Capstone Project

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Running head: MAINTENANCE RELIABILITY

Establishing Maintenance Reliability in the Public Sector

Mike Worley Barry University PUB 699 - Capstone: Applied Project April, 28, 2012
Dr. Stephen Sussman

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CERTIFICATION OF AUTHORSHIP: By including the cover sheet I certify that I am the author of this submittal and that any assistance I received in its preparation is fully acknowledged and disclosed. I have also cited any sources from which I used data, ideas, or words, either quoted directly or paraphrased. I also certify that this paper was prepared by me specifically for this course only and was not previously submitted in whole to any other course. I have read the ACE Academic Dishonesty Policy regarding cheating and plagiarism and understand its consequences and penalties.

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Abstract The aim of this study is to highlight the importance of public management‟s commitment to take the necessary steps to improve its administrative processes and quality; to become more effective and efficient especially in the area of infrastructure maintenance and improvement. The private sector has made great strides to improve in these areas by utilizing lean processes and quality improvement methodologies as well as productivity improvement processes that have proven effective in the ability to achieve total change in an organization‟s culture. These organizational cultural changes have had a major effect on a company‟s profitability. In the case of public sector organizations, these types of improvement programs have enabled organizations to become markedly more efficient and effective in the delivery of services to the public while maintaining a consistent tax level or even reducing taxes. This paper will highlight these programs and methodologies especially as they relate to the improvement efforts of a public sector maintenance organization. It will also look at the maintenance best practices that the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is involved in and bench-mark the SFWMD‟s maintenance improvement efforts against those of other government run water management districts to compare and contrast these programs. A survey was conducted starting with a contextual analysis of the SFWMD‟s maintenance program and then gather information from the other water management districts that perform similar maintenance on water control structures and pump stations. The comparative analysis revealed that the SFWMD‟s maintenance program is indeed best-in-class in the area of maintenance best practices. The SFWMD should continue to pursue the maintenance best practices and continuous improvement activities.

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Table of Contents 1. Title page ...……………………………………………………………………………….1 2. Certification of authorship ………………………………………………………………..2 3. Abstract ………..…………………………………………………………………………3 4. Table of contents …………………………………………………………………………4 5. Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………5 6. Literature review ...……………………………………………………………………….6 7. Methodology……………………………………………………………………………..37 8. Findings...………………………………………………………………………………..41 9. Conclusion ...…………………………………………………………………………….45 10. References ...……………………………………………………………………………..48 11. Appendix A ...……………………………………………………………………………52 12. Appendix B ……………………………………………………………………………...54 13. Appendix C ...……………………………………………………………………………56 14. Appendix D ……………………………………………………………………………...58 15. Appendix E ……………………………………………………………………………...60 16. Appendix F ………………………………………………………………………………62

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Introduction Whether one is pro big-government or an advocate of smaller government, the services provided by government are needed and utilized at some point by all people, citizens and non-citizens alike. People around the world are becoming more and more dependent on the services provided by government. This places a major burden on government and a strain on the budget. This is because the services government provides are in high demand and the tax revenue has shrunk because of the ailing economy. As a result, public administrators have had to find ways to provide more services with less money. To accomplish this challenging task, public administrators have borrowed some innovative tools from private industry to help them deal with issues of productivity improvement, quality, and process improvement. This holds true for all facets of government including the agencies that maintain our nation‟s aging infrastructure. This infrastructure is composed of public owned assets. The maintenance of these assets costs an agency millions of dollars each year. Maintenance organizations in both the private and public sectors have had to begin to explore best practices to ensure quality and reliability. There are many tools the public administrator or private manger can use to accomplish this. Most of these tools are components of a concept known as “Reliability Centered Maintenance” or RCM. RCM is utilized to help a maintenance organization build an effective maintenance plan to minimize asset break-downs by implementing Preventative Maintenance (PM) practices throughout the organization. The South Florida Water management District (SFWMD) is also experiencing the financial strain on government budgets. The District has to operate within the confines of a shrinking budget while having to manage an aging infrastructure: The operation, maintenance, and repair of South Florida‟s flood control system and associated structures and pump stations.

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Over the last 10 years, the SFWMD has been involved in maintenance best practices in a proactive effort to accomplish maintenance in an ever-demanding, performance based environment, while operating with an ever-decreasing budget. This paper will explain why public managers of agencies like the SFWMD have an obligation to find ways to become more effective and efficient. I will highlight the many different necessary methods to achieve this as well as explain what the SFWMD Operations, Maintenance and Construction (OMC) division has done to achieve best in class status as a performance based maintenance organization.

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Literature Review Initially, an explanation of public administration needs to be stated. Public administration is the promotion and operation of government and the public that it supports. Public administrators are involved in directing, planning, organizing, controlling, and coordinating the operation of government. It stands to “govern as well as support public policy.” It is a “broad ranging and amorphous combination of theory and practice: its purpose is to promote a superior understanding of government and its relationship with the society it governs and be responsive to social needs” (Henry, 2010, p. 3). On the other hand, private enterprise, according to Business Dictionary.com (2010) “is a business unit established, owned, and operated by private individuals for profit, instead of by or for any government or its agencies.” According to an article by Leonard D. White featured in J. M. Shafritz and A. C. Hyde‟s book entitled “Classics of Public Administration” (2008), public administration “starts from the bases of management rather than law” (p. 49). The article goes on to define public administration as “the management of men and materials in the accomplishment of the purposes of the state…The objective of public administration is the most efficient utilization of the resources at the disposal of officials and employees” (pp. 49-50). The main concern of private industry is profit! This drive to garner profit is what results in competition. Competition within an industry is what drives innovation, good ideas, and problem solving known as ingenuity. These attributes of private enterprise are what public administrators desire to help solve some of the problems of running their public enterprise. This has a direct connection with maintenance management in the public sector and the usage of the best maintenance programs which will help to provide “the most efficient utilization of the resources” (Shafritz & Hyde, 2008, p. 50), in this case, equipment and machine operation and the

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maintenance of these public assets. Public administration‟s goal, as the article points out, should be to have the “most expeditious, economical, and complete achievement of public programs” (p. 51). At the South Florida Water Management District the “public program” is the proper administration of equipment and machines used to control water: to ease the impact of drought, restore proper water flow to the Everglades, and to prevent urban and agricultural flooding. Over the past 18 years public management has been under pressure to transform into a leaner government that acts a little more like private corporations. The transformation of government is related to four “megatrends”. These megatrends according to J. M. Shafritz and A. C. Hyde‟s (2008) article by Christopher Hood are “attempts to slow down or reverse government growth, shift toward privatization, development of automation, and a more international agenda increasingly focused on general issues of public management, policy development, decision styles, and inter-governmental cooperation” (p. 50). Government trying to do more with less (tax income) is a result not only of budgetary necessity but of a policy problem brought on by the outcry from tax payers to lower taxes. According to Anderson (2006), “a policy problem can be defined as a condition or situation that produces needs or dissatisfaction among people and for which relief or redress by governmental action is sought” (p. 82). A policy problem is identified whenever the people (individuals or groups) recognize a problem or issue and look to the government to address this problem (Dye, 2008). Much of the outcry for less government or a leaner government has been from a vocal group of citizens known as the “Tea Party”, who have had some impact on recent public policy. The need to take measures by the government to find ways to work more efficient while delivering services to the public effectively has been shaped by what I believe is a certain policy

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theory known as public choice theory. The public choice theory for policy explores the economic interests of the “actors”. The different groups whether voters or legislators, bureaucrats etc. are interested in benefitting themselves whether it is in the market place or through government. This is the motivation for these “political actors” to influence public policy. This theory also recognizes that there are certain aspects of the market that cannot be handled by the market. The government must provide for certain “public goods” that the market cannot provide to everyone because the costs outweigh the value to a single individual (Dye, 2008). A problem that is encountered by the public and effects the population becomes a problem for the government to solve. Most common problems can be solved by the individuals, as problems should be. Due to the recent economic down-turn, both the government and the private sectors are very much involved with finding ways to solve the global economic problem. The task for our government is to employ the correct type of policy making technique. There are a few types of policy making approaches that can be utilized. According to Thomas R. Dye (2008), incrementalism uses past policies with only small additions or changes over time. James E. Anderson defines Incrementalism as making small changes to policy due to the limited amount of analysis of the existing policies. The Rational Comprehensive theory may be employed when policy makers look at existing policies that are most important to them and make changes as they see necessary (Anderson, 2006). I feel that the type of policy decisions made by our government in our current economic environment is “mixed scanning” which utilizes both the Rational Comprehensive and Incremental theories. Hood (as cited in Shafritz & Hyde, 2008) attempts to define three clusters of “administrative values” in describing new public management. The first is termed “Sigma-Type values” that seek to eliminate or reduce waste, practice frugality in administration of resources,

