Colloquial terminology can cost big dollars
The Insight
The GEMS database forms the asset management system for Defence in Australia.
When a project constructs, installs or replaces something, the asset needs to be captured on GEMS. These assets are often captured offline by engineers or contractors in a specialised field where items are known under niche terminology.
This terminology does not always match the GEMS database.
The GEMS database has a thesaurus – the Estate Data Requirement (the EDR or sometimes referred to as the ERIM). This is a list created by the GEMS team and contains all the assets that are required to be captured across all applicable Defence fields.
Capturing assets offline and transferring them to the GEMS database can cause issues. For example, what one may refer to as a switch in their field may not actually be a switch in the database.
The Impact
When creating assets on GEMS, it’s important to remember what the GEMS database is actually used for.
GEMS maintains and manages assets across the Defence estate, including scheduling regular and reactive maintenance for assets. The GEMS database also tracks warranty information and manages the current and future cost of an asset.
For this combination of functions to be achieved, the GEMS database must be comprehensive and accurate.
It’s important to put on paper what an asset is, not what it is referred to colloquially or even more often by its function.
There are many instances where an asset name and function do not match the asset type. One clear example is a circuit breaker when it is used on a switchboard and is referred to as a ‘switch’. If a circuit breaker is captured as a switch on GEMS, it will be assigned a more expensive maintenance cost that is associated with ‘switchgear’ than if it were captured as a ‘circuit breaker’.
To maintain the integrity of the GEMS database, it is important to capture an asset on GEMS for what it truly is.
Quick tips:
GEMS has the ability to describe the asset by its function under the ‘Asset Description’ whilst simultaneously assigning it to the correct asset.
In the case of the above circuit breaker, a main switchboard main switch can be described as ‘MSB 100A Main Switch’ while still being classed on GEMS as a ‘Circuit Breaker’.
Keep in mind what you would need to purchase to replace this asset if you needed to order one, or how this is denoted within the drawings.
Always refer to the usage guidance in the EDR.