Part 1 was about the mess we keep inheriting at handover. In Part 2, I want to get practical: what actually makes a good O&M, why the “one generic template” approach so often breaks down, and what we should do instead.

1) Start with the uncomfortable truth: FM manages by systems, construction delivers by work packages

FM teams run buildings by systems (and risks). Projects, however, are delivered as a set of work packages—each with a package contractor accountable for their slice of the build. Most packages map fairly cleanly to a system or building element; M&E is the notable exception because it spans multiple interdependent systems and handover artefacts.

And O&M manuals don’t exist in isolation. They sit inside a wider handover set—building manual, building logbook, H&S file—where the boundaries often overlap and blur.

There’s no shortage of guidance trying to make this manageable: CIBSE’s TM31 for logbooks (2006) (cibse.org), BSRIA’s Building Manual guidance (BG 26/2011) (bsria.com), and BSRIA’s handover/O&M guidance (BG 79/2020) (bsria.com), plus maintenance-focused guidance like CIBSE Guide M (latest revision 2023). (cibse.org)

2) So what should an O&M actually do?

A good O&M is the human-readable “operational truth” for a work package / system:

• What was installed and where (mapped to locations)
• Who made it and how it performs
• How to inspect, clean, maintain, repair, and replace (where applicable)
• What hazards exist and how to manage/dispose of materials safely
• What warranties/guarantees apply (and what voids them)
• What evidence proves compliance (tests, certificates, sign-off, as-builts)

That sounds obvious. Yet the industry keeps drifting into “document theatre”: big PDFs, stuffed with irrelevant literature, presented in a way that’s painful to check and worse to use.

3) The classic “generic O&M template” — useful, but dangerously blunt

Most templates look broadly like this (not recommending, just describing the typical pattern): intro / H&S / product info / O&M / certificates / drawings.

Why it persists:

• It’s a convenient management workflow.
• It standardises headings.
• It gives reviewers a checklist.

Why it fails in practice:

• Contractors push back (“not in our contract”, “not suitable for our package”, “too late to change”) and you end up with disjointed submissions.
• It dumbs down to the lowest common denominator—easy to police, but often misses what matters most for that package.
• It’s equipment-led by default, which makes it a poor fit for many non-M&E packages.

4) Ten solid examples where the generic structure is the wrong shape

Outside M&E, many work packages aren’t “operate equipment + change filters + buy spares.” They’re assemblies, evidence packs, or FM-use guides. Examples include groundworks, concrete frame, roofing membranes, façade/cladding, passive firestopping, internal finishes, landscaping, doorsets/ironmongery, glazing, and lifts (a special case).

These packages typically fall into three families:

1. Assembly-led building fabric (roofing, cladding, doorsets, partitions, glazing…)
2. Compliance-evidence packages (firestopping, structural, compartmentation, cavity barriers…)
3. Finishes / FM-use guides (painting, flooring, ceilings, joinery…)

5) The fix: stop forcing one template—use three “fit-for-purpose” shapes

Below are three reshaped templates that match how information is actually used.

A) Building Fabric / Assembly-led package template

Best for: brickwork, roofing, cladding, curtain walling, partitions, doorsets (as assemblies).

Focus: performance intent, traceability, inspection + repair rules, and alteration control (penetrations, fixings, sealants, movement joints).

B) Compliance-evidence package template

Best for: firestopping, structural elements, compartmentation, cavity barriers—anything safety-critical where “operation” is really change control.

Focus: location-based installation records, photo evidence, approvals, competency, inspections, NCR close-out, and a future-proof change process.

C) Finishes / FM-use guide template

Best for: painting, flooring, ceilings, joinery, washrooms, fixtures—where FM mainly needs care, cleaning, and replacement rules.

Focus: finish schedules by room/area, approved cleaning methods, stain removal, touch-up guidance, reorder references, and defects-period contacts.

This is the core point: consistency matters, but “consistency” should mean predictable navigation and traceability—not forcing every package into an equipment-led box.

6) The PDF problem: we digitised paper folders… and made them worse

Paper O&Ms were ring binders stuffed with product literature and drawings. The PDF era often preserved that habit—embedding everything into one enormous file, which becomes unwieldy for the devices FM actually uses, and painful for automated checking.

A more practical pattern is:

• A lean, structured O&M “index” document (the thing humans read)
• Linked out to supporting files in a relative folder structure (datasheets, certificates, drawings, photo logs)

If the only authoring tools used are a word processor, like MS Word, then they don’t make large-scale document linking painless. In MS Word Ctrl+K hyperlink is fine once, but not 200 times. The authoring skill varies wildly, and PFD deliverables typically miss out bookmark navigation generated from styles and external document linking—so the packaging quality becomes inconsistent.

