The development of a simplified asset management model for fixed US Air Force installations
Date
2014
Authors
Gregory, Colby S., author
Grigg, Neil, advisor
Bailey, Ryan, committee member
Glick, Scott, committee member
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Abstract
Water utility infrastructures that support Air Force installations are not only important to but also expensive to maintain and repair. While the Air Force strategic asset management structure focuses on mid- to long-term planning for budget allocation, at the installation level many issues confront the effectiveness of this program. Problems arise at every level within the installation's utility asset management program from asset inventory to condition assessments and failure consequence assessment. With inaccurate asset inventories, data disparities and uncertain information on system condition, installations are forced to take a "worst first" approach to maintenance operations. The largest issues confronting utility management at the installation level are time and money. Reductions in force size and spending provide the impetus to create a simplified method for asset management. To solve this complex problem, an investigation of various approaches to utility asset management has been conducted to encompass the intent of the Air Force's existing activity management framework. Using pre-existing information and new methods, a risk management model was developed to bolster the efficacy of the pre-existing management system. Knowledge-based condition assessments and criticality assessments allow utilities engineers to calculate infrastructure risk for their planning horizons, rather than strategic planning horizons. This research includes analytical and mathematical approaches that formulate the backbone of the simplified process. This study also provides a user-focused data model and an implementation strategy to outline the processes required to improve management conditions. By laying the groundwork for how utility infrastructures can be better managed, conclusions about feasible approaches are made considering the Air Force's monetary and manpower constraints. The research was validated through a case study at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base. A discovery was made that through both a paradigm shift in the calculation and communication of failure consequences, improvements can be made to the process by which infrastructure is managed at the installation level. The research concludes with an analysis of the roles of key factors in the process of asset management as practiced by the defense industry and fee-based public utilities. The implications of this research primarily benefit multi-layered organizations that currently use a top-down approach to asset management. By aiding the ability for lower levels to aggregate data and determine priority, improved levels of service, more effective mission support and reduced outages may be realized.
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Rights Access
Subject
Air Force
asset
asset management
infrastructure
management
sustainment