More PDF’s to manage your issues? No thanks!

Juggling a variety of complex issues comes with the territory for any asset manager. 

It’s no different in the renewable energy industry. Each issue is its own unique puzzle, requiring thoughtful analysis and decision-making. But it’s this complexity that is what makes the role both demanding and vital in the field. 

This short article focuses on one of those critical, yet important tasks: managing defects, snags, and failures - call it what you want. 

Why this task? According to our customers - technical asset managers working on large renewable portfolios - there are two key issues:

Challenge 1: Dissecting Complex Reports

The reality for most technical asset managers: a hefty PDF report lands on your desk, loaded with various issues. The primary struggle here is there's no straightforward way to break these down into manageable, individual problems. This lack of separation and prioritization leads to a difficult workflow where important details might be missed, and resources could be misdirected.

The repercussions of this challenge are significant:

Overwhelming Information: The report, crowded with issues is making it hard to identify where to start or how to allocate resources effectively.

Inefficient Workflow: Without a clear method to segregate and address each issue, the workflow becomes cluttered and disorganized, leading to inefficiencies and delays in problem-solving.

This lack of a structured approach to dissecting and managing issues from a comprehensive report can significantly hinder the effectiveness and responsiveness of asset management. It's about efficiently organizing and tackling them in a way that ensures nothing gets overlooked and every issue receives the attention it requires.

Challenge 2: Lack of Unique Issue Identifiers

Imagine trying to follow a trail without a map or clear markers. You probably wouldn’t get far before ending up off track. The same goes for managing defects. 

Each time a problem arises, whether it's a snag or a failure, it needs to be linked to its relevant data, progress updates, and resolution plans. This might seem like a small detail, but it has significant implications. Without a unique tag or identifier, this process turns into a time-consuming puzzle across multiple systems. Asset managers find themselves sifting through piles of information to match each piece to the right issue.

This lack of organization can lead to several setbacks:

Time-consuming Tracking: Managers spend an excessive amount of time just trying to figure out which update or piece of information belongs to which issue.

Potential for Mistakes: When issues are not clearly marked, it's easy to misplace information or mix up details between different problems, leading to errors in management and resolution.

Delayed Response: Ultimately, this confusion can slow down the entire process of addressing and resolving the issues, as much time is spent on just organizing and re-organizing information. In essence, the absence of clear identifiers turns what should be a streamlined process into a cumbersome, error-prone task, adding unnecessary complexity to the already challenging role of managing renewable energy assets.

The Consequences of These Challenges

These challenges can have a direct impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of asset management. Without the means to effectively dissect and track deviations, technical asset managers may struggle to maintain optimal asset performance. This can lead to increased downtime, higher operational costs, and a reduced ability to respond quickly to emerging issues.

Effective issue management not only streamlines operations but also ensures higher reliability and performance of renewable energy assets.