Just over 10 years ago Dr Linda Newton (Canada) joined Ruth Wallsgrove, Chris Lloyd, Charles Nelson (England) and myself (Australia) in London in considering the different ways in which AM might develop. The work was then written up in Strategic Asset Management. We were only looking at developed countries then so I thought it worthwhile in asking Linda, who has now had seven years experience in applying the UN Asset Management work in developing countries what has particularly stood out for her.
Musings from Seven Years of Promoting AM in Developing Countries
By Linda Newton, PhD
I have been working with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) for just over seven years now. During this time, we’ve worked with local governments in least developed countries (LDCs) to build their asset management awareness and capacity by delivering workshops based our published handbook Managing Infrastructure Asset for Sustainable Development.
If asked to provide two key takeaways from the workshops, it would be this:
- ‘Strategic’ is simply a point in the future.
- Asset management is best understood when its personalised.
How often do we see the words ‘strategic’, ‘tactical’ and ‘operational’ associated with a specific time frame? For example, many strategic plans cover 3-5 years. Now think about an individual. What does strategic mean to them? It all depends on their personal point of view. For instance, for some individuals, ‘strategic’ could be measured months, ‘tactical’ in weeks, and ‘operational’ in days, or even hours. Which brings me to the second takeaway.
I used to start the workshop by jumping right into asset management definitions and principles. For many, it was a lot of theory with no practical grounding. And then I had an idea – let’s start with personal assets. Almost everyone has, or has had, a bicycle. What comes next – a motorbike and later, perhaps a car? Different assets, delivering the same service (transportation) but at different levels and different costs. What if I used this to explain asset management? And so, ‘What I Can Learn from my Motorbike’ became the focus of the introduction to AM.
These takeaways are not unique to LDCs. Understanding an individual’s perspective and using personal examples helps position strategic asset management in terms that are understood. So, I invite you to take a look at your own organisation. Are people struggling to understand AM? If so, make it personal!
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