Ask the Experts | JDS, Inc | Program Development, Asset Management, Facilitation

News
- Feb 24

February 2024 Updates and Solutions from JD Solomon Inc.

The Great Pee Dee River near Britton's Neck, SC (photo courtesy of Buddy Richardson)

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JD Solomon Inc. continues to serve as the lead facilitator for the Pee Dee River Basin Council (RBC). The RBC completed its 20th meeting in October. The 24 appointed RBC members are from the agriculture, water utility, power utility, industrial, recreation, and environmental stakeholder groups. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is the lead agency. Brown and Caldwell (BC) and JD Solomon Inc. are teamed to facilitate and draft the plan.

The RBC continues to wait on the results from a regional groundwater model from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The RBC is progressing steadily with drafting chapters, clarifying upstream and downstream mitigation needs related to the drought-of-record, and understanding regional experience with conjunctive use.

New Systems Engineering Guidance

On February 1, 2024, the Institute of Asset Management (IAM) released its Systems Engineering Subject Specific Guidance (SSG). JD Solomon served as a core team member of the multi-year effort. Solomon previously served as the project leader for the Maintenance Delivery and Asset Operations SSG (SSGs 15 & 17).

The Systems Engineering SSG (SSG 13) illustrates how systems engineering complements the rest of the asset management life cycle and the six fundamental subject groups.

Upcoming Free Webinars

February 29, 2024 – Register today!

Communicating Asset Management to Senior Management

What's the value of asset management? Senior management will only have a few minutes for you to effectively communicate it. This free webinar will provide a proven approach and practical tips for building and maintaining support for your asset management program.

JD Solomon will be the presenter.

This free webinar is provided by Communicating with FINESSE in Zoom format.

Bob Latino will provide the March CWF webinar on Communicating Reliability.

JD Solomon Inc: Celebrating Four Years in Business

We looked at our most requested services over the past four years in January. These are not necessarily the largest assignments or the most complex. It is probably not surprising that Criticality Analysis, Asset Management Assessments, Facilitation, and Root Cause Analysis topped the list.

This month we highlight the four largest services, both in terms of revenue for our company and the impact made on our clients. Reliability & Risk Assessments, CMMS/EAMS Assessments & Improvements, Project Management Systems, and Preventative Maintenance Assessments & Improvements top this list.

Outreach

JD Solomon and Kamber Parker shared helpful tips for connecting with young professionals in the workforce on The YouPro Know podcast. Many organizations in the facilities, infrastructure, and environmental sectors struggle to recruit and retain young professionals. JD Solomon Inc. and The YoPro Know continue partnering to help organizations improve through assessment, training, and communication. You can also find the podcast on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.

CWF Focuses on Asset Management, Reliability, and Maintenance

Communicating with FINESSE is focusing on asset management, reliability, and maintenance in the first quarter of 2024. Industry leaders Fred Schenkelberg, Bob Latino, Cliff Williams, and Paul Martin Gibbons have provided communication insights thus far. Blog articles and free monthly workshops focus on communicating asset management and reliability.

JD Solomon Solutions continues its support of the not-for-profit Communicating with FINESSE in 2024.

JD Solomon Inc. provides solutions for program development, asset management, and facilitation at the nexus of facilities, infrastructure, and the environment. Subscribe for monthly updates related to our firm.

News
- Feb 20

From Capital Projects to Maintenance Management: These Four Solutions Rank Highest

These four solutions required the most resources, generated the most revenue, and paid the biggest dividends for our clients. From capital projects to maintenance management.

These four solutions required the most resources, generated the most revenue, and paid the biggest dividends for our clients over the past four years.

We looked at our four big-impact, highest-ranked solutions over the past four years. These have a big impact on our company because they require the most effort and generate the most revenue. For our clients, from capital projects to maintenance management, these four solutions address their biggest and most persistent problems. Arguably, Reliability & Risk Assessment stands as its own category.

CMMS Assessments, Improvements, and Implementation

A Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) is something modern facilities and infrastructure owners cannot live without. From asset data to trending performance, a CMMS requires a well-oiled combination of people, processes, IT infrastructure, and leadership.

Over 70% of all CMMS implementations fail to meet expectations.

JD Solomon Inc. uses a proven six-step process that evaluates 15 aspects to select and improve a CMMS. If a new system is desired, we have a six-step process to guide owners through a successful implementation.

Seven Tips to Improve Your CMMS

PMIS Assessments, Improvements, and Implementation

A Project Management Information System (PMIS), also known as a Project Management System (PMS), is used by project managers to communicate, allocate resources, manage tasks, create schedules, and track progress. A PMIS can be used to manage any type of project, regardless of whether it involves construction. For capital projects, A PMIS also tracks tasks like capital improvement program (CIP) development, prioritization of CIP, funding applications, tracking procurement standards, health and safety monitoring, and managing multiple projects as a program.

A close cousin to a PMIS/PMS is a Construction Management System (CMS). Both help manage projects. However, a CMS is specifically designed for construction-related aspects of a project, such as site preparation, material procurement, permits during the construction phase, submittal reviews, and pay applications.

