AM Competency Framework (AMCF)

The Canadian Network of Asset Managers (CNAM) has taken its Asset Management Competency Framework for Canadian Communities (AMCF) and expanded it into this comprehensive online resource for improving the AM capacity of public sector organizations in Canada and enhancing the capabilities of AM practitioners in those organizations.

CNAM » AMCF » The AM Competency Framework for Canadian Communities » The AM Functional Areas and Roles » Engineering

Engineering

Description:

Focus is on identification of service-delivery solutions, planning, and selection, design, and delivery of infrastructure.
Encompasses professional engineer, engineer-in-training, and similar roles in the organization.
Typically embedded in one or more departments like development services, facilities, and public works.

Key AM Responsibilities:

Support development of AM strategies and plans, the AM management system, and levels of service.
Manage engineering-related AM life cycle activities, including project delivery.
Support AM decision-making and analysis.
Integrate AM into engineering practice.

AM Roles:

As described previously, the generalist AM Roles described in the General AM functional area are focused on the whole of AM. The roles making up this and other AM Functional Areas would be specialist AM roles. These specialist AM Roles would be focused on only a portion of AM, as represented by the functional area they are found in. Generally, these roles would include subject matter experts in that functional area, often with backgrounds, skillsets, and experience in the related domain.

As mentioned, the roles are described in the form of a competency profile, including a title, description, key responsibilities, and expected competency proficiency in each of the AM Competencies. Expected competency proficiency is defined utilizing the AMCF Proficiency Scale. These generic roles can be used to assist in describing and assessing some of your organization’s own AM practitioner positions. Use the AM Competency Profile Template to create a customized competency profile with your organization’s AM position’s details.

Remember that these AM Roles might encompass a person’s entire job, or only a portion of that job. Several different people may have a piece of their job devoted to one or more of the AM Roles across one or more AM Functional Areas. Additionally, remember that any of the AM Functional Areas or AM Roles described can be delivered by external service providers or consultants as well.

AM Role	Junior Engineering Specialist
*Description*	A junior supporting role, either as part of a team or alone. Provides general engineering support for AM. May be in an AM department or may be embedded in an infrastructure-related department (likely Engineering) in the organization.
*Key AM Responsibilities*	Assists in the development of business cases to provide rationale for projects. Confirms projects align with AM Strategies, Plans, and community priorities. Advise on project prioritization framework. Supports development of AMPs. Supports AM decision-making and analysis. Supports integration of AM into engineering practice and follows the practices and procedures of the AM Management system in their work. Supports management of engineering-related AM life cycle activities, including project delivery.

Expected AM Competency Proficiency	*AM Competency*	*Expected Proficiency*
	Leading Others	1 – Basic
	Collaboration	1 – Basic
	Contextual Analysis	1 – Basic
	Holistic Thinking	1 – Basic
	Decision Making	1 – Basic
	Risk Analysis	2 – Intermediate
	Information Management	1 – Basic
	Financial Analysis	1 – Basic
	AM Expertise	1 – Basic
	Service Focus	1 – Basic
	Infrastructure Management	2 – Intermediate
	Continuous Improvement	1 – Basic

AM Role	Life Cycle Delivery Engineering Specialist
*Description*	An intermediate supporting or advisory role, either as part of a team or alone. Provides engineering support for AM related to one of the life cycle stages: Design Project Delivery Reliability & Maintenance Decommissioning & Disposal May be in an AM department or may be embedded in an infrastructure-related department (likely Engineering) in the organization.
*Key AM Responsibilities*	Manages engineering-related AM life cycle activities. Integrates AM into engineering practices. Supports development of and ensures engineering-related AM life cycle activities align with AM strategies and plans, the AM management system, levels of service, and organizational and community priorities. Follows the practices and procedures of the AM Management system when delivering engineering-related AM life cycle activities. Provides information for AM decision-making and analysis. Ensures full lifecycle financial information for engineering-related AM life cycle activities is integrated into long term financial plans. Integrates AM risk framework into project delivery.

