Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
Procedia Engineering 20 (2011) 110 – 117
The 2nd International Building Control Conference 2011
A Conceptual Framework for Describing CSF of Building
Maintenance Management
E.M.A Zawawia*, S.N. Kamaruzzamanb, Z. Ithnina, and S.H. Zulkarnaina
a
b
Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Surveying, Universiti Teknologi Mara,Malaysia
Department of Building, Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya, Malaysia
Abstract
Critical Success Factors (CSF) is known as a tool for measuring performance in an organisation to achieve their
mission. In building maintenance, CSF is becoming very important as it could identify the cause of failure as well as
improving the system. The aim of this paper is to derive a generic process and procedure in maintenance management
to be used in various organisation in Malaysia. This paper will investigate the current practices of maintenance
management in the local authority organisations in Malaysia from strategies, rules and regulations to their future plan
for the next generation. More focus given on the management of maintenance including setting up an organisation,
policies and quality standard. The target group for sampling of data are the local authorities organisation in Selangor.
The respondents are the person incharge of building maintenance in each of the local authority organisation. Based
on the findings and literature review, a conceptual framework was then developed. It is believed that implementing
CSF would enhanced the management process and work planning which would result in a more economic use of
resources an a coresponding reduction in the total cost of maintaining building.
© 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Universiti Teknologi MARA Perak and
Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (ISM)
Keywords: Critical success factors, maintenance management, performance measurement
1. Introduction
Maintenance managements are still being practiced in improper procedure by the maintenance
managers which subsequently caused bad impacts to the facilities and the services provided. It can be
____________
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: emmamarinie@salam.uitm.edu.my
1877-7058 © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2011.11.145
E.M.A Zawawi et al. / Procedia Engineering 20 (2011) 110 – 117
seen that the managers prefer carrying out reactive maintenance works rather than proactive works and at
times do not consider for clients satisfaction and also the performance of services. There is an increasing
concern that the maintenance management has been unprofessionally applied by the maintenance
managers and no research has so far outlined the critical factors and deliberation on such impractical
practices. An excellent practice of maintenance management is greatly needed to increase the life cycle of
the property and to minimize unexpected breakdowns or deterioration effects. In this respect, the modern
maintenance manager will have to rely as much as possible on knowledge of the managerial and social
sciences as on the traditional technique knowledge base of building construction and deterioration.
Improper conduct and application of maintenance management procedure and systems may result in
deteriorating the property itself. Therefore, the performance of the maintenance management operations
have to be continuously reviewed and analyzed in order to ascertain a high quality service.
A building, services, and facilities require maintenance to ensure its optimal performance over its life
cycle [1]. Maintenance has been defined differently by authors. In this research, maintenance is defined
as the mean of processes, activities, procedures and services. It is undertaken in order to preserve, repair,
enhance and care at all time. Lateef et.al [1] also suggested that while carrying out maintenance, the
strategy must take into account current advancement in building regulations, standards and technologies.
Maintenance management in the private and the public sector has been rapidly changing throughout the
years. This is due to several factors such as the enhancement of sophisticated technology, globalization
and change of economy [2]. Maintenance management involves, planning, directing, organizing and
controlling and organizing maintenance activities and services to obtain maximum returns on the
investment. According to Myeda et al. [3], maintenance management is an essential aspect in determining
the performance and quality of properties such as office buildings. Atkinson et al. [4] also shares the
opinion on the importance of maintenance management performance, where the studies reported that
continual comparisons with organizations recognize and close the gap between its own performance and
that of the best practitioners. This is then supported by Zhu et al. [5] and Pintelon et al [6], where they
agree with that maintenance process should be considered as one of the company’s basic business
operations. The best way to achieve an excellent maintenance management is to have a good maintenance
management that match as closely as possible the expected requirements of the user [6].
The mission to transform Malaysia into a knowledge-based economy, where well-educated skilled
workers will be the main source of national prosperity and wealth, is prominent [7, 1]. However, for this
pragmatic transition to happen, a number of strategic issues are required to be considered and resolved.
Therefore organizations such as local authority which involve in providing good services to the public
would be a good case for research.
In Malaysia, maintenance managements are still being practiced on improper procedure by the
maintenance managers which subsequently caused bad impacts to the facilities and the service provided.