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reduce money and time where the control emphasis is on output. The second value is Theta-Type that seeks to keep government administration “fair and honest” by practicing integrity by reducing exploitation of office, and instilling trust with an emphasis on process. The third value Hood (Shafritz & Hyde, 2008) terms the Lambda-Type which attempts to keep government “robust and resilient”, moderate risk, instill a since of security and an instinct of survival, with the emphasis on Input and process. According to Hood (Shafritz & Hyde, 2008), the new public management “can be understood as primarily an expression of sigma-type values. Its claims lain mainly in the direction of cutting costs and doing more for less as a result of better quality management and different structural design” (p.504), which I will elaborate more on later. Another article featured in J. M. Shafritz and A. C. Hyde‟s book (2008) by the National Performance Review entitled “From Red tape to Results: Creating a Government that Works Better and Costs Less”, explains that the root-cause of the ills of government is the continued use of “industrial-era bureaucracies in an information age” (p.552). The federal government has been “unable to abandon the obsolete. It knows how to add, but not subtract…we suffer not only a budget deficit but a performance deficit” (p. 551). It‟s not to do so much with what government does but how it works. Most government employees want to do a good job; they just haven‟t been shown well enough how to do a good job. Some government agencies were created to handle a certain type of social problem or answer a public need. As technology has changed, the need is no longer there, but the agency stays around getting larger year by year, “bureaucracies so big and wasteful they can no longer serve the American people” (Shafritz & Hyde, 2008, p.552). Not only do the megatrends demand smaller government organizations, but better, leaner business processes that cut the government “red tape” and get positive, cost effective results. There are many regulations

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and “layers of control consuming the government employee‟s time” and costing the tax payers for all this added “red tape” (p. 553). Many federal government organizations have become monopolies “with few incentives to innovate or improve” (p.552). To innovate means change and this requires a “departure from standard operating procedures which invite repercussions” (p. 552). The GAO has conducted studies of federal government problems, but provides no information on how to solve these problems. The National Review conducted their own research and found government agencies both here in the United States and internationally that have been successful. These successful public organizations were able to use an entrepreneurial business methodology to save the tax payers money, become efficient, satisfy customers, and increase productivity (Shafritz and Hyde, 2008). “The movement to reinvent government is as bipartisan as it is widespread. It is driven not only by political ideology, but by absolute necessity” (p. 555). Where the national review found successful public organizations, they found four common practices: 1. Cutting red tape by streamlining their budget, personnel, and procurement systemsliberating organizations to pursue their missions. 2. Putting customers first by changing the way the organization views the citizen (as a customer, not a citizen). Effective entrepreneurial governments insist on customer satisfaction. 3. Empowering employees to get results by transforming their cultures by decentralizing authority…make more of their own decisions and solve more of their own problems. 4. Cutting back to basics and therefore producing better government for less by finding ways to make government work better and cost less-reengineering how they do their

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work and reexamining programs and processes…private sector management doctrines tend to overlook some central problems of government: its monopolies, its lack of a bottom line, its obsession with process rather than results. Consequently, our approach goes beyond private sector methods. It is aimed at the heart of government. (pp. 555, 556) This article by the National Review relates well to my research on maintenance management in government organizations because it explains concepts of innovation and entrepreneurial organizations, productivity improvement teams, empowered employees, and accountability. These are the stepping stones to achieving a total productive maintenance organization that is so important in today‟s “tax reform” environment. These changes that are so necessary in today‟s government organizations are especially needed in agencies that have high overhead costs, specifically asset laden organizations that are tasked with the management of aging infrastructure that require maintenance and up-keep. To change a government organization in today‟s performance based economy, the public administrator must look to some of the early theories of scientific management pioneered in the beginning of the last century. Woodrow Wilson called for a “science of management” and Fredrick W. Taylor answered Wilson‟s request by developing time and motion studies. This scientific method of management is important to the management of equipment, maintenance programs, and the people who maintain and operate equipment. According to Shafritz and Hyde, (2008), Fredrick W. Taylor, “conceptualized people as merely extensions of machines-as human parts of a large impersonal production machine” (p. 9). Although the “impersonal” part doesn‟t fit into today‟s world class organizations; this type of scientific management is effective in public administration because its management principle is based on “finding the one best way to

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accomplish a task, and then imposing that procedure upon the workforce” (p. 9). This works well with the management of any maintenance operation. According to Shafritz and Hyde (2008), Fredrick W. Taylor‟s scientific management can be summarized by what he called his “duties of management” (p. 9): 1. Replacing traditional rule-of-thumb methods of work accomplishment with systematic, more scientific methods of measuring individual work elements. 2. Studying scientifically the selection and sequential development of workers to ensure optimal placement of workers into work groups. 3. Obtaining the cooperation of workers to ensure full application of scientific principles. 4. Establishing logical divisions within work roles and responsibilities between workers and management. (p. 9) Scientific management is the beginning of a larger research accomplished after WW II by Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Dr. Deming‟s work led to the revolutionary process improvement method known as Six Sigma – Process Excellence. Many top performing maintenance operations around the world have embraced these concepts as well as “Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)”, and “Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM)” to help them achieve higher productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness. “The mission of maintenance must be to assist the continuous improvement of all processes in the organization” (Levitt, 2009, p. 3); government organizations that seek to become world-class has begun to embrace these concepts as well. In an article in the “Facilities” journal, Eric Too (2012) explains that Maintenance management is a “core process” that is “necessary to ensure that infrastructure assets are able to

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do what they are designed for” (p. 239). Traditionally maintenance was considered by top management as a “necessary evil”. Today, that impression of maintenance has changed due to the utilization of technology and the ability of maintenance managers to report how the maintenance organization is contributing to the bottom line. The maintenance managers of any maintenance organization must strive to move the [maintenance] organization “from a reactive to a proactive environment. Successful change demands an integrated maintenance organization” (Joel Levitt, 2009, p. ix). An article in the Journal of Quality Maintenance Engineering by Yam, Tse, Ling, and Fung (2000), sums up the importance of maintenance and what maintenance is: The quality of maintenance works would not only directly affect the technical performance of the plant but also of the cost effectiveness of its operations and services to customers…Maintenance is the combination of all technical and administrative actions, intended to retain an item in, or restore it to a state in which it can perform its required function (British Standards Institution, 1993). (Richard Yam et al., 2000, p. 225) According to Richard Yam et al., (2000), a well performing maintenance management program supports production or the services of a private or public organization by helping to effectively reduce the occurrence and severity of equipment failure, thus providing a reliable operation which increases the economic benefit of the organization. “In order to increase the economic benefits of plants [government organizations] by improving availability, flexibility, and operability of equipment in a cost effective manner, it is necessary to have a well-structured and lean organization for maintenance” (p. 225). In his book, “The Hand Book of Maintenance Management”, Joel Levitt (2009), explains that “a smart organization identifies the customer‟s needs, determines metrics that measure the

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satisfaction of those needs and then builds a maintenance function to service the process filling those needs with the least amount of wasted effort” (p. 3). Referring to ways to reduce a maintenance organization‟s budget, Levitt explains that “the last strategy is a department that has an effective maintenance improvement or RCM program running to reduce the overall amount of maintenance needed for the equipment and facilities” (p. 43). These types of organizations are always looking to find the “best practices” for maintenance management in order to ensure reliability, that their equipment is available when it is needed at the most practical cost. In his book, “Maintenance and Reliability Best Practices”, Ramesh Gulati (2009) explains that:  Maintenance (M) is concerned with maintaining assets through the use of proactive and corrective maintenance techniques combined with how quickly equipment can be returned to operating condition after it has failed (tactical task).  Reliability (R) is concerned with predicting and preventing failures to ensure assets will perform to their required or designed function (strategic task). (p. xii) Best practice is a search for techniques and methods that ensure a project or a maintenance task is carried out in a manner that delivers the best outcome in the least amount of time with the lowest cost. Fredrick Taylor once said that “Among the various methods and implements used in each element of each trade, there is always one method and one implement which is quicker and better than any of the rest” (p. 2). To ensure asset reliability, a company or a government organization must utilize a wellstructured program using maintenance and reliability best practices. Asset performance is based on three factors: 1. Inherent reliability – how it was designed 2. Operating environment – how it will be operated

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3. Maintenance plan – how it will be maintained (Gulati, 2009). The inherent reliability is that reliability that is built in by the manufacturer. The operating environment is the environment where the equipment will be operated as well as the skill level of the person operating the equipment and the level of care that the equipment receives from the operator. 40% of equipment failure is due to operator error. “The objective of a maintenance plan is to sustain asset reliability and to improve its availability (p. 3). There are certain acts in maintenance that ensure equipment reliability. The first act is termed Preventive Maintenance (PM) which is developed to utilize reliability principles to mitigate breakdowns by finding potential problems before they occur. The other act which is the result of a break down is termed Corrective Maintenance (CM), which ensures the broken equipment will be repaired and restored to full operational capacity as fast as possible. “So maintenance keeps assets in an acceptable working condition, prevents them from failing, and, if they fail, brings them back to their operational level effectively and a quickly as possible” (Gulati, 2009, p. 5). According to Ramesh Gulati, (2009), an organization that is using a PM plan will employ reliability “principles and techniques such as Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) as well as wider use of Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) and Predictive Maintenance (PdM) techniques”, (p. 5). FMEA is a method for examining an asset to find ways that it could potentially fail as well as the resulting effects it would have on the equipment and then develop methods to mitigate the failures. RCM is a “systematic and structured process to develop an effective and efficient maintenance plan for an asset to minimize the probability of failures” (p. 20).

