Performance-based asset management provides a strategic framework for managing transportation infrastructure to improve existing procedures for resource allocation. The importance of comprehensive management of pavement marking assets not only results in monetary benefits to the agencies but also complements other management systems in providing safer driving conditions. A majority of research concerned with pavement markings addresses installation, performance, maintenance, and economic evaluation. Although agencies have developed guides and manuals on these subjects, they had difficulties in practical implementation. The purpose of this study was to address the issues that were identified in the practical implementation of analytical and information tools of asset management practice in the field of pavement markings. Problems of limited variable data, censored data and uncertainty in field evaluation and retroreflectivity based prediction were addressed by adopting statistical techniques. Sectional assessment and management methods were proposed as a part of a practical restriping methodology. An information tool was developed in a geographic information system (GIS) environment as an application. Retroreflectivity was the only performance measure on which the analysis and application was carried out. Two case studies were conducted, one for statistical techniques with retroreflectivity data collected by the National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP) on U.S. Highway 78 westbound, Lee County, Mississippi. The other for application with retroreflectivity data collected using mobile retroreflectivity unit (MRU) on FM 57, Fisher County, Texas. This research effort provides a framework for an agency in developing a pavement marking management program to maintain good visibility of markings. It also provides a basis for further research in building an integrated asset management system based on other transportation assets.

Thesis (MEng)-- Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Asset Management initiatives suffer many barriers in implementation which hinder their influence and sustainability. One of these barriers is the lack of buy-in from all levels in the organisation, due to a lack of understanding of the perceived benefits of Asset Management. The relationship between throughput and the maturity of Asset Management implementation is usually felt throughout the organisation, but is difficult to prove or quantify. Furthermore, it is di cult to isolate the effects of maintenance using traditional methods. Organisational alignment in an Asset Management project is achieved by aligning employees' views on what the deficient areas in the organisation are, and managing their expectations in what the perceived benefit of a good application of Asset Management would bring forth. However, the lack of a transparent method to convey the significance of critical areas in the system, and a clear way to communicate these problems creates a barrier in implementation. Without empirical evidence people rely on argumentative opinions to uncover problems, which tends to create friction as opinions from various factions may differ. Typically, these initiatives are constrained by available resources, and the allocation of resources to the correct areas is thus vital. In order for Asset Management initiatives to be successful there first needs to be alignment in execution through a clear understanding of which assets are critical, so that resources can be allocated effectively. In this study, this problem is thoroughly examined and solutions are sought in literature. A method is sought which seeks to isolate the effects of the maintenance function in an operation and uncover critical areas. A study is performed on methods which are typically used to create such understanding, which are shown to have shortcomings that limit their applicability. Thus a new methodology utilising simulation is created in order to overcome these problems. The methodology is validated through a case study, where it is shown that the simulation, in the context of the methodology, is highly beneficial to uncovering critical areas and achieving organisational alignment through communication of results. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Fisiese bate bestuursinitiatiewe het verskeie tekortkominge in hulle implementering wat hulle invloed en volhoubaarheid verhinder. Een van hierdie hindernisse is die tekort aan ondersteuning van alle vlakke in die organisasie, wat as gevolg van 'n gebrek aan begrip van die voordele van bate bestuur voorkom. Die verhouding tussen die volwassenheid van batebestuur en produksie deurset word gewoonlik reg deur die organisasie gevoel, maar hierdie verhouding is moeilik om te bewys of te kwantifiseer. Verder is dit moeilik om met huidige methodes die gevolge van instandhouding te isoleer, en dus deeglik te begryp. Organisatoriese aanpassing by `n bate bestuursprojek word bereik deur werknemers se siening te belyn oor wat die gebrekkige areas is, en om hulle verwagtinge te bestuur oor die voordele wat `n goeie bate bestuursprojek kan voortbring. Daar is `n gebrek aan metodes om in `n deursigtige wyse die kritieke areas aan te dui en te komunikeer aan werknemers. Dit skep `n hindernis in die uitvoer van projekte en, in die afwesigheid van empiriese bewyse van probleme, is werknemers afhanklik van argumentatiewe menings om probleme te ontbloot, en die menings van verskeie rolspelers kan verskil. Enige inisiatiewe is tipies beperk deur die beskikbaarheid van hulpbronne daarvoor, en `n effektiewe toedeling van beskikbare hulpbronne is dus noodsaaklik. Om `n suksesvolle batebestuursprojek uit te voer, moet daar eers `n duidelike begrip en ooreenstemming wees oor wat die verskeie kritieke areas is wat die meeste aandag verlang, sodat hulpbronne doeltreffend toegeken kan word. In die studie word hierdie probleem deeglik ondersoek deur oplossings na te vors in die literatuur. `n Metode is gesoek wat daarop gemik is om die gevolge van instandhouding te isoleer in `n produksiestelsel en kritiese areas te ontbloot. `n Studie is uitgevoer op metodes wat gewoonlik gebruik word om sodanige analises uit te voer, en dit word gewys dat huidige metodes terkortkominge het wat hulle toepaslikheid beperk. Dus is `n nuwe metode geskep wat gebruik maak van simulasie om hierdie probleme te oorkom. Die metode is gevalideer deur om `n gevallestudie uit te voer, waar dit bevestig is dat die metode voordelig is om op `n deursigtige wyse kritiese areas te ontbloot en om organisatoriese belyning te bewerkstellig deur effektiewe kommunikasie van die resultate.