Myeda et al. [3] found that there is a need to have the performance measurement for maintenance
management in all organisation. Zakaria and Hamzah [8] state that the current building and facilities
maintenance management being practice in Malaysia are mostly not being emphasized clearly and
systematically which results in over budget costing for maintenance and remedial works. Recent studies
by Halil et al. [9] which looked into the chronology of defects being reported that maintenance sector in
Malaysia industry is unstable and constantly experiencing increasing maintenance failures and building
defects. This has indirectly shown the defiency in the maintenance system practiced in Malaysia.
In addition, the then Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi says that it is
very common to see that most government buildings were not regularly maintained because most faults
cannot be distinguished at their early stage Utusan Malaysia [10]. Based on this, he has suggested that
building maintenance guidelines need to be prepared in order to identify any damage from the early stage
Utusan Malaysia [11]. Thus this research will lead a way forward in preparing guideline for maintenance
management by identifying the critical success factors through evaluating the process failure.
111
112
E.M.A Zawawi et al. / Procedia Engineering 20 (2011) 110 – 117
2. The critical success factors
Critical Success Factor (CSF) has been significantly used to present or identify a few key factors that
organizations should focus on to be successful. As a definition, critical success factors refer to “the
limited number of areas in which satisfactory results will ensure successful competitive performance for
the individual, department, or organization” [12].
O’Brien [13] noted that there are four critical success factor required for an e-learning of maintenance
strategies including focused time throughout the project lifecycle, consistency and thorough
documentation, involvement from project leadership and selling the strategies. Ghandi [14] in his study
in project management found sixty-seven success related factors and were grouped under four main
project aspects, such as project characteristics, contractual arrangements, project participants and
interactive processes in the hierarchical model for project success. This shows that there are many aspects
of strategy in critical success factors need to be researched.
The Critical Success Factor (CSF) is derived from goals and objectives of the organizations where
certain factors and processes have to be in place. Under those conditions, factors and processes are
essential in achieving breakthrough performance within the organisation. Often, when implementing
performance measurement systems within their organisations, most managers make the mistake of not
aligning measurements to strategy. They fail to identify the processes that are essential for driving up
business performance. In other words, they fail to identify those processes that must be performed
exceptionally well for the organisation’s strategy to succeed [15]. Chisambara [15], noted that most
organisations must have a list of outcome measures, also known as lag indicators of what they want to
achieve, for example, increased profitability, improved market share, improved employee retention or
increased customer satisfaction but do not have a strategy to achieve those measures. The key is to having
a right mix of outcome measures and performance drivers. This will help to identify and evaluate whether
the current strategy is being implemented successfully. Myeda et.al [3], designed the performance
measurement for maintenance management in her study. She noted that the performance or maintenance
indicators are identified complete with the performance indicators respectively. Functional indicator for
instance outlines the management service delivery as its significant aspect. Table 1 elaborates the
performance measurement designed for maintenance management by Myeda et.al [3]. Zawawi and
Kamaruzzaman [16] developed a solution diagram to initially resolve some major problems which
included staff competency, maintenance asset record, maintenance schedule, plan for maintenance
operation and review of the process. They are designed in five steps as shown in figure 1 below.
Table 1 : Performance measurement designed for maintenance management (Myeda et.all, 2009)
Maintenance
Aspects
Functional
Management
Service
Performance
Dimension
Measurement
Deliverance Characteristic
1. Assurance
2. Reliability
Focus Group
Performance Key Metrics
113
E.M.A Zawawi et al. / Procedia Engineering 20 (2011) 110 – 117
,
Deliverance
Technical
Maintenance
Service
Image
Building
Image
3.
4.
5.
6.
,
Responsiveness
Relevance
Timeliness
Validity
,
Maintenance Services
1. Cleaning & Landscaping
2. General Maintenance
3. Lightings
4. Air-Conditionings
5. Lift/escalators
6. M&E
7. Sanitary & washing
facilities
8. Access, Signage &
parking
9. Safety & Security
g
g
(
)
Maintenance
Manager
1. Time/Use
2. Quality
End Users
Building Image
1. External Finishes
2. Internal Finishes
Figure 1 : Solution diagram (Zawawi and Kamaruzzaman, 2011)
3. Case study
A total of twelve local authorities in Selangor were selected for the first stage of pilot study which was
conducted in January 2011. These local authorities are shown in Table 10 below. As in general, a review
of Selangor, including its background and the existing local authorities were also done.
Local Authorities Pilot Study
Selangor in general has sloping terrains and is located between the ranges of hills and the Straits of
Malacca. The state covers an area of 791.669 hectares. Geographical position of Selangor and its rich
114
E.M.A Zawawi et al. / Procedia Engineering 20 (2011) 110 – 117
natural resources make it more developed in term of economic as compared to other states in Malaysia.