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Preventative maintenance is the most pervasive form of maintenance management. It is common to maintenance programs of both private and public sectors. PM is at the heart of maintenance and reliability best practices. PM is especially useful when operating on a limited budget or when utilizing uncomplicated equipment with minimal electronic components or minimal moving parts or can be instituted on very complex multi-system equipment. According to Gulati, (2009): Preventative maintenance (PM) refers to a series of actions that are performed on an asset on schedule. That schedule may be either time-based or based upon machine-run time or the number of machine cycles…Preventive maintenance is the planned maintenance of assets designed to improve asset life and avoid unscheduled maintenance activity. (p. 52) To further define PM, Joel Levitt (2009) explains that “preventative maintenance is series of tasks that either extends the life of an asset, or detects that an asset has had critical wear and is going to fail or break” (p. 441). CBM and PdM are closely related and bring maintenance reliability to the next level. CBM is a method that utilizes sensors that transmit operating parameters such as temperature or pressure that can warn of impending equipment failure. There as many as 30 technologies used for CBM such as electrical, vibration, ultrasonic, and infrared to monitor equipment without disrupting equipment operation. PdM monitors equipment condition via sampling such things as oil or hydraulic fluid and analyzing via several analytical devices and then running a variety of tests to determine the condition of the equipment based on the condition of the fluid (oil). CBM also can monitor the equipment by utilizing a system of transducers, transmitters, receivers, and gauges to review current equipment operational parameters to determine if the equipment is running satisfactorily or if the equipment might be slowly failing internally in such a way that is

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externally undetectable. These PdM “non-intrusive” monitoring techniques allow management to monitor performance data without taking the equipment out of service and permits planning for maintenance activities at a convenient time when the equipment will not be needed. The data can be automatically downloaded into the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) for later review by technicians and management. CBM / PdM can eliminate the need for a periodic schedule for equipment maintenance. Note that CBM / PdM may not be suitable for all types of assets because some equipment may not be sophisticated enough for CBM / PdM to be practical; so in these cases a standard PM plan would be sufficient (Gulati, 2009). Gulati (2009) explains that: Any condition-based maintenance program can be characterized by a combination of three phases: 1. Surveillance – monitoring machinery condition to detect incipient problems 2. Diagnosis / Prognosis – isolating the cause of the problem and developing a corrective action plan 3. Remedy – performing corrective action. (p. 215) According to Joel Levitt (2009), when comparing CM to PM: Breakdown [CM] maintenance is driven by the reflex to repair what breaks. PM is more reflective. There is time for root cause analysis, economic analysis of tasks or considering whether membership of the machine in the PM group is appropriate. There can be a periodic review of the failure history to see if tasks are well directed. (p. 53) Of course even when a maintenance organization is fully utilizing a PM system, there are still going to be breakdowns that require corrective action or corrective maintenance (CM).

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Reliability in maintenance or “Reliability Centered Maintenance” (RCM) is a process used to mitigate potential break-downs. Gulati (2009) defines RCM as “a systematic disciplined process for establishing the appropriate maintenance strategies for an asset/system in its operating context, to ensure safety, mission compliance, and system function” (p. 49). It is important that a PM program doesn‟t “over PM” an asset or fail to properly address the reliability of the asset. The maintenance manager must be careful to properly analyze the equipment to find the suitable inspection frequency and ensure that the PM method addresses the potential failure mode of the equipment. According to an article entitled “Business case for data integrity” by Robert Distefano and Stephen Thomas in the April/May edition of Uptime Magazine, (2011): When utilizing best practices for maintenance and a well working PM system, the maintenance manager must first know how to categorize the assets, using analysis methods designed to understand likely and costly failure modes. Then, with that knowledge, review the existing PM procedures. Eliminate those that are either not addressing failure modes or are applied to asset types that don‟t observe any time-based pattern. Once these steps are undertaken, the appropriate PM strategies must be deployed. The result of this optimization of the maintenance program invariably results in a significant reduction in work, with the attendant reduction in labor and spare parts usage. In turn, these results drive significant cost savings and enhanced performance. (p. 16) In the public sector, these “cost savings” can also be termed “cost avoidances”; these steps in the maintenance best practices program make a significant (positive) impact on the public manager‟s budget.

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According to Gulati (2009), the three most prevalent determents to an organization implementing best practices in maintenance are a lack of “(1) knowledge about current best practices, (2) motivation to make changes, and (3) knowledge and skills required to do so” (p. 21). Every maintenance program should utilize some sort of Electronic Asset Management (EAM) system or a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS). Gulati (2009) explains that these two types of maintenance management systems “can help to improve a maintenance department‟s assets by streamlining critical workflows, work identification, work task planning, scheduling, and reporting” (p. 344). At the SFWMD, an EAM system known as SAP is utilized for total asset operation reporting. This system is capable of performing all the tasks necessary for a comprehensive enterprise asset management system. According to Gulati (2009), a management system such as SAP should have the following capabilities:           Asset register Work order management PM and CBM/PdM work procedures Materials inventory / spares management Configuration management of drawings, manuals, permits & certifications People management such as timekeeping & training management Asset / equipment history Reporting – standard & specialized reports PM optimization including reliability analysis and history Contractor work management

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One of the most useful management tools in a CMMS package is work order (WO) management or workflow process. (pp. 344-345) Regarding the PM CBM/PdM capabilities of the CMMS, Gulati (2009) points out that there are certain important modules that these systems should be capable of, these include Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Human Machine Interface (HMI) that can automatically feed into CMMS the condition of assets and the use of maintenance labor and material… the condition-based functionality in CMMS can be used to establish control limits which trigger actions, such as issuing a work order or paging a Technician, thereby increasing workflow efficiency and effectiveness. (p. 346) Another feature of CMMS is its ability to highlight maintenance procedures that could be “outdated or inadequate” that are consuming too many man hours and other resources. Data from a CMMS system can also show (through data analysis) the assets that are having the most problems (“bad actors”). Another feature available through CMMS is equipment history that report on “actual and planned labor, material and other costs” (p. 349). Once a maintenance organization becomes familiar with CMMS, they can begin to better utilize the system to further help cost cutting by using such features that show asset availability and performance, as well as mean-time between failure (MTBF), and average corrective and preventive costs. These features can be shown graphically so that maintenance managers can make proper business decisions regarding assets (Gulati, 2009). The CMMS / EAM system should have the capability to make a work schedule to “match the workload capability” (Gulati, 2009, p. 347). The system should also include a backlog of work as well as a listing of available hours so that the maintenance planner / scheduler can provide the maintenance department information in a graphical format. These graphs and charts

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can also be displayed for all the stakeholders to view. Applying continuous improvement tools such as CMMS can “optimize work processes and help any organization to improve results, regardless of the size or type of business environment” (p. 355). In the public sector where the requirement for transparency of government make it even more important to improve the capabilities of maintenance data gathering and reporting; systems such as CMMS / EAM are a must-have. Within the maintenance organization, the person most involved with the CMMS / EAM system is the Planner / Scheduler. Planning in maintenance is critical to the success of the operation. In their book, “Maintenance planning and Scheduling Coordination”, Don Nyman and Joel Levitt (2001) explain that “most maintenance departments do not plan to fail: they simply fail to plan and therefore do indeed fail. The major reason behind failure to plan is that putting out today‟s fires is given priority over planning for tomorrow” (p. xiv). According to Gulati, (2009), “planning is what and how to do the job. It‟s an advanced preparation of a work task so that it can be executed in an efficient and effective manner some time in the future” (p. 97). Planning involves all the ingredients required to see the job through to completion. “The ultimate goal of the planning process is to identify and prepare a maintenance craft person with the [proper] tools and resources…Planning is the key enabler in reducing waste and nonproductive time, thereby improving productivity of the maintenance workforce” (p. 81). Nyman and Levitt (2009), explain that “planned maintenance reduces waiting and delay times that mechanics inevitably encounter when performing work that has not been properly prepared for…Nothing is more detrimental to maintenance performance and morale than unplanned or poorly planned jobs” (p. xiv).

