Using a distrubution management system to improve asset management
Core EAM Processes
EAM lowers the overall cost of services while maintaining service quality by effectively
planning and managing the assets through their lifecycles (see Figure 1):
- Improve asset performance and increased work effectiveness through the assets’
lifecycles, from investment and project planning, engineering and design,
construction, and Operations and Maintenance (O&M), to repair and
replacement.
- Increase asset utilization by prioritizing and planning capital projects, including
quantified risks in service reliability and quality.
Figure 1 – Major EAM Processes. Integrating with DMS involves
leveraging the asset repository to improve network operations and work
effectiveness and collecting valuable EAM data in distribution operations.
Plan Asset Investments – The key is to take a system approach to prioritize
capital projects, optimizing asset utilization and values systemwide rather than
project by project. The utility should also attempt to quantify the risk of
proceeding with a project.
- Plan and Manage Work – The question to address is whether certain work must
be performed based on its potential benefits or risks, not just how it can be
completed efficiently. An example of this process is Reliability Centered
Maintenance (RCM), which develops maintenance programs based on its
reliability impact versus cost, rather than based on fixed schedules “by the book.”
- Manage Asset and Work Standards – The utility should review its engineering
standards, many of which have not been updated for years, for alignment with
the EAM strategy, establishing standards and processes that are business valuebased
in addition to engineering criteria-based.
- Operate Assets and Perform Work – These core processes execute the plan and
design developed in the above core processes. Just as importantly, the
execution processes should support the asset, work, and standards registries (or
data warehouse), which provide critical information for the planning and design
processes. The following sections focus on using DMS in this context.
DMS - EAM Process Integration
Figure 2 shows an established DMS integrated process model, where using DMS spans
multiple functional organizations of the utility [Tram, 1999].
Figure 2 – DMS Integrated Process Model. Processes that can leverage
the EAM data repositories or can support the EAM registries are highlighted.
Table 1 describes the DMS processes that are needed to support EAM or that can
leverage EAM information to improve their effectiveness.
Table 1 – DMS Processes. DMS processes are particularly relevant to EAM’s success.
