Olds, Kirk

Kirk is Brown and Caldwells Strategy and Performance National Practice Leader. He brings over 30 years of water industry experience across engineering, technical, project management, business, and leadership roles as both a consultant and utility manager. Leveraging this breadth of expertise, Kirk excels at connecting with stakeholders and transforming diverse perspectives into actionable strategies and a clear vision for organizational growth. His deep knowledge of water and wastewater consulting and utility management enables him to help organizations achieve business outcomes aligned with their mission through tailored services and solutions.

Titles from this speaker

Leveraging the Dataverse to Enable Living Data Management from Design to Operations

Abstract

Data developed during design and construction of a facility is foundational to startup, training, operations, and maintenance activities. However, many times managing the vast array of data and information from its many sources throughout design and construction is not given the same intentional and thoughtful approach as other design and construction deliverables (e.g. contract drawings and specifications). The result is often a virtual junk drawer of various data and information sets that then have to be organized and structured near or during the operations phase to properly populate systems of record (e.g. work management system, operations and maintenance manual, asset registry, record document repository) for the ongoing operations and maintenance of the new facilities. This less than ideal approach leaves many project and program teams scrambling to resource and complete the necessary data uploads to the systems of record creating unnecessary operational, maintenance, and equipment warranty risks. To address this all too-common challenge, the Portland Water Bureau (PWB), as part of its overall Smart Utility vision and proactive asset management strategy, decided to make the most of the opportunities that exist to take a living approach to data collection throughout the design and construction phases for their greenfield 135 mgd water treatment plant (WTP) with connecting raw and finished water pipelines. The approach enabler a Data Collection Tool (DCT) that leverages data structure and outputs from the WTP and pipeline design CADD/BIM models along with the selected asset management asset hierarchy structure to collect and organize the data and information necessary to support population of PWB's new Asset Management System, fixed asset registry, and development of their interactive electronic operations and maintenance manual (eOM). To take advantage of this once in an asset lifetime opportunity, PWB is leveraging Microsoft's Power Platform to build a data backbone with Dataverse in Azure and a user interface in PowerApp, to create a program level tool for the collection and management of data across the host of design, construction, program, and owner contributors from design completion through construction. In this presentation, we will show the DCT user experience and workflows from the perspective of design engineer, program manager, utility/owner team, construction contractor, and admin roles. We'll review the process of loading data and information such as BIM exports, asset hierarchies, vendor manuals, and more. Finally, we'll review the development process in PowerPlatform, and highlight some of the operations, maintenance, and training opportunities as well as costs of this platform.

This paper was presented at the WEF/AWWA Utility Management Conference, February 13-16, 2024.

SpeakerOlds, Kirk

Presentation time

16:30:00

17:00:00

Session time

15:30:00

17:00:00

SessionApplications of Data Management and Analysis

Session number28

Session locationOregon Convention Center, Portland, Oregon

TopicData Management & Systems

Author(s)

Olds, Kirk

Author(s)K. Olds1, D. Sanders2, D. Johnson3, C. Somerlot1, R. Middlebrook

Author affiliation(s)Brown and Caldwell 1; Portland Water Bureau 2;

SourceProceedings of the Water Environment Federation

Document typeConference Paper

PublisherWater Environment Federation

Print publication date Feb 2024

DOI10.2175/193864718825159294

Volume / Issue

Content sourceUtility Management Conference

Word count13

Description: Modernizing Asset Onboarding Practices to Reduce Risk and Improve Lifecycle...

Modernizing Asset Onboarding Practices to Reduce Risk and Improve Lifecycle Outcomes

Abstract

Asset data and information developed during design, construction, and asset rehabilitation and replacement projects is foundational to support long-term operations and maintenance (O&M) and asset management related activities. However, current industry asset on-boarding practices are often not given the same intentional and thoughtful approach and standardization of practice as other design, construction, and O&M activities (e.g., contract drawing, specification, and standard operating procedure (SOP) development). The result is often a chaotic world of data and information located in a variety of applications and storage repositories, managed by multiple stakeholders - or worse yet, information that is not collected at all. The lack of organized, structured, complete, accurate, and accessible data and information leaves many stakeholders scrambling to allocate resources to organize and execute final O&M and asset management system of record uploads (e.g. work management systems, O&M manuals, asset registry, record document repository) creating delays and missed opportunities. Ultimately, this hinders efficient support and execution of day-to-day O&M activities of the new assets and facilities, creating unnecessary long-term O&M, asset management and cost of service risks. The UMC 2024 podium presentation titled Leveraging the Dataverse to Enable Living Data Management from Design to Operations featured a case study of Portland Water Bureau's (PWB) development of a Data Collection Tool (DCT) to improve asset onboarding outcomes for its $1.5B Bull Run Water Treatment Program. To support the desire for improved outcomes, PWB decided to move away from its historic spreadsheet-based data collection process in favor of a more robust DCT developed on the Microsoft Power Platform using Dataverse in Azure with a PowerApp user interface. PWB included requirements for use of the DCT in the construction contract documents, and engineering services during construction service contracts with the engineers of record. The DCT leverages data structure and outputs from the program comprising 135 million gallon per day (MGD) water treatment plant and pipeline design CADD/BIM models, along with the associated asset management asset hierarchy structure, to collect and organize required data and information and will be used to populate their new Asset Management System, fixed asset registry, and develop an interactive electronic operations and maintenance manual (eOM). This proposed Session topic will build on that presentation including PWB DCT implementation challenges and early use lessons learned. The session will expand coverage of this important industry topic to include a robust panel discussion from and owners and constructors on the risks associated with poor asset onboarding practices and the supporting elements necessary to achieve improved outcomes including:

