📌 What Is Deferred Maintenance?

Deferred Maintenance refers to incomplete repairs, postponed refurbishments, and system upgrades that are delayed due to budget constraints or strategic deferrals. When funding is limited, the backlog of neglected maintenance grows rapidly—leading to costly and complex consequences.

🚨 The Real Problem

We often hear about infrastructure failures in the media, yet little seems to change. So what’s driving this persistent issue?

• Political priorities
• Budget limitations
• Skill shortages
• All of the above—and more

📊 Insights from the Asset Management Best Practice Survey

The 2013 survey revealed a troubling trend: many asset custodians appear resigned to poor infrastructure and service delivery. Complaints are often dismissed, and deferred maintenance is normalized. Funding is frequently redirected to emergencies or high-visibility projects—especially near election cycles—leaving critical systems vulnerable.

📉 Training Gaps & Executive Blind Spots

One survey question asked about the scope of quality and productivity training. While options included executives and support staff, few organizations actually train senior leadership in Asset Management. This lack of awareness at the top may be the root cause of deteriorating infrastructure.

🔍 Common Reasons for Maintenance Deferral

• Insufficient manpower
• Lack of technical expertise
• Pending renovations or modernization plans
• Operational disruptions
• Unavailable parts or materials

🧠 Understanding the Why

Maintenance managers must study the causes of deferral to prevent recurrence. By understanding historical patterns, they can develop proactive strategies to avoid future backlogs and improve asset reliability.

🛠️ Addressing the Backlog

• Identify root causes of deferred projects
• Assess the scale and urgency of the backlog
• Quantify financial impact and communicate it clearly
• Prioritize tasks and secure sustainable funding
• Implement preventive maintenance to avoid future delays

📋 Asset Identification & Register Integrity

A thorough asset identification process is essential. Skipping this step undermines every subsequent action. A well-maintained Asset Register provides:

• Current asset condition estimates
• Replacement timelines
• Compliance data for accounting and regulations
• Location and custodianship for audits
• Maintenance frequency and history
• Lifecycle cost analysis by asset and activity

📌 Physical Verification of Immovable Assets

Verification confirms that assets listed in the register physically exist and match their specifications. For insurance and audit purposes, nameplate details must be validated—not just make, model, and serial number, but dozens of technical fields. For vehicles, this can exceed 90 specification points.