Good planning is essential to business performance. Winston Churchill said, “He who fails to plan is planning to fail”. This is certainly true in a fleet management context, yet planning often gets overlooked, or is just outright avoided.

There is a seemingly endless list of reasons why planning can’t be done. Classic examples include; “We’re too busy” and “Why plan – things always change”. In fact, these two excuses are reasons to ensure good planning is in place! Planning leads to prioritisation, reduces duplication of effort and supports efficiency. Good plans help you be less busy. A changing environment is another reason to plan. When developing plans you; undertake research, analyse alternatives and consider criticalities. This means you’re better placed to deal with change when it happens. Plans are nearly always going to change – but they provide direction along the way.

Planning in a fleet management context

It is important to note that effective and efficient fleet management does not occur in isolation. Organisations hold and operate plant and vehicle fleets primarily for one purpose – to meet organisational objectives. When planning, there needs to be an understanding of the organisation’s higher order objectives and the needs of the various stakeholders in the fleet.

So, what are the main plans you need to guide the management of your fleet? There are two key documents that must be prepared to guide your fleet management. They are; the Fleet Asset Management Plan and the Fleet Business Plan.

Fleet Asset Management Plan

A Fleet Asset Management Plan (FAMP) is a long-term plan (typically a minimum of 10 years) describing an organisation’s management activities and resourcing to ensure the fleet delivers the necessary level of service in the most cost-effective way.

The FAMP should be developed to a level of detail commensurate with the complexity of the fleet and the organisation.

Some typical content of a FAMP include:

• A description of the assets covered in the plan
• Levels of Service
• Lifecycle management
• Financial details
• Risk
• Improvement opportunities.

Fleet Business Plan

The fleet business plan is a working document that guides the fleet unit’s activities in a manner that is aligned to corporate objectives. The fleet business plan usually covers a 12-month period.

Key elements of the business plan include:

• A description of the fleet unit’s role
• The scope of the plan including the assets covered and tasks undertaken
• Resources available to deliver the plan including staff, facilities and budget
• Business as usual activities and associated targets and performance measures
• Improvement initiatives and associated targets and performance measures.

The fleet business plan should be developed in conjunction with those responsible for its delivery and endorsed by senior management. The fleet business plan is a working document and should be available for reference by the fleet team as required. Progress should be regularly reviewed at team meetings to monitor progress and to identify the need for management intervention, if required.

 Plant and Vehicle Management Manual Edition 4

 Strategic Planning and Operational Planning are just two new chapters included in the recently updated Plant and Vehicle Management Manual (PVMM) Edition 4. The PVMM provides detailed guidance on the development of a Fleet Asset Management Plan based on the International Infrastructure Management Manual (IIMM) and adapted to a fleet context. These chapters in the manual also provides important information on Business Planning, Organisational design, staffing, resource planning and contract management.