Zeb, J (2022) A level of service framework for service-centric asset management planning. Built Environment Project and Asset Management, 12(2), pp. 147-162. ISSN 2044-124X
Abstract
The purpose is to develop and implement a systematic approach to define the level of service (LoS) consistently and efficiently. The framework will assist professionals to make decisions based on service performance and transform to a service-centric decision-making paradigm in the domain of asset management. A three-step approach is used to develop the framework. A comprehensive literature review is conducted (Step 1), which is followed by a discussion with experts (Step 2). Based on the desktop review and field discovery, the framework is developed and implemented (Step 3). The framework represents key components in four phases. The first phase identifies the potential service customers. The second phase defines the customer values and LoS measures at three levels: organisation, customer and technical. Implementation is done in the third phase, whereas monitoring and evaluation as part of continuous improvement are accomplished in the fourth phase. The challenges of this research work are categorised as follows. Strategic challenges focus on the awareness and alignment of strategic goals. Informational and financial challenges discuss non-availability of related information and cost-effectiveness of data collection, respectively. Human challenges discuss the availability of adequate human resources with an adequate skill set. Others discuss the non-availability of defined processes and procedures. Theoretically, the framework represents key performance management concepts to develop an integrated approach to define the acceptable LoS effectively. Practically, professionals can use the framework to define the LoS consistently and efficiently. Existing guides and frameworks represent a set of performance management concepts; however, these do not specify an integrated approach to define, align and integrate the LoS or performance goals. The proposed framework is developed to fill this gap.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | level of service; performance management; asset management; municipal finance; continuous improvement; decision making; human resources; quality standards; infrastructure; water mains |
| Index terms: | integrated approach, cost-effectivenes, performance management, quality standard, literature review, asset management, continuous improvement, asset management planning, monitoring, human resource, paradigm, decision-making, water main, implementation, municipal finance, level of service |
| Subjects: | contractual arrangements, data analysis and analytics, control systems, quality assurance, infrastructure and transport systems, decision analysis, asset management, policy economics, economics, management, education and knowledge transfer, performance measurement |
| Topics: | Human Resources, Quality Management, Site Management, Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Cost Management, Business Strategy, Procurement, Risk Management, Regulations & Compliance |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here