The GCCIA is responsible for planning, implementing and operating the power transmission interconnection between the GCC states. As such, it is imperative that the organisation has strong asset management cand investment planning capabilities. Because of budget constraints and the ageing asset base, GCCIA wanted to step-change its’ planning and operating capabilities and chose the ISO 55001 Asset Management standard as the benchmark.
The project started with a capability assessment against the ISO 55001 standard and other best practice standards. A roadmap and business case for change was developed and approved by the Board. The objectives of the business case were to achieve the ISO 55001 standard within nine months and to make significant capability improvements in investment decision-making and corporate business planning.
We then provided support to manage and implement the roadmap within the planned timescales. This involved the design and implementation of a new asset and business investment planning process with tools and templates, and the supporting asset information, risk, cost and performance processes. We re-designed the governance structures and processes and established new strategies to support the investment plans. In order to achieve the ISO 55001 standard, we also made a number of operational improvements.
The whole programme of work was supported with extensive training, awareness and knowledge transfer.
The project was a complete success, with early certification being achieved at the first attempt. Several new processes were implemented particularly around investment decision-making, asset information and business planning. Significant training and awareness was undertaken, which resulted in a major culture change in how investment plans were developed and how assets were managed over their lifetime.