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Scheduling, according Gulati (2009) “is when and who is going to do the job. It‟s a process by which resources are allocated to a specific job based on operational requirements and resources availability” (p. 97). The resources required for the job are scheduled for the proper time when the maintenance project will be least likely to interrupt the operation of the facility or equipment or at a time requested by the customer. The planner / Scheduler serves as the manifold between the customer (usually the operations department), management, and the technicians who perform the maintenance work as well as their Supervisor. “Without proper planning and scheduling, maintenance is haphazard, costly, and ineffective, and maintenance will consistently fail to meet promised dates” (Nyman and Levitt, 2009, p. xvii). In many maintenance organizations, especially those that service large operations, there may not be enough tools, equipment, and manpower to properly service all the maintenance required to support operations. In some cases the maintenance organization may not be adequately equipped to perform a particular maintenance function. In these cases, it is essential that the maintenance managers engage in contracts with outside vendors to perform the required maintenance operation. In the public sector, contracting with private industry can come in two main forms, first through the traditional contract especially in the case of a single maintenance repair or operation (CM or PM). The second way is to have a private company furnish an entire maintenance program; this is known as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). The main concern of private industry is profit! This drive to garner profit is what results in competition. Competition within an industry is what drives innovation, good ideas, and problem solving known as ingenuity. These attributes of private enterprise are what public administrators desire to solve some of the problems of running their public enterprise. Many local governments seek PPP‟s to solve the problem of run-away costs. According to Bloomfield

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(2006), “Public-private partnership advocates regard market driven competition, shared risk, and transparency as essential prerequisites for successful long-term contracts that achieve their intended purposes and protect the public from excessive risk….PPP‟s and contracting “create contractor incentives for efficiency and performance and produce cost savings and improved service quality for the public”(para. 7). According to Porter (2008), PPP‟s are defined as “cities that provide the preponderance (90% or higher) of core functions / services via contracts with private industry (p. xv). Larger governments such as state or federal government entities also use contracting. Porter (2008) defines contracting and agreement structures in his book “Public/Private Partnerships”, as “the business arrangements under which operating partnerships are developed. Agreement types may include lump sum, fixed fee, time and materials, and cost-plus-service fees (p. xvi). As with any administrative activities in the private sector, a PPP can a be a risky undertaking due to projected costs not being what was forecasted and having to cut through the red-tape involved in increasing the government‟s budgeting for the contract. The government, on the other hand, has risk as well. This risk [on the government‟s part] can be mitigated. According to Bloomfield (2006), “in theory, long-term public-private partnerships enhance government‟s capacity to deliver major infrastructure projects through risk-sharing agreements that allocate significant project risks to the private sector” (para. 8). According to Levitt (2009), regarding outsourcing and contracting, “the goal of using contractors and outsourcing is to get maintenance or construction work done at a higher quality, faster, safer or at a lower cost than it would be possible with your own crews” (p. 121). Levitt (2009) goes on to explain that there are two other goals for using contractors and outsourcing which are to “control the number of FTE (full time equivalent staffers)” and to “concentrate

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talent, energy, and resources into areas called core competencies” (p. 121). This goal involves letting the maintenance staff concentrate on maintenance functions where they are best skilled and letting contractors handle the maintenance activities that the maintenance staff are not skilled at. Up to this point, we have examined the best practices for a maintenance operation. As maintenance management travels down this road to reliability centered maintenance and begins to obtain these required attributes, it will then become evident that the organization will need to continually improve as technology and information garnered form best-in-class maintenance operations become available. According to Levitt (2009), "continuous improvement is defined as on-going incremental improvements in maintenance performance…where maintenance is already effective, continuous improvement is the prescription” (p. 153). Levitt goes on to explain that there are three main areas of continuous improvement: 1. Measurement – a necessary prerequisite to continuous improvement is establishing ways of measuring the maintenance effort…the process of setting up measures is called benchmarking [which I will explain later]. 2. Information and investigation – in particular, review the maintenance incident history. An incident could be a breakdown, a series of breakdowns, PM‟s for a machine, a series of minor adjustments or other maintenance activity. 3. Action – action can include changing any of the facts including the process, maintenance procedure, product, or even business situation. (p. 154) In the private sector, competition from other companies play a big role as the catalyst for continuous improvement. This holds true in the public sector as well because in the public sector

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the competition comes in the form of outsourcing from private or even other public organizations that potentially may be able to perform the maintenance operation faster, more efficiently and effectively than the public maintenance organization. For the private or public sector maintenance organization, “the goal for continuous improvement is the gradual elimination of the need for maintenance” (Levitt, 2009, p. 158). Fortunately for those who make a living providing maintenance, “new processes, new assets, and new products will keep this an ongoing business” (p. 158). As a part of continuous improvement, lean maintenance goes deeper to abolish waste within the maintenance organization. According to Levitt (2009), lean maintenance is the “delivery of maintenance services to customers with as little waste as possible; alternatively, producing a desirable maintenance outcome with the fewest inputs possible” (p. 160). The goal of lean maintenance is to maximize service while minimizing the inputs that costs the company or the tax payer (in the case of a public sector maintenance operation). These inputs according to Levitt (2009), include “labor, management effort, maintenance parts, contractors, equipment rentals, service contracts, raw materials, energy, capital, and overhead” (pp. 160-161). Levitt (2009) goes on to explain that the “challenge is to produce these lean outcomes while maintaining a long-term safe environment and conforming to governmental statutes and company [agency] policies” (p. 161). The following is a case study example of a recent lean maintenance initiative conducted by the Terry Peters of the SFWMD (personal communication, April 23, 2012): The Operations, Maintenance, and Construction (OMD) division has taken steps toward continuous improvement and lean maintenance by researching the PM‟s for both electrical and regular maintenance on the water control structures. In 2011 the Structure and Electrical Standardization (STAN) Teams

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reviewed four categories of Maintenance PM‟s to determine if the PM hours could be reduced. They reviewed the monthly, quarterly, and semi-Annual PMs. The STAN Teams reviewed all PM‟s to see if efficiencies could be gained without compromising the system. They reviewed the PM‟s based on the criticality and purpose of the structure. They reviewed PM Crew size as well. They found that they were actually “over-PM‟ing” the structures. An initiative was instituted to reduce the amount of PM‟s without reducing the reliability of the structures. This “lean maintenance” initiative saved the District 2,890 man-hours and the tax payer $83, 810. Some additional benefits included the ability to take on some additional infrastructure without increasing staffing levels or commodity dollars, ability to realistically decrease maintenance backlog and workload (deficiency repairs), reduction of administrative costs e.g. SAP (EAM) timekeeping, work order processing, and maintenance documentation. Another way to look at lean maintenance is by “eliminating everything in the value stream that does not provide added value to the customer or to the product…If the customer knew about this, would he/she be willing to pay for it” (Levitt, 2009, p. 161)? A common tool to use for the implementation of lean management is to utilize a common process improvement method known as Six Sigma. Employed by the US Navy, Six Sigma is “a process improvement philosophy for improving and sustaining business performance. Six Sigma focuses on reducing process waste and improving process flow, resulting in greater process efficiency and customer satisfaction” (Martin, 2010, p. 58). Like Total Quality Management (TQM), Six Sigma is the brain-child of Deming. Also known as “Lean Six Sigma” (LSS), concentrates on “processes that are a key to the delivery of strategic targets or known operational problem areas” (p.59). According to Martin (2010), LSS “clarifies who the customer is, brings together operational staff…to capture known issues and develop new efficient processes, and

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fosters a continuous improvement mindset to sustain business performance” (p. 59). Advocates of LSS say that this process can deliver service for 20% less labor and overhead costs while decreasing process lead time by as much as 60% (p. 58). This process requires an organization to change its entire way of perceiving the maintenance function. It requires cultural change and enthusiasm from top management as well as from the maintenance technicians and equipment operators. Cultural change in an organization requires leaders to instill a purpose of mission, a vision for their organization, and this requires good leadership. “Organizations using mission and vision statements successfully outperform those that do not by several times, according to a study done by a Stanford management professor, as reported by the Wall Street Journal” (Gulati, 2009, p. 24). It takes great leadership to initiate any kind of cultural change in an organization and ultimately through the dedicated effort of all the stakeholders be triumphant. According to Dennis Perkins (2000), in his book “Leading at the Edge”, “the underlying ingredients of triumph are expressed in these ten strategies [for leadership]”: 1. Never lose sight of the ultimate goal, and focus energy on short-term objectives. 2. Set a personal example. 3. Instill optimism and self-confidence, but stay grounded in reality. 4. Take care of yourself. 5. Reinforce the team message constantly: We are one-we succeed or fail together. 6. Minimize status differences and insist on courtesy and mutual respect. 7. Master conflict. 8. Find something to celebrate and something to laugh about.

