In April 2024, it will be 40 years since Penny Burns started the whole thing. Talking Infrastructure plans to party like it’s 2024, all year.
2024 also marks milestones for the Global Forum for Maintenance and Asset Management (update of the AM Landscape), ISO (10 years since ISO 55000), and the Institute of Asset Management (30 years since it was founded): there will be a lot happening.
The need for more considered decision making for our future infrastructure has only grown and become more urgent. Asset Managers everywhere know this. Our 40 year celebration will be an opportunity to take this message not only to managers of infrastructure but also to those who decide, design, construct, fund and vote for our infrastructure.
Like infrastructure itself, our purpose is to support the wider community. There is a lot of satisfaction to be had in this and we invite you to join us, and enjoy it too. What area of Asset Management and decision making particularly interests you?
We are looking to develop a circle of advisors, who, through their interests and work, can have the fun of keeping Talking infrastructure up to date with current issues, and setting its future directions.
Your ideas for celebrating our 40th are also needed and much welcomed. This will include events across Australia in April, and presence at AM conferences and articles wherever and whenever we can.
What did we learn in the last forty years? Where do we need to go in the next 40 years?
Sadly the one thing we have learnt is there is still much to be learnt by some organisations and governments. Many of the problems identified in those halcyon years have still to be realised and there are still some who discount asset management as a new fad. In the last 20 years I have seen so much good work done but not implemented, so much rhetoric but no substance and promises that never materialised. However the dedication and effort from those of us who support and promote asset management leave me with hope for the future. To my colleagues in asset management I say, don’t give up.
Ashley, Thank you. I agree. Le’s see if we can figure out why this is the case – and so, what we can do about it.
I think its because Asset Management should be considered as a Strategic Planning Function and appropriately placed in an organisational hierarchy and not a subset of a department. It would be smart too for an Asset Management person /role to be allocated within each department so that they all form a subset team along with the AM group to get the function right.
Adding it to KPI/KPA’s for managers might also work.
Ashley, That is an interesting suggestion. What role would such a departmental person have, that is what decisions would they make and how would they contribute to and relate to the ‘AM Group’? I am unsure about KPI/KPA’s because these are focused on specific elements whereas effective AM would require a more holistic approach, wouldn’t it?
Penny,
I would love to reply but I think my expletives would get in the way of my message. 40 odd years is enough of pushing the same message. 🦘 Just kidding, why don’t you have a web session to collate the genuine issues. Happy to attend.