Most owners significantly underutilize the features of their project management systems.

An efficient and effective combination of combination of people, processes, IT infrastructure, and leadership is required for success. JD Solomon Inc. uses a proven five-step process that evaluates 12 aspects for assessing, selecting, and improving PMIS.

Our assessment tools include a standard questionnaire, an audience response system (ASR), a preference polling application, and a 15-topic functionality survey (with 3 to 8 questions for each functionality) to evaluate the desired future state.

Ask the Experts Revisited: Improving CMMS and PMIS Systems

Operations & Maintenance Program Improvements

Our O&M program improvements break into traditional O&M Assessments and more niche Reliability & Risk Assessments.

O&M Assessments

Our standard O&M assessments cover eight focus areas and 80 separate O&M elements. The approach includes Organizational Readiness, Data Management, Work Management, Maintenance Practices, Operations Practices, Inventory Management, Planning & Scheduling, and Metrics & Performance

Reliability and Risk Assessments

JD Solomon Inc. uses a seven-step reliability assessment solution. The approach includes establishing the problem statement, verifying & forecasting future stresses, establishing the system condition & asset performance history, performing systems reliability analysis, evaluating the ability to predict or accept the risk associated with potential reliability shortfalls, determining repair or replacement alternatives, and documenting reliability improvement actions.

Most facilities and infrastructure systems deviate significantly from their basis-of-designs.

For Reliability Strategic Plans, we have a standard approach that includes Organization Structure & Context, Governance, Facilities & Reliability Management, Maintenance & Reliability Subprocesses, Documentation Requirements, Deficiency Management, Resolution & Mitigation, Competency Management & Training, Measurement & Verification, and Documentation Control.

For Risk Management Plans, we use the ISO 31000 framework that includes Organization Context, Risk Assessment, Risk Treatment, Monitoring & Review, and Communication.

Ask the Experts: Reliability and Risk Assessments

Work Order System Improvement

Improving preventative, corrective, and emergency work order practices is at the core of work order system management. Most of our services are directed at improving preventative maintenance (PM), including development, enhancement, optimization, and load leveling. Our second largest service is related to establishing and improving predictive maintenance (PdM) programs.

Most organizations struggle with the difference between processes, procedures, and what is actually done in the field.

How to Add Preventative Maintenance to Your Asset Management Program

Our Solutions Biggest Impact Solutions

These are our four big-impact, highest-ranked solutions over the past four years. Please find more information on a website on the larger suite of solutions we provide related to Program Development, Asset Management, Facilitation, and Environmental. And remember to check out our Insights, where we regularly post helpful content on topics in each category.

News
- Feb 16

Solomon Contributes to New Systems Engineering Guidance by the Institute of Asset Management

JD Solomon served on the Systems Engineering SSG team and led the Maintenance Delivery and Asset Operations SSG (SSGs 15 & 17).

The Systems Engineering SSG (SSG 13) illustrates how systems engineering complements the rest of the asset management life cycle and the six fundamental subject groups. Systems engineering can be applied to any systems/ assets and is typically applied during the acquisition phase but is equally applicable in operational and decommissioning life cycle phases.

The Systems Engineering SSG was produced by the Institute of Asset Management (IAM) through the significant efforts of many individuals and organizations. The Institute thanks the following, in particular, for their contributions.

Authoring:

Tim Ingram (SSG Lead) - Atkins
Mike Brownsword - Realistic EA
JD Solomon - JD Solomon Inc.
Mike Niblett - Zupbadura
Rob Gabrielczyk - Aeon Engineering
Dan Wilson - Electricity North West
Adam Wood - Teledyne e2v
David McNaught - Frazer-Nash Consultancy
Gareth Willoughby - Atkins
Robert English - MMI Thornton Tomasetti

Reviewing:

Grame Hind - AMCL
Ben Mogridge - Ministry of Defence
Steve Little – TetraTech

Systems engineering within the asset management community includes topics such as Requirements Management, alongside Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety (RAMS), which are generally managed through different disciplines and techniques. However, these elements complement each other and provide overarching assurance that a solution will meet the end user's needs throughout its life.

This SSG is part of a suite of documents designed to expand and enrich the description of the asset management discipline as summarized in the IAM's document 'Asset Management - an Anatomy' (referred to as 'The Anatomy'). This document provides guidance for good Asset Management. SSGs aim to explain the 39 subject areas identified in "The Anatomy".

The Institute of Asset Management (the IAM) is the international professional body for asset management professionals. The IAM develops asset management knowledge and best practice, and generates awareness of the benefits of the asset management discipline for the individual, organizations and wider society. Established in 1994, the IAM currently has over 2000 Individual and 300 Corporate Members and a network of over 30,000 people globally. The Institute of Asset Management (the IAM) is a not-for-profit, professional body. We are owned and controlled by our members and committed to remaining independent from commercial and trade associations.

JD Solomon is the author of Communicating Reliability, Risk & Resiliency to Decision Makers: How to Get Your Boss’s Boss to Understand and Facilitating with FINESSE: A Guide to Successful Business Solutions.

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