No description available.

The Mack truck principle is the reason a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) document is a good idea – so I was told by my boss in my early days working for Disney ABC Television Group. This principle is quite simple: if the one person who knows how to do the job walks out the door and is hit by a Mack truck, we have a problem; no one else knows how to do what that person did. And when it comes to television operations, that is a huge dilemma! Standard Operating Procedures is a document that lists the step-by-step process for completing tasks in order to, in this case, keep a network on the air. This document would be beneficial in cases of disaster recovery, but it might be just as useful for training new employees or for covering for someone who is out sick. There may be various reasons to go to the SOP, but they all have the same goal: to keep operations working to fulfill the business objective. An SOP for the operations of an entire network would likely fill at least one if not multiple books, so in order to keep this project manageable, I limited the development of the SOP to one department, Traffic Inventory, which is responsible for the commercial and promotional assets which are sold and scheduled to air on any of the Disney cable networks (Disney Channel, DisneyXD, and Disney Junior.) In order to develop an SOP, it was necessary to review the different software programs in use, and understand their purpose and application to the overall operations of the cable networks. This will be a “living” document, meaning updates and changes will be anticipated, requiring constant maintenance of the SOP in order to keep it up to the latest development. In an effort to make it truly useful, multiple screen captures are used, as this provides a more user-friendly tutorial and makes for a more effective “blueprint” to comprehend and follow. By having Standard Operating Procedures on hand, anyone in the department will be able to effectively follow the process for handling the commercial and promotional assets in an efficient manner, with minimal impact on the daily operation of the networks. This will then be a valuable document, helping the business to keep its commitment to both advertisers and viewers, without the fear of Mack trucks.

As infrastructure networks grow more complex, regulatory requirements become greater, populations grow, budgets become more limited, and the expectations of customers increase, municipalities are progressively being required to provide more for less. This is presenting some particular challenges to the long-term sustainability of buried water and wastewater infrastructure in Ontario. In response, municipalities are increasingly seeking to improve their business processes and asset management capabilities as a path to optimize the lifecycle of their infrastructure assets and ensure public safety, community development, and financial sustainability. This thesis presents an organizational performance measurement framework for municipal infrastructure asset management which was validated through interviews and surveys with international discipline experts. The resultant framework provides a high-level outline and suggestions for implementation of key objectives, 11 core critical success factors, and 135 quantitative performance indicators for municipal water and wastewater asset management organizations.

As infrastructure networks grow more complex, regulatory requirements become greater, populations grow, budgets become more limited, and the expectations of customers increase, municipalities are progressively being required to provide more for less. This is presenting some particular challenges to the long-term sustainability of buried water and wastewater infrastructure in Ontario. In response, municipalities are increasingly seeking to improve their business processes and asset management capabilities as a path to optimize the lifecycle of their infrastructure assets and ensure public safety, community development, and financial sustainability. This thesis presents an organizational performance measurement framework for municipal infrastructure asset management which was validated through interviews and surveys with international discipline experts. The resultant framework provides a high-level outline and suggestions for implementation of key objectives, 11 core critical success factors, and 135 quantitative performance indicators for municipal water and wastewater asset management organizations.

No description available.

Engineering asset management (EAM) is a new concept about inter-disciplinary field that combines technique issues of asset reliability, safety and performance with financial and managerial requirements. However, there are few literatures in research and application cases from industries. This thesis takes the Five hundred meters Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) project as a case to explore how EAM was processed in large engineering projects. The aim of this study is to figure out the key elements of EAM in the projects like FAST and to develop an EAM model that is suitable for this kind of projects. FAST will be the biggest single radio telescope in the world, that being built in a natural Karst basin in Guizhou, China. In this study, qualitative research and case study were adopted. The related knowledge of EAM was collected from the scientific literature, which helped access the initial theoretical framework. The details of FAST project, which includes the fundamental data and the first-hand information, are from the interviews and surveys. By applying EAM to the project management of FAST, the shortcoming of existing EAM model has been noticed. The existing model mainly focuses on cost-saving and profit-achieving, while ignoring environment and risk management. In order to make EAM model more efficient and practical, this thesis provides a tailored EAM model that could be suitable for large engineering projects like FAST.

