| | August 20168CIOReviewFulfilling the Promise of EAMBy Frederick Wedley, VP, Technology Services, CH2MSo your organization is abuzz about EAM and all of the benefits, especially after several suppliers presented how you can achieve large savings and run your business more efficiently. Now the task is to turn the hype into reality. For practitioners starting down the EAM path for the first time, the vision of improving your capital asset management seems logical and straight forward, but this is much more than simply deploying a new software solution. I know, because I've been there.In my 35 plus years of experience in the Transit and Rail industry, I've worked on both the operational end-user side of EAM, and as a former CIO, the EAM technical side of the equation. While there are unique characteristics and regulatory requirements for transportation, the fundamental goal of EAM is common among all businesses--the optimal lifecycle management of the physical assets of an organization.Successful EAM implementations consider the entire program of asset handling, from planning and acquisition to maintenance and replacement. EAM software provides the tool, but without people and data it is of little to no organizational value. Any asset management (AM) program should take a holistic view that addresses people, processes and systems, including asset hierarchy management, budget management, purchasing and inventory management, work management and materials management. An effective EAM system can help support each of these functions.Software vendors have made large investments to provide "turn-key" EAM solutions many of which are tailored to industry requirements. But at the end of the day, it is a computer-based system that will require IT support and potentially significant integration with other computer-based systems to support all business needs.Operational and/or administrative departments may be required to invest in learning new processes and skills and must be sufficiently staffed to handle the input and output of data. Leadership will also have high expectations that this investment results in more effective management of the agency. Executive dashboards are very popular, and leadership can view key performance indicators on their desktop or mobile devices to make corporate decisions based Optimizing the lifecycle management of your physical assets is a business imperative that will help your organization improve performance and save moneyFrederick WedleyIn My pinion
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