The Importance of Asset Management Education

Guest post by Suzane Greeman, ASQ-CMQ/OE, CAMA, CAMP, CMRP

It is certainly is refreshing to see that asset management education is on the uptake. Three points come to mind as I thought about asset management education for asset-dependent companies:

1. Firstly, asset management education does not replace the need to continue other technical and business education such as maintenance, business and finance, reliability and quality. However, there is a need to understand how and why this all fits together over the asset’s life cycle, so, it is imperative to understand asset management along with the various disciplines that comprise it.
2. Secondly, asset management knowledge is important for all levels of decision-makers in the organization. So, it should be a required competence for frontline, middle and top management, not just the folks with asset management in their job title. Those with asset management in their job titles often perform assurance roles for other functions that should be executing the asset management strategy to deliver life cycle value. This means that in the new arena, all decision-makers understand asset management principles and the importance of their operational activities aligning to a central asset management strategy. So, whether the decisions are strategic or tactical, we should all understand the financial impact of them. Everyone does not have to do the same courses and have the same qualifications, but exposure to asset management for all decision-makers is important.
3. Thirdly, the process of building asset management capability now also means that asset management education should start to impact the hiring and training processes of the organization. Asset management education should be a requirement of some roles and be reflected in role profiles and training plans. This process has started in many organizations and others may still need to overhaul their job descriptions and training plans.

About the Author:
Suzane Greeman, ASQ-CMQ/OE, CAMA, CAMP, CMRP is author of the Risk-based Asset Criticality Assessment (R-b ACA©) Handbook. She is the Principal Asset Management Advisor of Greeman Asset Management Solutions Inc., a firm that specializes in asset management advisory and education services. Suzane has over 22 years of experience across cement, power generation, wastewater and airport industries. Her firm assists clients with asset management maturity assessments, policy development and deployment, asset management business processes, asset information management systems, asset management decision-making systems and organizational capacity-building.

Upcoming courses:

1. Essentials of Asset Management & ISO 5500x (Online) – Dec 2019
2. Essentials of Asset Management & ISO 5500x (Winnipeg) – Jan 2020
3. Executive Leadership in Asset Management (Winnipeg) – Feb 2020

Are you looking to brush up on your asset management knowledge?  Suzane Greeman is hosting an ISO 5500x training course here.  If you use the promo code* “Rob’s Reliability Fan” to sign up, you’ll receive 10% discount and be entered into a draw to appear on Rob’s Reliability Project podcast with Suzane and me!  Suzane wrote this week’s post, I hope you enjoy!