Conclusion: O&Ms are still “human-readable truth”—but they must be navigable and verifiable

O&Ms should be produced consistently so people can find what they need quickly, and reviewers can verify what matters. A single generic template isn’t enough—we need a small family of templates that reflect real package types, and we need to stop shipping one giant embedded PDF when a linked document set is far more usable.

Part 3 will look at how the building information model can genuinely support O&M production (beyond buzzwords). Part 4 will show how automated checking is the only realistic way to get everyone over the line without a nervous breakdown.

Appendix

O&M Example Outlines

1) Generic template

·         INTRODUCTION

o   COMPANY DETAILS

o   PROJECT TEAM

o   SCOPE OF WORK

o   RESIDUAL HAZARDS

·         HEALTH & SAFETY INFORMATION

o   DISPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

o   FIRE PREVENTION MEASURES

·         PRODUCT / INSTALLATION INFORMATION

o   SUPPLIER DIRECTORY

o   INSTALLED HAZARDOUS PRODUCT LIST

o   MANUFACTURES LITERATURE

o   PRODUCT GUARANTEES / WARRANTIES

·         OPERATING & MAINTENANCE

o   GENERAL OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

o   CLEANING & MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS

o   RECOMMENDED SPARES

·         SIGN OFF CERTIFICATES & AS-BUILT INFORMATION

o   MATERIAL / PRODUCT CONFORMITY SHEETS

o   DRAWINGS

2) Building Fabric / Assembly-led package template

Use for: brickwork, roofing, cladding, curtain walling, partitions, door sets (as assemblies).

• INTRODUCTION

o    Company details

o    Project team

o    Scope of work (incl. interfaces / exclusions)

o    Design intent (what performance it is meant to achieve)

o    Residual hazards (mainly access-related)

• PRODUCTS & AS-BUILT CONFIGURATION

o    Assembly types (by elevation/zone/type)

o    Materials/product schedule mapped to locations (IDs + photos)

o    Supplier directory

o    Manufacturer literature (only the installed items)

o    Warranties/guarantees + conditions (inspection, cleaning, prohibited alterations)

• INSPECTION, CARE & REPAIR

o    Inspection regime (frequency + what to look for)

o    Cleaning methods and prohibited methods/chemicals

o    Repair methods (like-for-like rules, approved materials)

o    Alteration rules (penetrations, fixings, sealants, movement joints, maintaining weathering/fire integrity)

• QUALITY & EVIDENCE

o    Sample approvals / mock-ups

o    QA/ITP records + NCR close-out

o    Test evidence where applicable (fire, acoustic, weather)

o    Snagging and completion records

• DRAWINGS & RECORDS

o    As-built drawings (GAs, details)

o    Photo records indexed by zone

o    Certificates (only those relevant to the assembly)

3) Compliance-evidence package template

Use for: firestopping, structural elements, compartmentation, cavity barriers, safety-critical installations where “operation” is basically change control.

• INTRODUCTION

o    Company details

o    Project team

o    Scope of work + boundary of responsibility

o    Applicable standards / specifications / fire strategy references

o    Residual risks (what remains and how it is managed)

• COMPLIANCE STATEMENT

o    What the work is required to comply with (project requirements)

o    Installer competency evidence

o    Product/system approvals (test/assessment references)

• LOCATION-BASED INSTALLATION RECORD

o    Register by unique location ID (room/elevation/grid/penetration ID)

o    Installed system details (product + configuration + substrate + service type where relevant)

o    Photo evidence (before/during/after) linked to each ID

• INSPECTION & VERIFICATION

o    Hold points / inspections

o    Sample checks and results

o    NCRs and close-out evidence

• CHANGE CONTROL (THE “OPERATION”)

o    Rules for future penetrations/alterations

o    Permit-to-work / approval route

o    How to record and update evidence set

• DRAWINGS & CERTIFICATES

o    Marked-up drawings / fire plans

o    Certificates / declarations / inspection sign-off pack

4) Finishes / FM-use guide template

Use for: painting, flooring, ceilings, joinery, washrooms, fixtures—where FM needs care instructions, not technical O&M heft.

• INTRODUCTION

o    Company details

o    Scope by area/finish type

o    Key contacts for defects period

• FINISH SCHEDULES

o    Room/area schedule: finish type, colour/code, product reference

o    Touch-up/repair kit references (where applicable)

o    Supplier directory

• CARE & CLEANING

o    Approved cleaning agents/methods

o    Prohibited chemicals/tools

o    Stain removal guidance

o    Routine care frequencies

• REPAIR & REPLACEMENT

o    Patch repair method statements (short, practical)

o    Like-for-like rules and approved alternatives

o    Lead times and reordering references

• WARRANTIES & DEFECTS

o    Warranty/guarantee terms (what voids them)

o    Defects reporting route and response times

• AS-BUILT RECORDS

o    Final schedules

o    Product datasheets (only those that matter for care)

o    Completion sign-off / snag close-out