As a whole, Selangor is divided into nine districts which are Gombak, Petaling, Kuala Langat, Ulu
Langat, Klang, Sepang, Hulu Selangor, Kuala Selangor and Sabak Bernam.
Given the high rates of population and level of development that can be considered fast compared to
other states in Malaysia, the administration of local authorities is spilt into twelve (12) areas to facilitate
management and enforcement. At present the entire state is enacted under the Act 172 except for Sabak
Bernam, Hulu Selangor and Kuala Langat. Nine local authorities in Selangor represent the township:
Shah Alam City Council (MBSA), Petaling Jaya City Council (MPPJ), Subang Jaya City Council
(MPSJ), Klang Municipal Council (MPK), Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ), Selayang
Municipal Council (MPS), Sepang Municipal Council (MPSepang) and Kajang Municipal Council
(MPKj). The remaining constitute of rural local authorities such as Kuala Langat District Council
(MDKL), Hulu Selangor District Council (MDSH), Kuala Selangor District Council (MDKS) and Sabak
Bernam District Council (MDSB). Figure 2 shows the projection of residence in Selangor according to
local authorities.
Figure 2: Residence Projection according to Local Authorities (Data Demographic: Kerajaan Negeri Selangor, 2010)
Division of Maintenance Department
Table 2 below shows the summary of division of maintenance department of each local authority in
Selangor majority under engineering department except for Majlis Daerah Kuala Selangor (MDKS) and
Majlis Daerah Sabak Bernam (MDSB) which are located under the department of development and
maintenance.
Table 2: Division of Maintenance Department
E.M.A Zawawi et al. / Procedia Engineering 20 (2011) 110 – 117
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Local Authorities
Majlis Perbandaran Kajang (MPKj)
Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS)
Majlis Perbandaran Petaling Jaya (MPPJ)
Majlis Perbandaran Klang (MPK)
Majlis Perbandaran Sepang (MPSepang)
Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA)
Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya (MPSJ)
Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya (MPAJ)
Majlis Daerah Kuala Selangor (MDKS)
Majlis Daerah Hulu Selangor (MDHS)
Majlis Daerah Sabak Bernam (MDSB)
Majlis Daerah Kuala Langat (MDKL)
Division of Maintenance Department
Engineering Department
Engineering Department
Engineering Department
Engineering Department
Engineering Department
Engineering Department
Engineering Department
Engineering Department
Department Development & Maintenance
Engineering Department
Department Development & Maintenance
Engineering Department
115
116
E.M.A Zawawi et al. / Procedia Engineering 20 (2011) 110 – 117
4. Result and discussion
Based on the data gathered from the case study all maintenance work was placed under the
Engineering Department. A pilot study which was done in January 2011 found that all local
authorities have their own strategic plan of maintenance process to assist them in managing all
maintenance staff in order to cater to all complaints from the public. They conducted quite a
similar process in the managing the maintenance. As a big organisation that caters all the
complaints made by the public, local authorities do not only carry out maintenance on buildings but
they also cover other attributes including, park, roads and other infrastructure such as river and
drainage. The twelve local authorizes were also identified to have their own objective for the
department such as to fulfill publics needs and to ensure that all services will be maintained in
optimum condition for benefits of the public. The departments were each lead by a manager.
Supervisors provided assistance in small groups according to the specific field within the
departments. Some of them implemented computer based maintenance system in their job routines
and maintenance people mostly were grouped into sections based on their specialization. Their big
responsibilities might be useful if they have a good structure of process and procedure to provide
good service to the end users. The success of maintenance management initiatives depends on
many factors. In this study, critical success factors can be categorized into five primary categories:
1. leadership
2. culture;
3. structure, roles, and responsibilities;
4. system infrastructure;
5. measurement.
These five categories were based on the objective of the organisation. In general public
satisfaction was indentified to be their goals. This has brought to the prediction theory as in Figure
3 below.
