在本文中，作者提出了一个案例，要求水和废水公用事业公司制定明确且深思熟虑的基础设施资产管理策略。作者指出，公用事业公司通常有资产管理的默认策略，根据历史趋势的预算和规划实践开展业务。这里定义的方法有助于最佳管理的公用事业公司将职能活动和实践与公司范围内的目标结合起来，以实现战略或长期目标。必须在公用事业的所有职能领域，包括运营、工程、规划、财务和执行职能，制定、阐明、整合和支持有效的资产管理战略。 这些职能中的每一项都需要以这一战略为指导。作者定义了开发这些资产管理策略所需的能力、规划的潜在数据来源以及规划内容的模型。该策略是传递资产（和维护）管理实践的基础，处理资产的整个生命周期，从概念设计到其使用寿命结束时的处置。该战略设定了要实现的目标，指导关于花费的工作量、使用的工具和用于衡量绩效的数据的决策。包括4个参考文献，图。

In this paper, the authors make a case for water and wastewater utilities todevelop explicit and well thought-out infrastructure asset management strategies.The authors make the distinction that utilities typically have default strategiesfor asset management, conducting business based on budgeting and planningpractices rooted in historical trends. The approaches defined here help thebest-managed utilities align functional activities and practices withcorporate-wide goals to achieve strategic or longer-term objectives. An effectiveasset management strategy must be developed, articulated, integrated andsupported across all functional areas of the utility, including operations,engineering, planning, and finance and executive functions. Each of thesefunctions needs to be guided by this strategy. The authors define thecompetencies needed to develop these asset management strategies, sources ofpotential data for the planning, and models for the content of the plans. Thestrategy is the foundation for delivering asset (and maintenance) managementpractices dealing with the entire life cycle of an asset, from conceptual designto disposal at the end of its useful life. The strategy sets goals to beachieved, guides decisions regarding the amount of effort to expend, tools touse, and data to capture for measuring performance. Includes 4 references, figure.