You're doing Asset Management – Spread the Word!

Boiled down to its most simplistic definition, the words “Asset Management” define a specific method of doing business; namely, “A means of managing infrastructure to minimize the cost of owning and operating it, while delivering the service levels the customers desire.” Many utilities today are adopting the “Asset Management” philosophy; developing extensive programs, hiring consultants, producing detailed reports and plans, and setting lofty customer service level goals. But all that energy and effort will be a wasted effort if utility managers neglect two key components: 1) getting buy-in from employees – including field crews, office staff, supervisors, managers, and all the others who implement the day-to-day business of the organization; and 2) communicating internally and externally about what you're doing.During its development of a formalized Asset Management program in 2005, County Sanitation District 1 (CSD-1) realized that moving its organization forward would require more than just the production of an Asset Management “Plan”; it would require setting, and internally promoting, a series of goals and objectives to help the organization move in lock-step and focus on what was most important. With a concerted effort to “spread the word,” CSD-1 reached all levels of its workforce to explain and promote Asset Management, and to show staff in a very direct way how their activities contribute to the District's overall success.