Asset management insights: Contribution to practice

About this report

This is the final report in a series of updates on the progress being achieved by Canadian municipalities through FCM’s Municipal Asset Management Program (MAMP). Each web-based report focuses on one of the five competencies from the Asset Management Readiness Scale. The reports incorporate real examples of what communities are doing to improve their decision-making on infrastructure as well as information on tools communities can use to better manage their assets.

Watch: How municipalities are helping each other with asset management

Hear how local governments are exchanging information and joining communities of practice to discuss how they can improve their asset management practices.

Transcript

The City of Thunder Bay, ON, (population 110,172) used a municipal grant from MAMP to  create a communication plan for internal workplace education and external asset management awareness, as well as AM-focused public engagement materials. They shared their experiences and lessons learned at a Northwestern Ontario community of practice meeting organized by Asset Management Ontario.

“Through this process, connections across Northwestern Ontario were made and we continue to connect with the smaller communities to compare and help with lessons we have learned.”

– Amy Coomes, Project Manager, Infrastructure and Operations

Watch: Creating a culture of asset management knowledge sharing

Learn how local governments are capturing and sharing lessons learned and institutional knowledge across their organization.

Transcript

With the development of our asset management plan, Council and staff have increased awareness of what assets the County has, what condition they are in and how much and when they should be replaced. Asset management is becoming part of the workplace culture

– Kara Kennedy, Manager, Capital Assets, Woodlands County, AB (population 4,754) 

Watch: How to get the most value from asset management training

Discover the ways training staff in asset management practices ensures a common approach, understanding and language when addressing municipal challenges.

Transcript

Since 2017, MAMP has funded training for 8,993 municipal employees and elected officials from 1,629 municipalities across Canada. Investment in training and development creates shared objectives and common understanding related to asset management. In addition to building greater skills to implement asset management practices locally, 83% of participants indicated that their municipality is now better positioned to also consider climate considerations within their asset management practices because of training.

Learnings from municipal experiences in improving their asset management practices

Strong municipal asset management practices are built upon a foundation of collaborative work and continued dedication to learning and sharing. MAMP has observed that, at the completion of asset management skills training and activities, municipalities acquired the following lessons-learned from their experiences:

Early and consistent council engagement is key to ensuring asset management projects and practices are supported

Greater knowledge sharing, such as through networks, communities of practice and collaborative partnerships, is among the top priorities for municipalities looking to maintain momentum

Continued training, including through skills development (technical assistance), knowledge hubs and workshops, supports longer-term development

Reducing staff turnover, in addition to enhancing internal processes, reduces the potential for knowledge loss

Value of peer-to-peer learning, through activities such as holding staff workshops, helps to communicate the importance of asset management across the organization

Measures of success

Below are graphs demonstrating where communities who made progress in this competency rated their Contribution to Asset Management Practice activities on the Asset Management Readiness Scale before and after participating in MAMP activities.

Through MAMP-funded projects, municipalities have progressed on average from no commitment towards asset management to commitment and resourcing for the Contribution to Asset Management Practice competency.

Of the 586 municipalities that improved on the scale:

Through MAMP partner-led activities, municipalities have progressed on average from developing their awareness of asset management training and information to taking steps to preserving staff knowledge, advancing their position for this competency.

Of the 386 municipalities that improved on the scale:

Unless specified, data provided about MAMP is cumulative from May 2017-March 2024.