Information continues to exist without clear ownership, maintenance or assurance long after its reliability has deteriorated. Because the information remains visible in corporate systems, decision-makers may assume it is current and authoritative, creating the possibility that major operational or investment decisions are based on information that is no longer fit for purpose.
- Information creation should begin with a defined purpose so the organisation understands why the information needs to exist.
- Validation establishes confidence in information by confirming that it is sufficiently accurate and appropriate for its intended use.
- Information creates value when it is actually used to support operational, tactical or strategic decisions.
- Information needs ongoing maintenance because accuracy and relevance deteriorate as assets, operations and organisational requirements change.
- Configuration needs to be controlled so users understand which information represents the authorised or current state.
- Information assurance should test fitness for purpose rather than assuming that information is reliable simply because it exists in a system.
- Obsolete information needs to be identified when it no longer supports a legitimate organisational or decision-making requirement.
- Archiving and disposal need to be governed so information is retained only for as long as operational, regulatory or organisational needs justify it.
- Ownership needs to remain clear throughout the lifecycle so accountability doesn’t disappear as information moves between functions and systems.
- ISO 55001 and configuration management thinking can support information lifecycle management by connecting information requirements with asset and organisational objectives.
Real World
My early “machinery modernisation” experience helped shape this thinking. We were transitioning from ageing cam-driven automatic lathes toward CNC technology. The physical assets were changing, but so was everything surrounding them: maintenance knowledge, programming capability, spare-parts information, utilisation data, supplier information and the skills required to interpret it. Some of the older machines were effectively becoming their own spare-parts supply because components were increasingly difficult to source, with lead times sometimes reaching six months. At the same time, the people who knew those machines intimately were ageing or leaving the workforce.
Looking back, I can see that we weren’t simply managing the lifecycle of machinery. We were managing the lifecycle of the knowledge and information that made those machines valuable. Introducing digital asset and usage tracking, CMMS information, and analytics changed the decisions we could make about maintenance, utilisation, and replacement. That is why I struggle with organisations treating information as something created once and stored indefinitely. Information is created, used, validated, changed, superseded and eventually retired. If the physical asset changes but the information describing it doesn’t, we have effectively allowed part of the asset system to fall out of configuration.
Change Management Perspective
If we expect people to manage information as an organisational asset, we need to make ownership and accountability meaningful throughout its lifecycle. From a change perspective, I would identify who creates information, who validates it, who uses it, who maintains it and who determines when it is no longer required. More importantly, I would connect those activities to the decisions the information supports.
People are far more likely to maintain information properly when they understand its purpose rather than simply being told it is required. The change challenge is therefore not just establishing information governance; it is creating a shared understanding that information has value, cost, risk, and a lifecycle that needs active management.
Key Takeaway
If information enables asset decisions, it must be managed as an organisational asset.
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