Lessons from Kamloops: Consistency, Council Reporting and Better Decisions
The City of Kamloops shares how it uses NAMS+ to tell the service delivery story to decision makers, identify gaps, support reporting and keep asset management work on track.
Consistency is one of the hardest parts of asset management work in a large community. Different definitions, planning expectations and reporting approaches can make it difficult to move work forward, communicate clearly and build confidence in decisions. That was a long-standing challenge at the City of Kamloops.
Greg Sawatzky, Asset Management Analyst for the City of Kamloops, says the City had been pursuing asset management goals since the early 2000s, but one challenge persisted: “The internal use of various definitions and individual content requirements for asset management planning.” Using NAMS+, with its links to ISO standards, created “a more uniform understanding of the AM process across the organization,” he said.
NAMS+ is a web-based tool designed to support asset management planning and help organizations use the data they have to tell a clearer story about service, risk and cost. As NAMS Canada explained in a recent webinar, it is not intended to replace GIS, work order or other operational systems. Instead, it helps communities compare scenarios, support planning conversations, and show what they can and cannot do with the resources they have.
Kamloops uses the Asset Lifecycle and Asset Management Documents tools within NAMS+ to identify knowledge and data gaps and to see where its asset management process needs the most work. Those tools help “prepare the data for future decision-making scenarios,” said Sawatzky.
NAMS+ has also helped the City communicate asset management information more clearly with council and staff. Kamloops has used NAMS+ graphs and reports in council presentations and staff meetings, “They help make budget and asset registry information more easily understood,” says Sawatzky.
That clear communication can influence key decisions, says Sawatzky. In one council meeting, a NAMS+ report and graph for a specific asset class helped influence a funding outcome in favour of a long-term maintenance program.
Sawatzky also points to the value of NAMS+ in keeping progress steady over time saying NAMS+ has provided “guardrails for process development” that keep data collection and process documentation relevant and consistent. In his words, it helps keep Kamloops City departments and functional areas “between the lines,” so the City is not “duplicating efforts or missing key steps.”
Kamloops’ experience shows that good asset management work depends on more than collecting information. It depends on having a process that helps teams stay aligned, identify gaps, communicate clearly, and use the information on hand to guide conversations and decisions. In Kamloops, NAMS+ has become part of that work.
Kamloops’ experience shows how a consistent asset management process can support clearer reporting, better conversations and stronger decisions. Find out how NAMS+ can help your community.