1.2.2 Adapting the organizational structure to support asset management

The changes required to adopt the asset management framework usually involve a deep transformation of the road organization, which should be supported by strong leadership and commitment. Such leadership must be in place from the moment the need to implement asset management is first recognized so that the organization conducts, as a first step, a self-assessment exercise for identifying the required changes. Very often, the initial steps towards a corporate transformation are actively promoted by asset management champions.

Results from the self-assessment exercise typically include new or modified business processes, workflows, activities, or tools that should be put into practice. In general, organizational structures existing prior to the adoption of asset management are inappropriate to accommodate those innovations smoothly, and, therefore, the shape of the road organization must be rethought to establish the roles and information flows that will better serve the chosen approach to asset management. Moreover, the new roles will likely require new staff competencies that extend far beyond the traditional areas of road engineering.

The following sections provide greater detail concerning leadership and culture, self-assessment, champions, asset management roles, and competency requirements.