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9. Be willing to take the big risk. 10. Never give up-there‟s always another move. (p. xviii) The utilization of these ten key strategies by a leader that is taking on change in his/her organization, especially an organization that is implementing a RCM program, must be optimistic and believe that the team will succeed with the implementation of the program. He/she must be prepared for eventual problems associated with the implementation of RCM and utilize the creativity of the people who work for the organization to give recommendations and help find solutions (Perkins, 2000). Once the organization begins to take on this new culture of RCM, the focus will be on the productivity of the technicians that are using the RCM methodology. According to Joel Levitt (2009), “productivity in maintenance can be measured by the amount of useful work produced per unit hour of input” (p. 75). Because there are many factors that require the mechanic‟s time besides the actual time spent repairing equipment, it is very difficult to determine productivity. For example, a typical mechanic (or technician) must spend time preparing for safety considerations, gathering parts and tools, as well as cleaning up after the job is complete and completing the required paperwork. There is also time spent on breaks, lunch, and restroom visits. In most private organizations and especially in government maintenance operations there is even more time spent by many other [administrative] people to support the work done by the mechanic; this includes human resource administrators that account for time on the job, parts / inventory personnel, who account for the parts the mechanic uses, planners / schedulers, and supervisors / crew chiefs who ensure that the mechanic has everything needed to conduct the PM or CM and

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record the mechanics work in the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) (Levitt, 2009). In order to determine the actual time spent performing maintenance, an analysis must be conducted. This can be accomplished using “work sampling”. According to Levitt (2009), “using work sampling, management can secure facts and uncover patterns about the operation without watching everyone all the time. It is a systematized spot-checking where different observers under the same conditions will get the same results” (p.77). As a government organization is attempting to implement RCM, there will be a certain percentage of the maintenance organization that will resist the program or just take longer to understand the system. This will affect productivity. Productivity of workers can always be improved. It is a matter of implementing a “productivity performance” program along with maintenance and reliability best practices. So what is productivity and how can it be improved? Productivity performance can be obtained using innovative strategies as well as a wellorchestrated process improvement plan and a visionary management style that can change the entire organizational culture resulting in major performance improvements and cost savings. This can only be accomplished by understanding how to measure productivity and obtaining management buy-in. Productivity, according to Business Dictionary.com (2012), “is a measure of the efficiency of a person, machine, factory, system, etc., in converting inputs into useful outputs…Productivity is a critical determinant of cost efficiency”. Public administrators need to implement productivity improvement strategies to achieve best practices for their maintenance department. According to an article in the Public Personnel Management journal (1985) by Dail Neugarten, “productivity improvement is the process by which efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of government service can be enhanced” (p. 417).

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Neugarten (1985) explains that it is important that today‟s public manager understand the productivity improvement process and how to “obtain yields from existing resources” (p. 417). Productivity improvements can help the organization: Increase its efficiency and effectiveness of the agencies programs and services, as well as the responsiveness of the services to public needs. The productivity improvement process will also decrease the time required to provide services; and improve the impact of services and programs on target populations. (p. 417) Productivity improvement is not just the latest new business phrase, it is a process. The first step in the process is for management to improve by careful planning. Just like the implementation of RCM, it requires a commitment from management of time and resources to measure and evaluate the existing organization (Neugarten, 1985). The second step is to improve human resource management. According to Neugarten, “there is a direct relationship between personnel policies and practices and employee productivity. The government workers‟ performance is conditioned by such factors as how they are hired, rewarded, reviewed, promoted and dismissed” (p. 422). The third step is to improve the quality of worklife by implementing change is to “make work rewarding and challenging for employees and to increase human potential” (p. 425). Neugarten goes on to explain that “productivity improvement must always occur within the constraints that exist in government. But these constraints can be reduced by personnel managers, among others, willing to commit to the process of organizational change and improvement” (p. 428). In an effort to improve the maintenance organization, a proactive public manager must understand the organization as well as the performance indicators of the organization, especially in a maintenance environment. To accomplish this, the public manager must utilize data to

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measure business performance indicators. Ramesh Gulati (2009) explains that “data needed for process improvement and performance measurement includes information about products and services, assets performance, cost of operations and maintenance” (p.246). This data can be analyzed to find “reasons for certain results that may not be evident without an analysis” (p. 246). In maintenance, some performance data that should be measured are “PM back-log – percent or number of tasks, scheduling compliance – (percent), percent rework, percent reliability, and percent material delivered or available on time” (p. 257). Performance measurement is critical to improving the productivity as well as a way to initiate and maintain the lean maintenance initiative of an organization. In the maintenance industry Key Performance Indicators (KPI) is an important tool for making improvement decisions. In order to avoid over emphasizing performance indicators or measuring the wrong indicators, Gulati (2009) recommends certain criteria for “selecting the best KPI / metrics:    Should encourage the right behavior Should be difficult to manipulate Should be easy to measure – data collection and reporting” (p. 67).

Gulati (2009) explains that some of the indicators that maintenance managers should be measuring are:      “Maintenance cost % of Estimated Replacement Value (ERV) Production loss – Breakdowns Reactive – CM Unscheduled maintenance Planned maintenance Rework – Maintenance quality” (p. 67).

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Helen Simpson (2009) in her article “Productivity in Public Services” in the Journal of Economic Surveys explains that productivity and growth has been the subject of empirical research that “has sought to identify factors that affect productivity in both the private and the public sectors. The two factors that receive attention are competition and performance incentives” (p. 267). Competition in the private sector tends to increase performance because “individuals and firms can choose between alternative providers” (p.267). Competition according to Simpson (2009) “induces higher productivity growth or improve dynamic efficiency by providing firms with greater incentives to innovate” (p. 267). Research into the effects of competition on the public sector has yielded more ambiguous results. “Due to difficulties in measuring productivity some studies have focused more on partial output measures…or on partial measures of cost-effectiveness” (p. 268). Productivity increases from competition in the public sector is not as strong as the private sector. There has been some research regarding the effects of performance incentives on productivity. Employee profit sharing as well as performance related pay has shown positive results in both the private and public arenas (Simpson, 2009). According to Helen Simpson (2009) “implementing such schemes [In the public sector] relies on being able to measure outputs or performance accurately” (p. 270). Simpson (2009) also points out that in the public sector, there are other incentives such as “career concerns or pro-social behavior or public service ethos” that drive performance improvement (p. 271). There are some innovative ways to improve performance that have worked well in the private sector including total quality management, process improvement techniques such as Six Sigma (process excellence) and Lean Management; as well as a study of management style. These methods are now beginning to be employed in the public sector. An “organization‟s

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services use a range of inputs which may be highly heterogeneous and may differ in quality over time across organizations. Ideally, the volume of outputs and inputs used to measure productivity should capture such differences in quality” (Simpson, 2009, p. 252). According to Linna et al. (2010), there are two types of quality that should be a part of public sector services. “Technical quality is related to the quality of the end result of the service process: what is the end result of the service? Functional quality is related to quality of the delivery process: how well was the service conducted” (p. 483)? An innovative method for improving quality in the public sector is known as “Total Quality Management” (TQM). TQM is an “organizational transformation strategy” (Milakovich, 1991, para. 6). This method “achieves quality and productivity goals without additional resources” (para. 6). According to Milakovich (1991), “TQM stresses customer satisfaction, examines relationships between existing management processes, improves internal agency communications, and responds to valid demands of all customers, external and internal” (para. 6). TQM is a derivative of Total Quality Control (TQC) which was developed by Edward Deming in the early 1950‟s (Milakovich, 1991). “TQM is based on the theory that the greater the involvement an employee has in determining organizational goals, the more committed he or she will be to achieving them” (para. 11). One innovative tool that may be easily overlooked, but can be vitally important is “management style”. Management style can be a “catalyst” to help bring about productivity improvement in an agency (Goldberg, 1985, para. 22). There are five management styles that Goldberg (1985) describes in his article for the journal “National Productivity review” entitled “Management Style: A catalyst to Productivity Improvement in the Public Sector”. These styles

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are typical of many public managers, but are not the style that brings about productivity improvement. These styles include “ivory tower” management, where things are “done by the book”, “ostrich” management, where there is a desire to “maintain a very low profile”, the “macho” manager, who is “demanding and self-serving”, the “why should I worry manager that relies on the „civil service‟ system for protection”, and finally there is the “any way the wind blows” management style “employed by individuals whose concern is keeping up with the political currents” (para. 16-20). So what is the most innovative management style? According to Joel Goldberg: The practical, motivating, sensitive management style (PMS) is realistic and employee-oriented approach that reflects an understanding of organizational objectives, environment, and work force. It reflects a concern for working conditions and individual job satisfaction and ability to define realistic goals and establish internal teams to work toward them. It reflects a readiness to take risks in appropriate situations and to support subordinates on a consistent basis. (para. 22) Goldberg also points out that “the PMS management style is characterized by a common sense approach to management in the public sector” (para. 5). Another way to improve productivity performance is to benchmark an organization against best-in-class organizations. According to Richard Yam et al., (2000), benchmarking can be used as a management tool to “identify strengths and weaknesses of their operations & maintenance; learn from leading organizations, search for the world‟s best practices; and work with superior business process performance” (p.225). Benchmarking can help to optimize all areas of an organization (Richard Yam et al., 2000).

