Build a Maintenance Scrapbook: Proven Practices for Long‑Term Asset Management

Digital photography has revolutionized how maintenance teams record and manage the history of their assets. The key questions are: Which photos to capture, how to capture them, and why they matter.

For most maintenance departments that lack a visual record, a digital camera should be a top priority. Advances in sensor technology have dramatically improved image quality while reducing cost, making high‑resolution documentation both accessible and affordable.

Historical photographs serve several critical purposes:

1. General Condition: Assess asset deterioration, movement, or deformation over time.
2. Construction Verification: Confirm the exact location of features such as sewer lines or verify that rebar was present before a footer was poured. Detailed shots—paired with clear metadata (who, what, when, where)—ensure this documentation remains useful for five, ten, or even twenty years later.
3. Incident Evidence: Capture damage or accidents to support or defend insurance claims. This requires meticulous attention to metadata, including time, date, location, and photographer credentials.
4. Repair Documentation: Chronicle large repairs with a sequence of images taken hourly, per shift, or per day, accompanied by a narrative. This record should be stored for future reference, especially if the repair is revisited.

Guidelines for Effective Photography:

1. Plan Ahead: Ask yourself what you want to know five years from now. If the answer isn’t obvious, consult a knowledgeable colleague.
2. Establish Context: For the first image in a series, capture the asset in its full setting. Record the photographer, date, time, and shooting position. Note environmental factors such as weather when relevant.
3. Focus on Detail: Center the asset and use zoom or close‑up shots so that critical features occupy most of the frame. Avoid images where the subject is too small to be useful.
4. Ensure Adequate Lighting: Use natural light when possible; supplement with flash or artificial lighting to reveal necessary detail.
5. Capture Multiple Angles: Photograph front, back, top, and bottom to provide a comprehensive view.

After capturing, create a structured catalog, print a scrapbook, and announce its availability. Many large organizations struggle with thousands of uncatalogued photos that are essentially lost assets.

About the author:

Joel Levitt is a leading trainer of maintenance professionals. He has trained over 10,000 leaders from 3,000 organizations across 20 countries in more than 500 sessions. Since 1980, he has presided over Springfield Resources, a consulting firm serving clients of all sizes on a wide range of maintenance issues. Levitt brings nearly 25 years of hands‑on experience—including process control design, equipment inspection, electrical work, field service, merchant marine operations, manufacturing management, and property management. Prior roles include work at a CMMS vendor and in manufacturing leadership. Learn more at www.maintrainer.com or call 800‑242‑5656.