Track 3 of WERF’s Strategic Asset Management Project was developed to “provide guidance on implementing SAM...and develop analytic tools for SAM implementation” - the Decision Support Tools and Implementation Guidance goal. In Track 3, the Decision Support Tools and Implementation Guidance goal was organized around two major elements: Analytic/Decision Support Tools – Develop staged, user-friendly analytic and decision support tools (gap analysis, cost benefit analysis, risk management, life cycle costing, condition assessment selection tool, etc.) for SAM implementation and continuous improvement. Implementation Tool – Provide practical, accessible guidance for an implementation tool to undertake SAM in incremental stages leading to a well-planned, structured, and progressive implementation to suit the needs of a diverse range of utilities’ communication practices. Task Order 2 provided for the following deliverables: Set up Practitioner Tool-Review Working Group and Establish Framework Catalogue Available “Commercial Off-The-Shelf” SAM tools Identify and Prioritize Core Set of Tools Identify Critical Success Factors for Implementing SAM Review and Modify the Gap Analysis Tool Refine the “Six Alternative Routes to Implementation” Tool Develop Information Requirements for SAM Decision Making The materials presented in the following sections were developed as a result of executing Task Order 2 to achieve the Project goal. Each chapter details a separate deliverable. Relevant developed materials have been or are in the process of being added to SIMPLE, WERF’s web-based asset management knowledge base. Asset management can be defined as a way of management thinking and a set of best practices built around a structured framework that assist asset managers in making the most cost effective investment decisions in existing and new assets to sustain long term performance of the assets in an environment of limited resources where these decisions represent an integration of operations, maintenance, and capital intervention strategies. At the heart of the framework is the concept of business risk – a metric that measures the interaction of the probability of failure, the consequence of failure, and risk mitigation strategies. This research: Facilitates the adoption of best practice in asset management in the public water utility industry Provides an asset management knowledge base that is a structured repository of a broad range and deeply substantive collection of materials oriented toward the practicing asset manager Addresses the why and how of asset management at levels for novice, intermediate, and advanced practitioners

Aims to encourage transportation agencies to address strategic questions as they confront the task of managing the surface transportation system. Drawn form both national and international knowledge and experience, it provides guidance to State Department of Transportation (DOT) decision makers, as well as county and municipal transportation agencies, to assist them in realizing the most from financial resources now and into the future, preserving highway assets, and providing the service expected by customers. Divided into two parts, Part one focuses on leadership and goal and objective setintg, while Part two is more technically oriented. Appendices include work sheets and case studies.

Portfolio Decision Analysis: Improved Methods for Resource Allocation provides an extensive, up-to-date coverage of decision analytic methods which help firms and public organizations allocate resources to 'lumpy' investment opportunities while explicitly recognizing relevant financial and non-financial evaluation criteria and the presence of alternative investment opportunities. In particular, it discusses the evolution of these methods, presents new methodological advances and illustrates their use across several application domains. The book offers a many-faceted treatment of portfolio decision analysis (PDA). Among other things, it (i) synthesizes the state-of-play in PDA, (ii) describes novel methodologies, (iii) fosters the deployment of these methodologies, and (iv) contributes to the strengthening of research on PDA. Portfolio problems are widely regarded as the single most important application context of decision analysis, and, with its extensive and unique coverage of these problems, this book is a much-needed addition to the literature. The book also presents innovative treatments of new methodological approaches and their uses in applications. The intended audience consists of practitioners and researchers who wish to gain a good understanding of portfolio decision analysis and insights into how PDA methods can be leveraged in different application contexts. The book can also be employed in courses at the post-graduate level.

The research described in this report assembles a set of tools based on experiences and best practices in a diverse set of states for linking strategic goals to resource allocation and implementation decisions using aspects of asset management. A survey of practices in each of the state DOT's that explores documents and synthesizes both strategic planning processes and asset management was conducted. With input from an expert advisory panel, five states were for detailed analysis. These are Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Montana and Pennsylvania. The model process that results does not represent any particular state, but incorporates elements from all five states. This model process can provide useful guidance to states interested in augmenting their existing process.

At head of title: 106th Congress, 2d session. Committee print.