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According to Gulati (2009), “benchmarking could be defined as the practice of being modest enough to admit that others are better at something, and wise enough to try to learn how to match, and even surpass them” (p. 259). There several types of benchmarking. The first is internal benchmarking, which involves benchmarking against the different departments within an organization. The next is external benchmarking, comparing an outside organization within a similar industry. The next type of benchmarking is “best practices” benchmarking which “focuses on finding the best or leader in a specific process and partnering with them to compare their practices and data” (Gulati, 2009, p.260). It is this method of benchmarking – “best practices” that I will use to evaluate the maintenance program of the South Florida Water Management District with other similar government agencies‟ maintenance programs.

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Methodology As an employee of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) who is involved in the maintenance function of the water control structures, pump stations, and facilities in the Broward and Miami-Dade county area, I decided to investigate two things:

1. Is the SFWMD involved in RCM; has the District utilized best practices for the maintenance and reliability of the assets under their control? 2. How does the maintenance program of the SFWMD compare to other similar water management or drainage districts?

The SFWMD was commissioned in 1949 by the Florida Legislature. At that time, it was called the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control District (SFWMD.gov, 2012). According to their web-site:

The SFWMD is a regional governmental agency that oversees the water resources in the southern half of the state, covering 16 counties from Orlando to the Florida Keys... the agency is responsible for managing and protecting water resources of South Florida by balancing and improving water quality, flood control, natural systems and water supply. A key initiative is the restoration of America's Everglades – the largest environmental restoration project in the nation's history. The District is also working to improve the Kissimmee River and its floodplain, Lake Okeechobee and South Florida's coastal estuaries. (SFWMD.gov, 2012)

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The vision of the SFWMD is “to be the world's premier water resources agency” (SFWMD.gov, 2012). The Mission of the SFWMD is “to manage and protect water resources of the region by balancing and improving water quality, flood control, natural systems and water supply. SFWMD operates more than 1,600 miles of canals and 1,000 miles of levees/berms, and more than 500 structures and 700 culverts as well as 60 pump stations (SFWMD.gov, 2012).

To benchmark the SFWMD against the other water control districts, and thus inquire as to the type and depth of maintenance programs at these other similar government agencies‟ maintenance programs, I developed a questionnaire and researched to find the names of maintenance managers and / or maintenance personnel working for the other agencies.

Using the questionnaire, I contacted key personnel at eight other agencies and asked the following questions:

1. Agency Name? 2. What is your name? [To protect anonymity, respondent names will not be included in this report] 3. What is your title? 4. Briefly state the nature of the business and service your agency provides to public. 5. Please describe the kind of maintenance performed (i.e. buildings, equipment, land etc.). 6. Does your agency utilize a Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) program? 7. If so, please briefly describe the program. 8. If not, does your agency utilize any type of Preventative Maintenance (PM) program? 9. If so, please briefly describe.

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10. If not, does your agency utilize a run-to-failure or reactive maintenance (corrective action) method? Please explain. 11. Does your agency employ a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) or an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) program? 12. If the answer is yes, please briefly describe. 13. If not, how does your agency track work orders and general maintenance data? 14. Does your agency use metrics in evaluating efficiency? 15. If the answer is yes, please briefly describe. 16. Does your agency utilize Standard Operating Procedures (SOP‟s) in standardizing work? 17. What would you describe as your agency‟s greatest challenge in managing a maintenance program? (Please see Appendix for answers from all interviewees). In order to keep the data consistent, I limited the benchmarking only to government agencies that perform maintenance on water control structures, pump stations and their associated facilities. Using the questionnaire, I interviewed personnel from the following agencies:        United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) St. Johns Water Management District (SJWMD) Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) North West Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) South West Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) Central Broward Water Control District (CBWCD) South Broward Drainage District (SBDD)

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

Old Plantation Water Control District

I then compared the data regarding the following types of reliability centered maintenance components:        RCM program PM utilization CM utilization CMMS/EAM utilization Maintenance metrics SOP utilization Agency‟s greatest challenge

Finally, I performed a simple analysis to compare [by percentage] the key Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) components listed above.

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Findings

To answer my questions regarding the management of maintenance at the SFWMD, I consulted Alex Damian (personal communication, April 5, 2012). Mr. Damian is the Assistant Division Director in charge of Operations, Maintenance and Construction (OMC). He explained the context of the RCM maintenance program at the District: Approximately 10 years ago, the maintenance at the District was mostly reactive – responding to emergencies and needs of Operations & Maintenance. Pump Stations and Fleet did however use the manufacturer‟s recommendations for performing PM‟s on certain equipment. Fleet also was using a software based CMMS for tracking oil changes and similar maintenance related items. At this time the District began to usher in a CMMS program developed by Synergy for overall structure and pump station maintenance to help collect information for organizational projects and build maintenance history into the program. At this point, the District began looking at the bigger picture: Evaluate and catalog our assets from a central perspective and populate the data base and classify the assets by groups. Around 2001 / 2002 time frame, the district began to define the correct amount of money for the maintenance budget by dividing the budgeted amount of maintenance monies by the acre feet of water moved. They bench- marked the amount of money the District was paying at that time for maintenance, which was approximately $6.20 per acre/ft. of water moved against agencies in Sacramento California (treated water) and farming districts along the Colorado river (untreated water) and found that the SFWMD was paying much less than those agencies surveyed. Then research was initiated to see if the right amount of maintenance was being expended. This led to research into the back log of maintenance.

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It was found that in some areas the District was expending too much maintenance effort and in other areas the District was not expending enough. For example, pump stations that were closer to the metropolitan areas were receiving more attention from maintenance personnel than the pump stations located in the remote areas. We then establish criteria for what the appropriate distribution of maintenance should be and began to appropriate funds for capital improvement project which included increases in these funds from $1 million to $60 million. We then began to implement work load indicators to find what people are doing verses what people should be doing as well as an implementation of preventative maintenance measures. We initially began with pump stations where a significant savings was realized as a result of the effort. A predictive maintenance program at the pump stations was also implemented. After these preliminary steps, the District began initiating the PM system in structure maintenance efforts as well. (A. Damian, personal communication, April 2, 2012) Based on the information gathered from Mr. Damian and my own personal knowledge of the SFWMD‟s Operations, Maintenance and Construction (OMC) division‟s Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) efforts, I have concluded that the necessary steps (as discussed in the literature review section) to achieve status as a RCM operation were accomplished. It is important to point out the OMC division of the SFWMD is actively involved in continuous improvement as well. The results of the benchmarking show that the SFWMD surpasses the other (similar) agencies in their effort to accomplish maintenance best practices and reliability standards. Two of the agencies interviewed do not have or maintain water control structures or pump stations and did not respond to the survey. The rest of the agencies do conduct maintenance on similar

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structures and pump stations at varying stages of involvement in maintenance best practices and / or RCM. Table 1 shows the six water control agencies and the significant categories of maintenance best practices and / or RCM. Table 1 also shows what each respondent considered their maintenance organization‟s greatest challenge. Table 1 Maintenance best practices comparison. RCM PM CM CMMS/EAM Metrics SOP's Statement of Greatest Challenge yes yes yes yes yes yes budget SFWMD no yes yes yes no yes mission ready status USACE yes yes yes no yes budget SWFWMD yes no yes yes no yes no budget SJWMD no no no no no no mission ready status CBWCD no yes no no no no mission ready status SBDD no yes no no no no budget OPWCD

Table 2 Percentage of districts that utilize maintenance best practices and their greatest challenges. # of yes 1 5 3 2 1 2
# of no

RCM PM CM CMMS/EAM Metrics SOP's Statement of Greatest Challenge Budget Mission ready status

5 1 3 4 5 4

% yes 16.667 83.333 50 33.333 16.667 33.333

4 3

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Figure 1 Percentage of districts that utilize maintenance best practices

Percentage of districts that utilize maintenance best practices
RCM PM CM CMMS/EAM Metrics SOP's

Table 2 and the chart in figure 1(above) shows which categories the respondents answered yes regarding best practices, thus acknowledging their agency‟s involvement in each particular component of maintenance best practices. According to the data, most of the agencies utilize a Preventive Maintenance (PM) program and half the agencies employee a corrective maintenance program where they follow a formal work order policy. A little over 16% of the agencies are involved in RCM and the use of metrics to measure their program‟s performance. 33% of the agencies utilize a CMMS or an EAM system and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to aid in conducting maintenance. Regarding the usage of “manufacturer‟s recommendations” instead of SOP‟s, Gulati (2009) points out that “…the vendor‟s recommendations are mainly based on their judgment. But the vendor frequently does not know how [or what operating environment (in the case of water control)] this equipment will be used” (p. 194).

