An integrated workplace management system (IWMS) is characterized by an enterprise-class software platform that integrates five key components of functionality, operated from a single technology platform and database repository: real estate management, project management

Project management

Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve specific goals. A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end , undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value...

, facilities and space management

Facility management

Facility management is an interdisciplinary field primarily devoted to the maintenance and care of commercial or institutional buildings, such as hospitals, hotels, office complexes, arenas, schools or convention centers...

, maintenance management, and environmental sustainability

Sustainability

Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...

.

IWMS systems assist organizations in optimizing the use of workplace resources, including the management of a company's real estate

Real estate

In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...

 portfolio, infrastructure and facilities assets.

Analyst coverage

Since 2004, the IWMS market has been reported on by independent analyst firms Gartner Inc.

Gartner

Gartner, Inc. is an information technology research and advisory firm headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, United States. It was known as GartnerGroup until 2001....

, IWMSconnect and IWMSNews.

Gartner Magic Quadrant for integrated workplace management systems

An annual Gartner Magic Quadrant

Magic Quadrant

The Gartner Magic Quadrant is a proprietary research tool developed by Gartner Inc., a US based research and advisory firm. According to Gartner, the Magic Quadrant aims to provide a qualitative analysis into a market and its direction, maturity and participants, thus possibly enabling a company...

(MQ) is posted on the IWMS market that evaluates the leading vendors upon two criteria: 'completeness of vision' and 'ability to execute'.

The original author, Michael Bell, first described IWMS software as "integrated enterprise solutions that span the life cycle of facilities asset management, from acquistion and operations to disposition." In this first market definition, Gartner identified critical requirements of an IWMS, including a common database, advanced web services technologies and a system architecture that enabled user-defined workflow processes and customized portal interfaces.

Gartner released updated IWMS Magic Quadrant reports, as follows:

Year published	Author	Gartner research ID number
2004	Michael Bell	G00123789
2005	Michael Bell	G00135917
2006	Michael Bell	G00144883
2008	Jack Heine	G00158057
2011	Rob Schafer	G00209818

The latest Gartner analysis titled Magic Quadrant for Integrated Workplace Management Systems was released January 31, 2011. The current Gartner analyst responsible for publication of the IWMS MQ is Rob Schafer, Research Director.