The Challenge

Breakthroughs in technology usually occur when relationships between existing components or competencies are reconfigured in novel ways.  Innovation can be measured by the extent to which the boundaries between discrete components are dissolved - either through better alignment of the parts or by designing a new device where the identities of the discrete parts are lost as the connections are eliminated. [1] An example of this process is the Integrated Circuit, which was invented in 1958 to cope with the increasing complexity of electronic circuits and the need for faster, more reliable flows of information between components. 

Today, organisations face similar challenges in finding property solutions that meet the need for improved business performance.  Sir Michael Lyons, in his review of the central government civil estate (2004) observed: ‘Area-wide asset management, crossing administrative boundaries seems to be in its infancy’ and called for ‘greater cross-boundary co-ordination and co-operation, particularly in the development of local area asset management plans’. [2] Management systems play a key role in strategic and operational planning in public and private sectors, aligning different processes within the same organisation and allowing different organisations in business alliances to work together.  A well-designed system for managing property assets should follow the example of the Integrated Circuit fifty years ago, joining property management with other parts of the business to form a new and better system.

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