IAM feature Guiding light Almost a decade after it was published, a key IAM document is under review. CEO Ursula Bryan and Professional Development and Membership Manager Jodie Williamson share the developments so far The current IAM Competences Framework (Part 1: Requirements & Part 2: Guidance) was last published in 2014. Feedback from individual and corporate members, especially those who have used the framework for personal use or during implementation in an organisation, highlighted a need to review and update the framework, as well as an opportunity to update the guidance. The framework contains a unified set of generic competence requirements that apply to all organisations and sectors whose business performance relies on asset management. It applies to people in asset management roles from any sector, including those selected for, or aspiring to, such positions. The current Competences Framework identifies seven key roles: Policy development Strategy development Asset management planning Implement asset management plans Asset management capability development Risk management and performance improvement Asset knowledge management. Author bio Ursula Bryan is the CEO at the IAM. Prior to this role, she worked for more than 30 years as an Asset Management Leader at National Grid. She is a past President of the IAM, has been a member of the IAM Board since 2009 and was made a Life Fellow of the IAM in 2022. We were delighted with the response we received. More than 500 individuals completed the questionnaire to share their views on the current IAM Competences Framework. We want to thank everyone who took the time to respond The framework comprises: A key purpose statement for asset managers The seven key roles needed to achieve this purpose The 27 units of competence needed to deliver these roles The elements of competence that define the requirements for individuals. The framework is aligned with the Global Forum for Maintenance and Asset Management Landscape 39 subjects. It consists of two volumes. Volume 1 lists a complete suite of competence requirements and an indication of the knowledge needed to meet them. It can be used for: Writing or reviewing job descriptions Planning recruitment Defining selection criteria Identifying individual learning and development needs Managing individual and team performance Career planning Performance review. Volume 2 offers guidance on how to use the framework and customise it for an organisation. The framework can be adapted to meet specific needs by deciding which areas apply to the roles within an organisation and to what extent. This volume also covers how to bring processes together for a systematic approach to managing the competence of an organisations asset management workforce. The Competences Framework Review project has been split into two parts. First, a review and recommendation process, followed by the revision of the documentation. Each stage is likely to take six months, with the first stage just beginning. At the start of 2023, we put out a call for volunteers to contribute to the review. The response was excellent. We received expressions of interest from more than 30 volunteers, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who volunteered. From the list of volunteers, we have appointed a steering group, two co-project managers, and an insights group. We have appointed two project managers because feedback from our volunteers involved with other IAM groups and projects has shown the benefits of having two people to share the work, with one being able to step up when the other project manager is busy. We have also taken the opportunity to appoint project managers from different time zones to cover interaction with as many of our volunteers as possible. Jim Conlin, IAM Board Member and Faculty Chair, will chair the steering group. It will oversee the review of the IAM Competences Framework. Members of the steering group have been selected to ensure representation from asset-owning organisations, service providers and academia, as well as individuals at different career stages and from different countries around the world. The project managers will report to the steering group chair and will undertake project management duties, including coordinating the work of the project teams and reporting to the steering group. The project managers will also support the organisation of the steering group meetings. The insights group will support the steering group and project managers through various means, including: Interviewing people with experience of using and integrating the Competences Framework Providing their own experiences and case studies of using the Competences Framework Collating and reviewing questionnaire responses Acting as a sounding board for the steering group. In addition to the call for volunteers, we created a questionnaire to seek feedback on the use of and experiences with the IAM Competences Framework from the wider asset management community. Once again, we were delighted with the response we received. More than 500 individuals completed the questionnaire to share their views on the current Competences Framework. We want to thank everyone who took the time to respond. These responses will be reviewed by the insights group, along with the results of a workshop with the IAM Patrons group, and used by the steering group to prioritise areas of the existing framework that need to be updated or improved. Get involved If you would like to get involved with the Competences Framework Review project, please look out for specific calls for volunteer support in your emails and on our IAM LinkedIn page, and volunteer via the volunteer now portal. Author bio Jodie Williamson is Professional Development and Membership Manager at the IAM. She was previously Professional Development Lead at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.