The transport sector is embarking on a journey of continuous improvement with the launch of the Asset Management Competency Framework.
Te Ringa Maimoa Transport Excellence Partnership, formerly the Road Efficiency Group (REG), partnered with software specialist Company-X to build a survey and report portal to help transport sector professionals begin a unique personal development journey.
Te Ringa Maimoa is a collaborative initiative between Waka Kotahi, Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) and the Road Controlling Authorities (RCAs) of New Zealand.
The transport sector needed to ensure it had the right teams of appropriately skilled and experienced people to plan for and deliver great service under extraordinary pressures.
An objective scorecard was needed that could be applied to teams working in diverse organisations across the sector, from city and district councils to Waka Kotahi and contractors.
Developing an approach that worked sector-wide was important because of the transport sector’s public mandate to manage activities and assets appropriately.
The Asset Management Competency Framework (AMCF) helps individuals and organisations to measure their capability and make smart decisions regarding staff skills and workforce development.
The AMCF allows visibility over skills and capabilities in their workforce and then identify appropriate competencies for various aspects of asset management.
The AMCF is built on best practice and aligns with the ISO 55000 asset management standard.
RATA Manager Shaun Lion-Cachet works for a council-controlled organisation called Co-Lab (Waikato Local Authority Shared Services) and is a member of the Sector Excellence Working Group. He was one of the first to engage with the AMCF survey, an early adopter.
“I've logged in and done my self-assessment and could easily see where I was placed on the competency framework and against my peers in the transport sector,” Lion-Cachet said.
“The benchmarking and identification of that gap was hugely important for me. What does the benchmark say? What about others in the same or similar role to me? That immediately tells me if I need to improve in one area, if I am doing okay in another, and if I am ahead of the pack”.
Lion-Cachet plans to use the results to drive self-improvement both for himself and his peers.
“My personal aspiration is to do a six-monthly self-assessment to see how I am tracking and build the self-assessment into my annual performance and development review.
“Sometimes it might be uncomfortable to look at our own self-assessment, against a benchmark and see that we are lagging, but it is about taking that responsibility and committing ourselves to self-improvement. We are all professionals in what is quite a difficult industry, and so we should not shy away from difficult things.
“The assessment is a snapshot that can be updated as people upskill. As more people do the self-assessment, and update it, the benchmark changes.
“AMCF is an amazing tool to benchmark our capability and target areas for skills training,” he said.