Electrical power systems play a key role in production and services in both the industrial and commercial sectors and significantly affect the private lives of citizens. A major asset of any power delivery system is the transformer. Transformers represent extensive investment in any power delivery system, and because of the notable effect of a transformer outage on system reliability, careful management of this type of asset is critical. In North America, a large proportion of transformers is approaching the end of their life and should be replaced. In many cases, unexpected transformer outages can be catastrophic and cause both direct and indirect costs to be incurred by industrial, commercial, and residential sectors. Direct costs include but are not limited to loss of production, idle facilities and labour, damaged or spoiled product, and damage to equipment. For commercial customers, the effects may include damage to electrical and electronic equipment, and in some cases damage to goods. For residential customers, outages may cause food spoilage or damage to electrical equipment. In addition to direct costs, there are several types of indirect costs may also result, such as accidental injuries, looting, vandalism, legal costs, and increases in insurance rates. The main goal of this research was to assess the health and remaining lifetime of a working transformer. This information plays a very important role in the planning strategies of power delivery systems and in the avoidance of the potentially appalling effects of unexpected transformer outages. This thesis presents two different methods of assessing transformer end of life and three distinct methods of determining the health index and health condition of any working transformer. The first method of assessing transformer end of life is based on the use of Monte Carlo technique to simulate the thermal life of the solid insulation in a transformer, the failure of which is the main reason for transformer breakdown. The method developed uses the monthly average ambient temperature and the monthly solar clearness index along with their associated uncertainties in order to estimate the hourly ambient temperature. The average daily load curve and the associated uncertainties in each hourly load are then used to model the transformer load. The inherent uncertainties in the transformer loading and the ambient temperature are used to generate an artificial history of the life of the transformer, which becomes the basis for appraising its remaining lifetime. The second method of assessing transformer end of life is essentially an economic evaluation of the remaining time to the replacement of the transformer, taking into consideration its technical aspects. This method relies on the fact that a transformer fails more frequently during the wear-out period, thus incurring additional maintenance and repair costs. As well, frequent failures increase during this period also costs related to transformer interruptions. Replacing a transformer before it is physically damaged is therefore a wise decision. The bathtub failure model is used to represent the technical aspects of the transformer for the purposes of making the replacement decision. The uncertainties related to the time-to-failure, time-to-repair, time-to-switch, and scheduled maintenance time are modeled using a Monte Carlo simulation technique, which enables the calculation of the repair costs and the cost of interruptions. The repair, operation, and interruption costs are then used to generate equivalent uniform annual costs (EUACs) for the existing transformer and for a new transformer, a comparison of which enables the determination of the most economical replacement year. The case studies conducted using both methods demonstrate their reliability for determining transformer end of life for assessing the appropriate time for replacement. Diagnostic test data for 90 working transformers were used to develop three methods of estimating the health condition of a transformer, which utilities and industries can use in order to assess the health of their transformer fleet. The first method is based on building a linear relation between all parameters of diagnostic data in order to determine a transformer health index, from which the health condition of the transformer can be evaluated. The second method depends on the use of artificial neural networks (ANN) in order to find the health condition of any individual transformer. The diagnostic data for the 90 working transformers together with the health indices calculated for them by means of a specialized transformer asset management and health assessment lab, were used to train an ANN. After the training, the ANN can estimate a health index for any transformer, which can be used in order to determine the health condition of the transformer. The third method is based on finding a relation between the input data and the given health indices (calculated by the specialized transformer asset management and health assessment lab) using the least squares method. This relation then can be used to find the health index and health condition of any working transformer. The health condition determined based on these methods shows excellent correlation with the given health condition calculated by the specialized transformer asset management and health assessment lab.

The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2008 was a serious economic downturn which affected economies around the world. Like many other areas of investment, pension funds were heavily affected by this crisis. Prior to the GFC, a combination of financial innovation, demand for higher returns, overdependence on ratings agencies and investor complacency increased the severity of the crisis on investors, including those in pensions. As a result of the crisis, we can conclude that there have been changes in the attitudes towards asset management for pension funds. Investors have generally become more conservative when investing, and are placing a greater emphasis on the risk/return profile of investments. In addition, investors have learned that liquidity risk is an important consideration when investing, and that they should always consider the fundamentals of investing when they are making investment decisions. Finally, those investing in pensions should remember that pension investment is a long-term strategy and should not be overly alarmed by an economic downturn such as that of the GFC.