Asset management the track towards quality documentation
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/RMJ-11-2015-0039 |
| Published date | 20 November 2017 |
| Date | 20 November 2017 |
| Pages | 302-317 |
| Author | Jacqueline Edana Tyler |
Asset management the track
towards quality documentation
Jacqueline Edana Tyler
Ranbury Management, Brisbane, Australia
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to share the experience of the document discovery process,
during the implementation of an asset management system for a rail company. This system will deliver
comprehensive enterprise asset management information from a single source, with information
provided to mobile devices, for use by field workers. This case study presents the challenges
encountered in the search, retrieval and management of documentation for use on a daily basis for civil
standard maintenance tasks.
Design/methodology/approach –Evidence gathered for this paper was a result of direct and
participant observation over a period of 18 months from 2014 to 2016. As a member of the project team,
certain privileges were accorded to the researcher who was placed in a unique position to act as the main
research instrument,able to collect data on the systems used as well as the everyday practices on information
capture and documentproduction.
Findings –Document quality and standards can be overlooked or deemed as not crucial; the value,
significance and importanceof documentation are lost when no one takes ownership; the understanding and
application of standards, quality management and governance can have a direct bearing on the effective
managementand control of documents and subsequent records produced.
Research limitations/implications –Researchis limited, as this is a single case study.
Practical implications –By highlighting the challengesfaced and the resolutions used, this paper hopes
to offer a level of practical guidance with the detection process for maintenance tasks for the civil assets
disciplinefor a rail network.
Originality/value –This case study contributesto the understanding of quality management and the role
it plays in document management and in turn the search and retrieval process. It provides evidence that
documentsmust be systematically managed and controlledto limit risk both internally and externally.
Keywords Assets, Information management, Quality, Documentation, Document management,
Master data
Paper type Case study
Introduction
Information is a valuable business asset; however, it is an asset that is more often than not
one that is overlooked. Poirier (1990) suggests, information is a unique resource because
unlike oil or water, it “can be shared or consumed more than once,it islong-lasting and does
not necessarily decreasewith use”.
The successful use of information in an organisation has a spiral motion where good
behaviours and values linked to information practices have a positive reaction for
information management. This situation in turn affects IT capability by supporting
problem-solving and decision-making, which further strengthens information behaviours
and values. If a linkage is disrupted, the continuous motion of the spiral is weakened,
making an organisation less efficient with information usage (Marchand and Kettinger,
2011). Effective information use is assisted when a business has and supports information
management practices. These practices comprise a number of actions that include
RMJ
27,3
302
Received5 November 2015
Revised4 March 2016
7 August2016
Accepted1 October 2016
RecordsManagement Journal
Vol.27 No. 3, 2017
pp. 302-317
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0956-5698
DOI 10.1108/RMJ-11-2015-0039
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0956-5698.htm
identifying, collecting, organising, processing and maintenance of information and are
basically cognisant of the value, quality anduse of information to improve business
performance. Information management provides an effective means of managing
information both internally andexternally through the information life cycle. The purpose
of this paper is to present a case study on the management, classification and value of
documentationin areal-life setting.
Evidence gathered forthis paper was a result of direct and participant observation over a
period of 18 months from 2014 to 2016, where an asset management system was being
implemented by a rail company. As a member of the project team, certain privileges were
accorded to the researcher who was placed in a unique position to act as the main research
instrument, able to collect data on the systems used as well as the everyday practices on
information capture and document production. An important aspect of the implementation
was the identification of information quality, a cornerstone of effective asset management.
The study falls within the interpretive/constructivist paradigm. Stake (1995) uses the term
intrinsic, to describe a study where a researcher has a genuine interest in comprehending a
specific situation, rather than a desire to build theory. A positioninwhich the author found
herself in and prompting the case study. A case study helps with the exploration or
description of a real-lifeenvironment and also in the explanation of the intricacies of realistic
situations making use of naturally occurring sources of knowledge. Within the
constructivist position, there is no predefinition of dependent or independent variables, the
concentration is exploring and givingan account of an individual unit at a particular point
in time (Blaxter et al.,2006). As the author was used as a single project resource to locate and
quality-appraise documentation required, the author was in a distinct situation to collect
detailed and accurate information about the management, classification and value of
documentation in a real-life setting. This placed the author in a unique situation, which is
argued by Pålsson (2007), whereby tacit knowledge and unexpected behaviour could be
revealed.
Consistent with case study design, data collection methods included information
gathered from multiple sources within the organisation, including documentation, visual
data and participant observation.
A literature review provides the necessary background to present the readerwith
information concepts, with the scope of the literature study including management
literature, articlesand books specifically on data, information, information management and
document management.
Information and document management
Documents in an organisation are producedtoimprove business operations and are created
to inform, to remember, to instruct, to certify, to prove, to formalize and to plan, covering a
wide range of formats.
A study in 2012 highlighted that poor documentprocesses were a primary agent leading
to risk, with process owners reporting defective document-driven businessprocesses
exposing companies to serious business risks and/or compliance issues (Boyd et al., 2012).
Further revealing that inefficientand ineffective document-driven processes across a range
of industries, companiesand business are widespread, with processes not working properly,
which resulted in high costs to business. Information needs to be centrally located, current,
accurate and tracked through the document life cycle and accessed by only those who
require the information. To this end, information systems, platforms structured to caterfor
the storage and retrieval of information, are designed for the management of information.
Two dimensions exist in the design of these systems: the ease of access to information and
Asset
management
303
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