Don't inventory an asset just because the software has a field for it.

A CMMS can store far more asset information than an organization necessarily needs. Every additional attribute can create collection, validation, maintenance, governance and migration work. The useful question is not simply what the system can store, but what information supports a decision, action, obligation or evidence need.

Evidence breadth

Single-Case + Synthesized Conclusion

Where this applies

Asset inventory design, data migration, schema design, information collection and large-scale asset-data programs.

Last evidence review

September 22, 2026

What happened

Bernalillo County's asset-management procurement contemplated substantial physical-asset inventory and condition-data collection using technologies including LiDAR, lasers, cameras and GPS, supplemented by other information sources such as GIS, field surveys and existing records. Despite that collection capability, the County emphasized collecting necessary and useful information, keeping asset schemas simple, and making asset records efficient to add and edit. Before large-scale collection, asset-data collection templates were to be established for County approval.

Why it matters

More fields can create the appearance of a richer asset database while also creating more information that may need to be collected, validated, understood, governed and maintained over time. The design problem is therefore not maximizing the number of attributes collected. It is determining which information is sufficiently useful to justify its continuing stewardship.

What a buyer should do

Before inventory or migration begins, define the decisions and obligations each asset class needs to support. For each important attribute, ask what decision, action, obligation or evidence need depends on knowing it. Then approve the collection structure before applying it across the asset population.

Shape asset information around the decisions, actions and obligations it needs to support. Define and approve the information model before collecting or migrating data at scale.

What this evidence does and does not establish

This case does not establish that fewer fields are generally better or that Bernalillo County's selected attributes are appropriate for other organizations. Regulatory, safety, evidentiary and future-use obligations can justify information beyond immediate maintenance actions. The appropriate information model depends on the assets, work, decisions, obligations and operating environment.

What happened

Why it matters

What a buyer should do

What this evidence does and does not establish

Documented evidence