By
The Pillars of Asset Management
Introduction
Asset management (AM) can be a complex subject especially when considering the difference between AM and facilities management (FM). One factor that comes into play in helping separate the two, is the corporate and strategic objectives for the day-to-day management of work that requires completion.
Outside of the facilities/space management area, AM can be broken down into three distinct layers: strategic, data integration and work management. No matter how you define each one, these three areas are always intertwined with each other in some way:
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Strategic - outlines the corporate objectives and aligns the organization with the ISO 55000 set of standards which makes it rely on visibility into the other two areas
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Data Integration - this combines the various functional disciplines to ensure for a consistent data management approach which makes it the glue that links strategic and work management
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Work Management - this is the working layer, where AM is performed and FM is kept in an operating state so that work management relies on the information from the data integration layer and the strategic support for funding and capital improvements
Strategic Layer
- Strategic Layers (source: Institute for Asset Management)
Strategic planning requires layers of information that are fed up from the data integration and work management layers. Information such as the maintenance workload, overtime requirements and circumstances for overtime are key information factors that are fed up to the strategic layer. Additional factors are equipment performance, how the organization will balance capital expenditures for equipment replacement, and the need for ongoing maintenance. In addition, this layer needs to be able to share information with risk and financial management on issues such as regulatory compliance and implementation of best practices.
Data Integration Layer
This layer is the glue that combines data and information management to ensure that information is delivered to the strategic and work management layers. This layer deals with a multitude of information sources such as:
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Asset Management Systems
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BIM Models
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SharePoint
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IOT Platforms
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Building Management Systems
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GIS Data
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ERP Systems
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Organization Specific External Data Sources
Work Management Layer
This layer is where the rubber meets the road, where maintenance work is scheduled, emergency repairs are performed and maintenance contracts are managed. In the case of a regulated facility, regulatory compliance work is managed from this layer.
This layer implements concepts such as reliability centered maintenance (RCM) and schedule management in addition to standard work orders and service requests.
The work management layer requires coordination and information from the other two layers above. Information sharing is one of the critical aspects, considering that a major cost to operation is the time spent searching for information which has been estimated by NIST at $0.23/square foot annually.
In this layer is where the 3 main pillars of AM are utilized the most. This is also where we have to look at the work management layer as a multimodal layer. This is where people are going to look for and use information in a variety of different formats. If we correctly organize the information in the data integration layer, then we can present the same information through a variety of sources.
The Data Integration Layer – A systems view
When we dive into the data integration layer we see how the federated model is organized with systems sharing a common language and thus able to share information. This is done through a series of data mapping elements that become a part of the business logic of the organization. When we look at the dependencies between systems and link up Figure 2 according to these dependencies we have a slightly different view of the federated model which looks like figure 3 shown below.
This view gives us the fundamental systems that play a role in the AM work management layer and allow for the end users of the system(s) to interact with the same data from different perspectives. Each system presents unique capabilities that are matched to the comfort and skill level of the users, in the end there is no one-size fits all solution. The SharePoint perspective allows for document searching based on a limited number of parameters, such as show all O&M manuals for VAV’s from manufacturer X. This is something that is a more cumbersome function in both BM/GIS and Maximo. Maximo presents the daily interface for the maintenance staff where you can see service requests, outstanding work orders, schedule management, etc. The BIM/GIS view can show you how work is spatially organized so that correlations can be drawn which may not have been apparent in a report or tabular listing of work. It’s these unique characteristics that we want to leverage across the organization while sharing information.
