Leading a team of four international consultants, Steven Little, Associate Director at Tetra Tech, is developing a guidance document on configuration management for the Institute of Asset Management (IAM). Seeking to expand and enrich asset management knowledge, the document will comprise part of a series of publications by the IAM, entitled Subject Specific Guidelines (SSGs).
Representing an international body of 22,000 asset management professionals in 158 countries, the IAM evaluates each SSG document through peer review and expert panel assessments. Each document covers one of 39 subjects within the IAM’s asset management knowledge base, providing guidance on achieving best practice via accreditations like the ISO 55001.
With Steven’s input, we’re leading an integral part of the effort to solidify those values by covering configuration management. An important process of cradle-to-grave management of assets, it identifies, records, and manages the functional and physical attributes of assets, software, and related documentation to enable a controlled and consistent approach.
Steven said: “It effectively optimises the value of a product item or asset by providing a collection of tools and techniques to maintain its integrity and flexibility. So it performs whatever task or function you want, whenever you want, throughout its lifecycle.”
He added: “Quite often, you’ll find a disparity between the operational part of the business and the board. The whole point of applying these asset management principles is for everyone to speak the same operational language and be aligned with the same goal. That way, you only spend what you need to spend, where it’s needed.”
Craig Hatch, Managing Director at Tetra Tech for the Great Britain Region, also commented on Steven’s work: “We value our IAM membership at Tetra Tech because it recognises us for our best practice capability in this professional field. We’re proud to be helping other organisations achieve best practice by contributing to these internationally recognised standards, thanks to Steven’s efforts in applying these principles to this strategic service.”
As an IAM member, a Chartered Building Surveyor, and a Fellow of RICS, Steven brings a myriad of asset management expertise to the document. Tetra Tech’s experience of working globally across different time zones has helped Steven overcome the challenges of coordinating an international team of consultants, spread across Australia and the U.S, to deliver this paper.
Steven added: “I couldn’t turn down the invitation to be part of the team. To be jointly entrusted with preparing an international set of guidelines for IAM is both exciting and challenging.”
Following peer review by the IAM, the paper is expected to be published later this spring/summer.