Are you planning a project to improve equipment reliability? Where do you start? There are generally two ways to approach the problem - top down or bottom up.

The top down approach starts with senior management and pushes down the strategy. Measurable results take time to materialize. The bottom up approach is to pick one or two key systems at a location, perform an asset strategy analysis to define a better maintenance program for those systems, and implement that program. This should yield positive results quickly in a small area of one plant, but it will not institutionalize the changes across the organization.

The most effective way to establish a successful roadmap might actually be a hybrid approach, starting with a brief assessment of the current organization relative to asset management best practices. There are standard maturity models to compare. At the same time, identify the low hanging fruit for immediate improvement, and use that to assess the tangible and intangible benefits to justify the full blown implementation plant-wide. Put together a 1-3 year plan for rolling out those improvements across the organization, and quantify the costs and benefits for rollout. Use this to create a business case for the improvement project, and to create success criteria for the project sponsor and manager.

Then just do it.

Tip Provided by Bentley Systems