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Also of interest is that most of the agency‟s greatest challenge is operating their maintenance program within a shrinking budget. Conclusion Public administration is the management of government operations and the public services that these organizations provide. What services government delivers and the way in which government delivers these services to the public and is largely controlled by public policy. Private enterprise is profit driven and competes with other companies. This profit and competition gives companies within private industry incentive to take the necessary steps to become best-in-class. Government organizations have learned from private industry how to take the same necessary steps in order to provide the public with effective and efficient service without having to dramatically raise taxes. Because of our nation‟s aging infrastructure, government organizations charged with the maintenance and up-keep of government assets are now beginning to utilize best practices methodologies such as productivity improvement, Total Quality Management (TQM), Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), lean maintenance and Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM), etc. to ensure quality and reliability. The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and many similar water management districts utilize water control structures and pump stations to control and move water to prevent flooding and ensure water availability during a drought. There is a large responsibility for these agencies to maintain these important assets in mission-ready status. The SFWMD was actively involved with RCM before the economy began to decline and has continued this program in spite of its limited and shrinking budget. I feel that the achievements

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made by the SFWMD with the implementation and operation of RCM has helped to elevate this organization‟s maintenance program to best-in-class status. I set out to find out if this statement is true. After bench-marking the SFWMD‟s maintenance program with other similar public sector maintenance programs, I have concluded that the SFWMD does utilize best practices for maintenance and is markedly further advanced than the other comparable agencies in the state of Florida in this capacity. This is not to say that these very effective agencies are inferior or lacking in their ability to provide the necessary water management maintenance services to the public. My research shows that it is the SFWMD that is taking a leadership position to utilize maintenance best practices. The individuals I interviewed from other similar agencies are now in the process of taking the necessary steps towards maintenance best practices. It is important to point out that the scope of this study was limited to the state of Florida because there was a narrow window of time to conduct the research. There is a greater reason to utilize productivity improvement, lean maintenance and RCM in the public sector other than just cost savings, it is because there is an ethical responsibility for public managers to ensure that their organization is doing everything possible to prevent the waste of tax payer‟s money. Ethical practices should be a priority for public sector management in any level of government. According to Carol Lewis and Stuart Gillman (2005), The profession [public administration] is animated by the dual potential of ethics to either disable or empower managers. The concern with ethics has the potential for disabling managers if it is used as a coercive control device, an exploitative tool, a subtle motivational gimmick, or a public relations scheme. Alternatively, the concern with

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ethics can empower managers by promoting ethical practices, supporting ethical managers, and reinforcing accountability…ethics is more accurately seen as a renewal rather than a radical departure from traditional practice. (p. 11)

Regarding the concept of the renewal of ethics, Lewis & Gillman (2005) present a quote from President Jimmy Carter‟s book, Why Not the Best? (1976, p.132):

Nowhere in the constitution of the United States, or in the declaration of Independence, or in the Bill of Rights, or the Emancipation Proclamation, or the Old or New Testament, do you find the words “economy” or “efficiency.” Not that these words are unimportant. But you discover other words like honesty, integrity, fairness, justice, patriotism, compassion, love-and many others which describe what human beings ought to be. There are the same words which describe what a government of human beings ought to be. (pp. 13-14) The public manager must understand that public management “is an ethical enterprise” (p.15). This administrative responsibility of ethical morality is part of one‟s larger commitment to social responsibility to the community to utilize a collaborative effort to join with other government agencies, the private sector, non-profits and individuals to provide self-sustaining solutions to human, social, economic and environmental problems.

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References Dictionary.com. (20090). Retrieved September 15, 2009, from incrementalism. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). : http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/incrementalism Business Dictionary.com. (2012, April 7). Retrieved April 7, 2012, from Business Dictionary.com: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/private-enterprise.html South Florida Water Management District - Operations and Maintenance . (2012, April 12). Retrieved April 12, 2012, from South Florida Water Management District: http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xweb%20drought%20%20and%20%20flood/c anal%20and%20structure%20operations Anderson, J. E. (2006). Public Policy Making. In J. E. Anderson, Public Policy Making 6th Edition (p. 331). Belmont, Ca.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Bloomfield, P. (2006, May / June). The Challanging Business of long-term public-private partnerships: Reflection on local experiance. Publc Administration Review, 400-411. doi:1060390801 Damian, A. (2012, April 5). Division Director in charge of Operations, Maintenance and Construction. (M. Worley, Interviewer) Distefano, R., & Thomas, S. (2011, April/May). Business case for data integrity. Uptime Magazine, p. 16. Dye, J. R. (2008). Understanding Pubic Policy. In J. R. Dye, Understanding Pubic Policy 12th edition (p. 354). Upper Saddle River NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

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Gilman, L. (2005). The Ethics Challange in Public Service (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA.: Jossey-Bass. Goldberg, J. (1985, Summer). A catalyst to productivity improvement in the public sector. National Productivity Review (pre-1986), 4, 256. Retrieved April 13, 2012, from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.barry.edu/docview/236424303 Gulati, R. (2009). Maintenance and reliability best practices. New York, NY: Industrial Press, Inc. Henry, N. (2010). Public Administration and public Affairs 11th ed. New York: Pearson Education, Inc. Levitt, J. (2009). The hand book of maintenance management (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Industrial Press, Inc. Linna, P. P., Ukko, J., & Melkas, H. (2010). Defining and measuring productivity in the public sector: managerial perceptions. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 23(3), 300 - 320. doi:10.1108/09513551011032491 Martin, J. (2010). Increasing public sector productivity could lean Six Sigma help improve services? Accountancy Ireland(Oct. 2010), 58-59. Retrieved April 5, 2012, from http://barry.summon.serial.solutions.com Milakovich, M. E. (1991, Spring ). Total quality management in the public sector. National Productivity Review, 10(2), 195-195. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.barry.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/236645240?accou ntid=27715

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Neugarin, D. (1985). Stratigies and tactics for productivity improvement: implications for public personnel managers. Public Personnel Management, 14(4), 195. Retrieved April 16, 2012, from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.barry.edu/docview/236424303 Nyman, D., & Levitt, J. (2001). Maintenance Planning, Scheduling and Coordination. New York, NY: Industrial Press, Inc. Perkins, N. T. (2000). Leading at the edge. New York, NY: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn,. Peters,Terry . (2012, April 19). Structure / electrical programs preventive maintenance efficiencies. FL, USA. Retrieved April 13, 2012 Porter, O. (2008). Public/private partnerships for local governments. Bloomington: AuthorHouse. Shafritz, J. M., & Hyde, A. C. (2008). Classics of public administration (6th ed.). Boston, MA, USA: Wadsworth. Simpson, H. (2009, April). Productivity in public services. Journal of Economic Surveys, 23(2), 250-276. Retrieved April 5, 2012, from http://gl4jb6mh4g.search.serialssolutions.com.ezproxy.barry.edu/?ctx_ver=Z39.882004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journ al&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=PRODUCTIVITY+IN+PUBLIC+ Too, E. (2012). Infrastructure asset: developing maintenance management capability. Facilities, 30(5/6), 234-253. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.barry.edu/10.1108/02632771211208503

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Yam, R., Tse, P., Ling, L., & Fung, F. (2000). Enhancement of maintenance through benchmarking. Journal of Quality in maintenance Engineering, 6(4), 224-240. Retrieved from http://barry.summon.serialssolutions.com.ezproxy.barry.edu/search/results?spellcheck=tr ue&s.q=Enhancement+of+maintenance+through+benchmarking

