Ep 24: Building FM From Scratch at Ocado Retail (and When You Actually Need CAFM)

Can you run facilities management for a major retail head office without a CAFM system? Lisa Assiotes does. She's built an FM function from scratch four times, and in this episode she explains how a lean team, an integrated provider and a disciplined RAG report keep a single site compliant. Plus, the exact point where software starts to pay for itself. In this episode, Lisa talks about: The first-90-days gap analysis Integrated vs multiple vendors The single-site vs multi-site CAFM decision The "15 days of AI" and where AI helps Managing reactive vs planned maintenance costs Dogs in the office and 100% standing desks 🔗 Listen and watch: https://comparesoft.com/facilities-management-software/podcasts/ocado-retail-fm/ Guest: Lisa Assiotes, Facilities Manager at Ocado Retail (formerly NSPCC, Paddy Power Betfair, Hotel Chocolat). Host: Ryan Condon, Head of Content at Comparesoft. ------- 00:00 A typical day in retail head-office FM 02:20 Building an FM function from scratch: the first 90 days 07:20 Standing desks, dogs in the office & desk booking  12:15 Why an integrated service provider works 15:40 When a CAFM system is (and isn't) worth it 17:45 Where AI fits: the "15 days of AI" 21:45 Managing FM budgets & getting value from suppliers 25:40 Proving the value FM brings 30:15 Advice for new FMs: be curious