*Specialization*	*Additional Responsibilities*
Design	Contributes to project business case development. Develops, implements and maintains operational strategies, plans, and business cases for corridor optimization, departmental collaboration, and achieving regulatory compliance. Designs projects to effectively balance full life cycle costs, risk mitigation, and service levels, with consideration of infrastructure system resiliency and community sustainability, utilizing the principles and practice of systems and reliability engineering.
Project Delivery	Manages engineering-related AM project delivery. Integrates AM risk framework into engineering-related AM project delivery. Monitors all aspects of project management including health and safety, compliance, planning, contingencies, shutdowns, outages, and resourcing.
Reliability and Maintenance	Implements asset strategies to optimize lifecycle costs. Measures performance towards LOS. Utilizes LOS targets to guide maintenance decision making. Analyzes risk associated to asset reliability and maintenance. Develops, implements and maintains operational strategies, plans, and business cases for O&M related activities. Determines appropriate adverse event management strategies in accordance with AM best practices. Assesses quality and performance management including condition, asset and service performance, reliability, and resiliency.
Decommissioning and Disposal	Evaluates and communicates the costs of decommissioning assets, and the risks associated in decommissioning/ not decommissioning. Aligns decommissioning with AM strategies. Develops, implements and maintains operational strategies, plans, and business cases for decommissioning related activities.

Expected AM Competency Proficiency	*AM Competency*	*Expected Proficiency*
	Leading Others	1 – Basic
	Collaboration	1 – Basic
	Contextual Analysis	2 – Intermediate
	Holistic Thinking	2 – Intermediate
	Decision Making	2 – Intermediate
	Risk Analysis	3 – Advanced
	Information Management	2 – Intermediate
	Financial Analysis	2 – Intermediate
	AM Expertise	2 – Intermediate
	Service Focus	2 – Intermediate
	Infrastructure Management	4 – Expert
	Continuous Improvement	2 – Intermediate

AM Role	Engineering Decision Support Specialist
*Description*	An intermediate supporting or advisory role, either as part of a team or alone. Provides engineering decision support for AM. May be in an AM department or may be embedded in an infrastructure-related department (likely Engineering) in the organization.
*Key AM Responsibilities*	Develops business cases utilizing life cycle analysis to provide rationale for projects. Integrates AM into engineering practices. Ensures projects align with AM Strategies, Plans, and community priorities. Advise on project prioritization framework. Assesses the engineering risks of projects. Support development of AM strategies and plans, the AM management system, and levels of service. Support AM decision-making and analysis. Develops, implements and reviews AMP.

Expected AM Competency Proficiency	*AM Competency*	*Expected Proficiency*
	Leading Others	1 – Basic
	Collaboration	1 – Basic
	Contextual Analysis	2 – Intermediate
	Holistic Thinking	3 – Advanced
	Decision Making	3 – Advanced
	Risk Analysis	3 – Advanced
	Information Management	2 – Intermediate
	Financial Analysis	2 – Intermediate
	AM Expertise	2 – Intermediate
	Service Focus	2 – Intermediate
	Infrastructure Management	3 – Advanced
	Continuous Improvement	2 – Intermediate

AM-Adjacent Roles:

The roles we describe here are comprised of related, but AM-adjacent, responsibilities. While they would strictly fall outside the scope of the AMCF, they have been included to provide some additional context and contrast to the AM Roles. Remember, individuals fulfilling these roles would still be expected to apply fundamental AM principles and concepts and provide an appropriate level of support to AM practitioners, using their general competence in AM, as described by the AM Fundamentals competency. These AM-adjacent roles will often involve providing practical advice or support to others as to the interaction of the functional area with AM issues and situations. See Who Does the AMCF Apply to? For additional details.

AM-Adjacent Role	Senior Engineering Expert
*Description*	Provides subject matter support and advice to the AM program.
*Key AM Responsibilities*	Advises on development of best practices for AM-Engineering integration. Advises on AM Policies and Strategies from an Engineering perspective, particularly with regard to asset systems interdependencies and risks. Advises on organizational strategic alignment of AM decision-making and risk frameworks. Reinforces, communicates, and supports AM and AM culture in the Engineering functions of the organization

Expected AM Competency Proficiency	*AM Competency*	*Expected Proficiency*
Expected AM Competency Proficiency	AM Fundamentals	3 – Advanced

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AM Competency Framework (AMCF)

Engineering

Description:

Key AM Responsibilities:

AM Roles:

AM Role

Junior Engineering Specialist

AM Role

Life Cycle Delivery Engineering Specialist

AM Role

Engineering Decision Support Specialist

AM-Adjacent Roles:

AM-Adjacent Role

Senior Engineering Expert

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