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Appendix A

Maintenance Program Survey Questions
My name is Mike Worley; I am a student of the Masters in Public Administration Program at Barry University. I am currently working on my Capstone Project, which is an applied project that serves to culminate my studies in the program as well as benefit my employer. My project will look at the maintenance program for water control structures and pump stations at the South Florida Water Management District and compare it with the maintenance program at other similar agencies. To this end, I have prepared a brief survey. Please answer the following questions regarding the maintenance program currently in use at your agency, thank you. Agency Name: USACE – South Florida

1. What is your name? 2. What is your title? FEM Technician 3. Briefly state the nature of the business and service your agency provides to public. Flood Protection, aid to boating 4. Please describe the kind of maintenance performed (i.e. buildings, equipment, land etc.). Pump stations, water control structures, locks & dams 5. Does your agency utilize a Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) program? No 6. If so, please briefly describe the program. N/A 7. If not, does your agency utilize any type of Preventative Maintenance (PM) program? Yes 8. If so, please briefly describe. Scheduled periodic PM‟s, limited CBM 9. If not, does your agency utilize a run-to-failure or reactive maintenance (corrective action) method? Please explain. N/A

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10. Does your agency employ a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) or an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) program? Yes 11. If the answer is yes, please briefly describe. Maximo: Maintenance history, equipment condition, repair frequencies, replacement of parts / materials, maintenance records, labor / OT 12. If not, how does your agency track work orders and general maintenance data? N/A 13. Does your agency use metrics in evaluating efficiency? No, but it is a goal 14. If the answer is yes, please briefly describe. N/A 15. Does your agency utilize Standard Operating Procedures (SOP‟s) in standardizing work? Yes 16. What would you describe as your agency‟s greatest challenge in managing a maintenance program? Maintaining mission-ready status of equipment

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions!

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Appendix B Agency Name: South West Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD)

1. What is your name? 2. What is your title? Structures Operations Manager 3. Briefly state the nature of the business and service your agency provides to public. Flood control, drought protection, water resources 4. Please describe the kind of maintenance performed (i.e. buildings, equipment, land etc.). 81 Water control structure gates, Pump stations (electric motors only) 5. Does your agency utilize a Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) program? Yes 6. If so, please briefly describe the program. PM, CM, PdM (hydraulic oil sampling only) 7. If not, does your agency utilize any type of Preventative Maintenance (PM) program? N/A 8. If so, please briefly describe. N/A 9. If not, does your agency utilize a run-to-failure or reactive maintenance (corrective action) method? Please explain. No 10. Does your agency employ a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) or an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) program? Yes 11. If the answer is yes, please briefly describe. Impet Net 12. If not, how does your agency track work orders and general maintenance data? N/A

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13. Does your agency use metrics in evaluating efficiency? Yes 14. If the answer is yes, please briefly describe. % of work (PM / CM) completed 15. Does your agency utilize Standard Operating Procedures (SOP‟s) in standardizing work? No, manufacturer‟s instructions, mechanic‟s knowledge, USACE requirements, maintenance schedule only 16. What would you describe as your agency‟s greatest challenge in managing a maintenance program? Managing a maintenance program within a decreasing budget

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Appendix C Agency Name: St. Johns Water Management District

1. What is your name? 2. What is your title? Director for the Bureau Operations South – Public Works / Land Management 3. Briefly state the nature of the business and service your agency provides to public. Water management of river (St. johns) and associated tributaries (Upper basin) 4. Please describe the kind of maintenance performed (i.e. buildings, equipment, land etc.). Structures (8 major, 24 minor) 5. Does your agency utilize a Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) program? No 6. If so, please briefly describe the program. N/A 7. If not, does your agency utilize any type of Preventative Maintenance (PM) program? Yes 8. If so, please briefly describe. Major PM‟s, scheduled gate overhaul per USACE standards 9. If not, does your agency utilize a run-to-failure or reactive maintenance (corrective action) method? Please explain. Yes 10. Does your agency employ a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) or an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) program? Yes 11. If the answer is yes, please briefly describe. TMA system for logging PM‟s and daily maintenance log (CM‟s), not sophisticated enough for tracking PM‟s. Only the Fleet department utilizes a CMMS system

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12. If not, how does your agency track work orders and general maintenance data? N/A 13. Does your agency use metrics in evaluating efficiency? Yes 14. If the answer is yes, please briefly describe. Basic data - % work complete of PM‟s and CM‟s 15. Does your agency utilize Standard Operating Procedures (SOP‟s) in standardizing work? No 16. What would you describe as your agency‟s greatest challenge in managing a maintenance program? Budget and institutional memory, frequent turn-over of key staff

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Appendix D Agency Name: Central Broward Water Control District

1. What is your name? 2. What is your title? Director 3. Briefly state the nature of the business and service your agency provides to public. Draining of Davie, Southwest Ranches, West Hollywood, and a small area of the city of Sunrise 4. Please describe the kind of maintenance performed (i.e. buildings, equipment, land etc.). 100 miles of canals, C-11 Basin 1 gate structure, 1 small pump - excavators, herbicide treatment. Usage of contractor for heavy maintenance & repair of equipment 5. Does your agency utilize a Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) program? No 6. If so, please briefly describe the program. N/A 7. If not, does your agency utilize any type of Preventative Maintenance (PM) program? No 8. If so, please briefly describe. N/A 9. If not, does your agency utilize a run-to-failure or reactive maintenance (corrective action) method? Please explain. N/A 10. Does your agency employ a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) or an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) program?

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No 11. If the answer is yes, please briefly describe. N/A 12. If not, how does your agency track work orders and general maintenance data? Verbal 13. Does your agency use metrics in evaluating efficiency? No 14. If the answer is yes, please briefly describe. N/A 15. Does your agency utilize Standard Operating Procedures (SOP‟s) in standardizing work? No, safety procedures only 16. What would you describe as your agency‟s greatest challenge in managing a maintenance program? Seasonal challenges – weather related preparedness

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Appendix E Agency Name: South Broward Drainage District

1. What is your name? 2. What is your title? Director 3. Briefly state the nature of the business and service your agency provides to public. Drainage of the south end of metropolitan Broward county 4. Please describe the kind of maintenance performed (i.e. buildings, equipment, land etc.). PM / CM & limited PdM of pump stations, water control structures 5. Does your agency utilize a Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) program? No 6. If so, please briefly describe the program. N/A 7. If not, does your agency utilize any type of Preventative Maintenance (PM) program? Yes 8. If so, please briefly describe. On-site inspections with check list; operational checks of pumps, PdM (fuel sampling only) 9. If not, does your agency utilize a run-to-failure or reactive maintenance (corrective action) method? Please explain. No

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10. Does your agency employ a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) or an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) program? No 11. If the answer is yes, please briefly describe. N/A 12. If not, how does your agency track work orders and general maintenance data? Does not track 13. Does your agency use metrics in evaluating efficiency? No 14. If the answer is yes, please briefly describe. N/A 15. Does your agency utilize Standard Operating Procedures (SOP‟s) in standardizing work? No, follow industry standards / seasonal maintenance schedule 16. What would you describe as your agency‟s greatest challenge in managing a maintenance program? To maintain “mission ready status” and ensure that the facilities are 100% operational when needed during a major storm event. Ensure funds are available within current financial constraints.

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Appendix F Agency Name: Old Plantation Water Control District

1. What is your name? 2. What is your title? Superintendent 3. Briefly state the nature of the business and service your agency provides to public. Diversion impoundment - Taking water in for well field recharge, drainage for the city Plantation 4. Please describe the kind of maintenance performed (i.e. buildings, equipment, land etc.). PM inspections and maintenance including operations of four pump stations with diesel engines, several single gate culverts and double gate water control structures 5. Does your agency utilize a Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) program? No 6. If so, please briefly describe the program. N/A 7. If not, does your agency utilize any type of Preventative Maintenance (PM) program? Yes 8. If so, please briefly describe. Inspection and operational checks of assets to mission-ready status 9. If not, does your agency utilize a run-to-failure or reactive maintenance (corrective action) method? No. Please explain. N/A

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10. Does your agency employ a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) or an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) program? No 11. If the answer is yes, please briefly describe. N/A 12. If not, how does your agency track work orders and general maintenance data? Secretary prints out a work order for corrective maintenance (CM) or customer complaints regarding water management related assets 13. Does your agency use metrics in evaluating efficiency? No, operation too small, not necessary to track and evaluate maintenance program 14. If the answer is yes, please briefly describe. N/A 15. Does your agency utilize Standard Operating Procedures (SOP‟s) in standardizing work? No, only safety policy and use of manufacturer‟s recommendations What would you describe as your agency‟s greatest challenge in managing a maintenance program? Budgetary constraints and managing vegetation