Asset Management Vs. Maintenance Management

By Paul E. Hagler Jr., Division Manager, Pinellas County Department of Environment & Infrastructure and Jeff Thurman CPM, Consultant, LA Consulting Inc.

In the public works industry, the practices of asset management and maintenance management are used interchangeably and synonymously.  Although these practices have some common elements and are both valuable tools for a public works manager, they are both unique. Typically, most public works agencies already have one or more asset management systems and some elements of maintenance management in place. So what are the differences and how are they related? Can an agency be both efficient and effective with just several unlinked asset management practices in place?