Selecting Best in Breed Asset Management Software for Small to Mid-Size Utilities

One of many conclusions drawn over several years consulting on Asset Management is that smaller water and wastewater utilities have not been well-served by either the consulting community or by information technology providers.Time and again, at conferences, workshops and face-to-face meetings, consultants are been told by leaders and managers of smaller utilities that although they see the benefits to be derived from such concepts as Life Cycle Asset Management and Enterprise Asset Management, they simply cannot afford the high costs associated with selecting and implementing the software necessary for asset management program success.The purpose of this paper is to counter that assumption. Smaller utilities can afford the technology necessary for asset management best practices. In fact, most of the essential elements of asset management can be implemented even without sophisticated technological applications.The presentation will show how existing applications and business processes can be adapted to ensure sound management of assets, from initiation to retirement. It will also describe how the critical functions and benefits of asset management are derived not from automated processes but through sound, reasoned business process directed toward long-term planning and programming of asset reliability and functionality.Finally, the paper will describe a strategic framework that outlines the process for combining basic technology and existing data and information with sound business process and best practices to establish a comprehensive asset management program.