Building automation is no longer limited to HVAC controllers and front-end software. Modern Building Automation Systems connect mechanical equipment, networks, servers, cybersecurity, operational data, maintenance programs, capital projects, and the people responsible for keeping buildings safe and reliable.
The BAS Manager Handbook: Book I - Foundations provides a practical, vendor-neutral framework for managing these increasingly complex systems. Written for BAS technicians, controls engineers, commissioning professionals, facility leaders, OT/IT specialists, and aspiring BAS managers, this book explains how to move beyond individual troubleshooting tasks and build a disciplined, sustainable building automation program.
Drawing on more than thirty-five years of field, engineering, project, and maintenance experience, David Vaknin explores the leadership and professional principles that support successful BAS operations.
Inside, readers will learn how to:
- Apply systems thinking and distinguish symptoms from root causes
- Identify operational risks and single points of failure
- Improve system reliability, resilience, and recoverability
- Establish documentation, governance, and change-control practices
- Make responsible decisions involving safety, ethics, and duty of care
- Build team capability and reduce dependence on individual experts
- Assess BAS program maturity and prioritize improvement opportunities
- Develop meaningful KPIs and communicate business value
- Create a practical first-90-day plan for BAS leadership
- Use assessments, checklists, and templates in real facilities
This is not a manufacturer manual, software tutorial, or product catalog. It is a professional foundation for anyone responsible for operating, maintaining, improving, or leading building automation systems.
Whether you manage one building or an entire portfolio, Book I - Foundations will help you create a BAS program that is safer, more reliable, better documented, easier to maintain, and more valuable to the organization it serves.
