The Austroads assets task force, in its role as assets publications review panel, is responsible for developing the Austroads Guide to Asset Management. The framework for the Guide to Asset Management was developed on the basis of the Austroads asset management planning process, in close consultation with the Austroads technology program. The Guide to Asset Management comprises of:

Part 1: Introduction to Asset Management

Introduction to the key principles and concepts of asset management:

• an overview of the Guide to Asset Management.

Part 2: Stakeholder/Community Requirements (outcomes)

Identification of organisational and stakeholder requirements:

• road agency objectives
• customer expectations
• social and environmental issues
• stakeholder input from external agencies and government
• organisational priorities.

Part 3: Asset Strategies

Relationship between investment needs and agency strategic plans:

• equitable allocation of resources where resources are insufficient and prioritisation is necessary.

Part 4: Program Development and Implementation

Development of programs and their implementation:

• determination of desirable operational standards
• intervention criteria to assess current performance against targets
• use of criteria to identify performance gaps to be addressed by construction and preservation activities and road use policy interventions.

Part 5: Pavement Performance

Establishment and maintenance of asset inventories and monitoring asset performance.

Part 5: Pavement Performance contains specific sub parts:

-Part 5A - Inventory

• guidance on the assembly, processing and application of information on inventory and road use data
• provides strong complimentary support to the other sub parts covering pavement condition.

-Part 5B - Roughness

• the frequency and extent of network roughness surveys
• reference to the Austroads specifications and test methods for undertaking roughness surveys
• possible analysis using roughness data
• use of roughness data as a performance indicator.

-Part 5C - Rutting

• measurement and reporting of rutting for road management purposes
• manual and mechanical measurement of rutting
• frequency and extent of network rutting surveys
• validation procedures for profilometers.

-Part 5D - Strength

• consistency and quality in estimating, reporting and use of pavement strength in network asset management
• transformation of deflection data into reliable indicators of pavement strength.

-Part 5E - Cracking

• four current principal methodologies for measuring surface cracking in the road network
• preferred procedures for verification of distance and cracking data
• repeatability, reproducibility and bias of cracking data also covered
• frequency of network level cracking surveys
• proportion of a network to survey.

-Part 5F - Skid Resistance

• focus is on the technology most commonly used by practitioners
• explanation of the analysis of skid resistance data alongside surface texture data
• uses of skid resistance data at both site and network levels.

-Part 5G - Texture

• texture measurement for site investigative and road network management purposes
• macro-texture and micro-texture as pavement condition parameter
• texture measurements versus skid resistance measurements.

-Part 5H - Performance Modelling

Will provide guidance on the development, principles and application of pavement life cycle performance models, including modelling the effects of maintenance and other treatment works at the network management level. The modelling considered will extend from static models for the derivation of composite indicators (such as KPI's) from a range of simpler data, through to quite sophisticated forward pavement performance prediction modelling for functional, structural, and works effects.

Part 6: Bridge Performance

Monitoring of bridge performance, at a network (as opposed to structural investigation) level:

• complements the Guide to Bridge Technology.

Part 7: Road Related Assets Performance

Monitoring and measurement of the performance of road related assets, other than pavements (covered in part 5) and bridges (covered in Part 6):

• traffic signs and signals
• guardrail, bridge barriers and similar roadside furniture
• highway rest areas.

Part 8: Asset Valuation and Audit

How to undertake asset valuation:

• how to implement an audit process to ensure work activities reflect the works program and satisfy the asset and organisational strategies (and in turn stakeholder requirements)
• approaches to presenting information to external stakeholders and other customers including public reports and other media
• audits.

Parts 1, 5B, 5C, 5D and 5E have been completed and are available from the Austroads publications website. The website also has a number of other relevant publications about road network asset management available for reference.

Many publications are listed specifically under the title Asset Management, however asset managers may find publications of interest under other headings such as Project Evaluation, Bridge Technology, Transport Planning or Other.