. “Don’t stop doing it.”
Storytelling: Learn how to translate your data into a compelling narrative.
Pattern recognition: FMs are used to using multiple systems and talking to multiple people to get the information they need.
Data confidence: “So many people I spoke to said their employees aren’t necessarily comfortable with this,” Tucker said. “It’s going outside of comfort zones.” People aged 55 and older are a majority of the facilities management industry and are set to retire soon, he added. “Where is the talent coming through, and how do we build that confidence—not just for the new generation, but for the existing older population?”
Problem solving: “How do we take a multinational company with a legacy system and bring it to a state-of-the-art system that could take us forward for the next 20 years?” Tucker asked.
Cross-functional thinking: Collaboration and working with multiple stakeholders will be a key skill for FMs, Tucker said. “We need to collaborate with the finance director, the HR director, the IT director,” he said. “Collaboration is one of the biggest skills we need to work on within our industry.”
The FM analyst mindset isn’t about building advanced statistical knowledge, Tucker added. You can build that knowledge—and it can help you—but adopting the mindset of an analyst is about harnessing technology and using it to interpret and act on data. “This is how we move our industry into a contemporary, data-informed industry,” Tucker said. “It allows us to take away the time of finding out how we collect data and more time about what the data says and how we can reflect on that and move forward.”