Leadership
Customers/Publics
satisfaction
Culture
Structure, roles and responsibilities
System infrastructure
Measurement
Figure 3: Five categories of Critical Success factors towards meeting the customer’s satisfaction
5. Conclusion
In conclusion, CSF can be seen to help to create successful competitive performance organization
as maintenance management for this study. The CSF categories identified will be investigated in
detail in the next steps which involve interview and distribution of questionnaires. In addition, it is
also essential to identify the constraint of the critical success factors. In understanding the
constraints, critical success factors defence measures can be derived. Knowing the constraints will
eliminate predicted work which can bring about greater risks to the company's success. Knowing
critical success factors in the operation of the business can strengthen management strategy. Risk
E.M.A Zawawi et al. / Procedia Engineering 20 (2011) 110 – 117
management process can be more focused and many issues will be corrected and probability of
failure is greatly reduced. Every single activity within the organization will be directed towards
achieving the overall success of the company. It is believed that that this paper has closed some
loops in solving problems faced in maintenance department. It is hoped the CSF will be a very
useful reference for maintenance departments in Malaysia, helping them to improve both the status
and the standard of the maintenance system.
References
[4] Atkinson,A.A., Waterhouse, J.H., Wells, R.B. (1997). A Stakeholder approach to strategic performance measurement.
Sloan management Review, Vol 39, No.3, pp.25-37
[15]
Chisambara,
Peter
(2010),
Identifying
your
Organisation
Critical
Success
Factors
http://financeleadership.net/business-strategy/identifying-your-organisations-critical-success factors/, [retrieved on
13.02.2011]
[7] Government of Malaysia (2006), Ninth Malaysian Plan 2001-2005, Putrajaya: Economic Planning Unit, Prime
Minister Department.
[2] Horner R.M.W., El-Haram M.A, and munns A.K., (1997) Building Maintenance Strategy: A New management
Approach, Journal of Quality in maintenance Engineering, Vol.3, No.4, pp. 273-280.
[14] Jimish Gandhi (2005), Preliminary Assessment of Project Management Practices of Public Housing Authorities,
Community and Economic Development Program, School for Planning, Design, and Construction Michigan State
University.
[1] Lateef, Abdul,O., Mohd faris Khamidi and Arazi Idrus (2009), maintenance management of University Building,
Proceedings International Sysposium on Construction in Developing Economies: Commonalities Among Diversities,
penang, 5-7 October 2009, CIBW107, University Science Malaysia, pp. 578-592.
[3] Myeda N.E., S.N. Kamaruzzaman, Z.A Samad, , E.M.A Zawawi, (2009) Establishing the Key Factors in Measuring
Maintenance Management Performance, Proceedings 1st Regional Sysmposium on Sustainable Construction Material and
Building System (SUCOMBS) 12th October 2009.Boulevard Hotel, Midvalley, Kuala Lumpur.
[9] Natasha Halil, Husrul Nizam Hussin, Abdul Hadi Nawawi, Ahmad Ezanee Hasim (2008) ‘Post occpancy evaluation
for evaluating facilities in higher education buildings’ SENVAR, ICECC, Kuala Lumpur.
[13] O’Brien, Coley (2005), E-Learning Maintenance Strategies — Why You Need One, [retrieved on 15.11.2009 from
http://www.astd.org/LC/2005/0805_obrien.htm]
[6] Pintelon, L., Gelders L and Van Puyvelve F (2000) Manitenance management Leuven: ACCO
[12] RapidBi (2011) http://rapidbi.com/created/created/criticalsuccessfactors/#WhatareCSFs [retrieved on 20.03.2011]
[10] Utusan Malaysia (2006a) Kesan kerosakan: PM arah JKR sedia garis panduan senggaraan elak pembaziran, 20
Februari 2006
[11] Utusan Malaysia (2006b) Pastikan kerja-kerja penyenggaraan sempurna. 21 Februray 2006
[8] Zakaria, Azman and Hamzah, Saufi (2007) Pelan Kualiti Elak Projek Hadapi Masalah: majlis Aset Kebangsaan
mampu Tingkatkan Kecekapan Penyeggaraan. Berita Harian, August, 15, 2007, p.2.
[16] Zawawi E.M.A, S.N. Kamaruzzaman, Z.A Samad, N.E. Myeda (2009a), A Quick survey on Maintenance
Management Practice in Malaysian Building Industry. Proceedings 1 st Regional Sysmposium on Sustainable Construction
Material and Building System (SUCOMBS) 12th October 2009.Boulevard Hotel, Midvalley, Kuala Lumpur.
[16] Zawawi, Emma M.A. , Syahrul Nizam Kamaruzzaman (2009b), Personnel Characteristic of Maintenance Practice: A
Case of High Rise Office Buildings in Malaysia, Journal of Sustainability Development, March,2009, Canadian Center of
Science and Education
[15] Zhu, G., Gelders L and Pintelon L (2007) Object/Objective-oriented Maintenance management, pp 306-310
[Retrieved on November,17,2009] from http://emeralinsight.com/1355-2511.htm.
117