Chapter 5: Exploring Existing Gaps in Maintenance Models and Frameworks

From the review of the existing models and frameworks in Chapter 4 and the work of López-Campos et al. (2010) on which this current study is built, it is evident that most of the research findings regarding the maintenance management of built assets are conducted in developed countries. From the 14 reviewed frameworks, 70% of the work was from countries in Europe (developed), 20% from North America (developed) and 10% from Asia (developed and developing). Work from developed countries, Europe, dominated the findings. Though there was work related to the maintenance of public infrastructure identified in developing countries, especially in India, the work was not exhaustive and only highlighted the selection of a maintenance strategy and its impact on the maintenance function. Thus, limited work on sustainable maintenance strategies for public assets was identified in emerging economies. This section of the study identified gaps in knowledge in the maintenance of public infrastructure. The gaps are identified from the reviewed models and frameworks in this chapter, which might also share a similar context in relation to maintenance issues experienced in emerging economies. The gaps discussed in this section include stakeholder coordination and employee coordination. Stakeholder coordination was considered for the coordination of project management team and facility management (FM) at the design and post-occupancy stage of a building’s lifecycle while AM was essential in ensuring that maintenance budgets are formulated based on the requirements of maintenance that emanate at the operations stage of the public infrastructure.