Foundational business processes and workflows
Tools and technology enablement
Cross functional collaboration and role and responsibility definition for organizational workgroups and service providers: o Engineering o Project Management/Capital Projects o Operations & Maintenance o Asset Management o Contractors o Engineering Consultants
Leadership commitment
Organizational change management
Standards and contract adherence

Session participants will benefit from insights and lessons learned through a facilitated discussion with panelists who will draw upon their experiences with state of the industry owner organization (brief descriptions included below and above for PWB) and service provider efforts to improve asset on-boarding outcomes in support of more effective and efficient long-term operations, maintenance, and asset management programs. Speaker 1 - Portland Water Bureau: PWB is leveraging a Data Collection Tool (DCT) built on Microsoft's Power Platform with Dataverse in Azure and a user interface in PowerApp, that provides a program level tool for the collection and management of data across the host of design, construction, program, and owner contributors from design completion through construction. The DCT is currently being rolled out for stakeholder use with contractor, engineer of record, and program user training sessions and supporting training materials. The PWB conference panelist will draw from tool roll-out and early use and broader industry constructor experiences to present on and inform contributions to the panel discussion. Speaker 2 - King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD): As part of King County's WTD vision to achieve higher capital delivery throughput to improve system resiliency and compliance on its Offsite Facilities Program, the asset management department is developing a robust model driven Asset Control Tool (ACT) application on Microsoft's (MS) Power Platform with Dataverse in Azure to replace an existing MS Excel spreadsheet-based tool as a 'system of record' for asset data and information collection and storage from initial capital project planning through design, construction, and transition to long-term O&M. By replacing the existing spreadsheet tool-based process with the ACT, organizational work groups and external service providers and business partners will be able to track and monitor asset status throughout the newly defined project lifecycle stages. This new capability will provide visibility and transparency to cross functional (asset management, operations, maintenance, engineering, project management, and external contractors) teams and facilitate consistent, complete, and efficient collection and interim structured storage of asset data and information for defined extract, transform, and load (ETL) processes (batch and whole project) to WTD's new Maximo computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) and document management system. The ACT is planned for progressive roll-out and use across WTDs entire capital delivery portfolio (estimated at >$1.0B/yr.) as well as O&M managed asset replacement projects. The WTD conference panelist will draw from historical on-boarding practices, the tool development process including a robust requirements definition effort and cross-functional stakeholder engagement efforts, user acceptance testing, and early user roll-out to present on and inform contributions to the panel discussion. Speaker 3 - Central Contra Costa Sanitary District: In 2015, Central Contra Costa County Sanitary District (Central San) developed the Asset Management (AM) Implementation Plan which outlined workflows describing the organization's asset handover process. However, despite this effort, several issues have persisted. Central San felt the need to initiate an asset handover process improvement project to address the challenges in transitioning assets throughout the project delivery lifecycle into Central San's ownership and long-term operations and maintenance. The project followed a structured, collaborative methodology, through four phases: current state evaluation, future state visioning, gap analysis, and implementation plan development. Each phase was used to engage stakeholders across different workgroups (Asset Management/Optimization, O&M, Capital Projects and an external contractor), to identify barriers and opportunities, and develop actionable solutions to streamline the asset handover process. Findings of the current state evaluation revealed recurring barriers that included unclear roles and responsibilities, fragmented communication, lack of process understanding, and limitations in existing tools and systems. Staff across workgroups expressed a strong commitment to excellence but cited resource constraints and the need for improved training and documentation. Collaborative envisioning sessions were then used to define Central San's desired future state which emphasizes early stakeholder engagement, structured communication, standardized processes, robust tracking and monitoring, and lifecycle integration. Key recommendations include appointing dedicated asset handover roles, developing comprehensive guidebooks, implementing digital tracking tools, and enhancing training programs. A structured gap analysis effort identified multiple closure elements that were consolidated into six strategic implementation plan initiatives: 1. Define and Document Optimized Asset Handover Process 2. Develop and Deploy Digital Tracking Tools 3. Change Management and Adoption 4. Update Standards, Specifications, Contracts, and Asset Numbering Schema 5. Expand Use of PMIS 6. Develop Asset-Level Condition Assessment Methodology and Tools The Central San conference panelist will draw from historical asset handover practices and completion of the described handover improvement process evaluation project to present on and inform contributions to the panel discussion.

This paper was presented at the WEF/AWWA Utility Management Conference in Charlotte, NC, March 24-27, 2026.

Presentation time

08:30:00

10:00:00

Session time

08:30:00

10:00:00

SessionModernizing Asset Onboarding Practices to Reduce Risk and Improve Lifecycle Outcomes

Session locationCharlotte Convention Center

TopicHealthy Leadership System Management

Author(s)

Olds, Kirk, Keswani, Hansa, Norby, Greg, Skokan, Joe, Lee, Kiersten