An Investigation of Sustainable Maintenance Performance Indicators: Identification, Expert Validation and Portfolio of Future Research

Abstract

The full integration of sustainability considerations into maintenance practices requires a close monitoring of maintenance impact through appropriate key performance indicators (KPIs) that take into account various sustainability aspects. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive framework of KPIs covering all the sustainability dimensions, and the few attempts to address this need are specific to certain industries and lack validation by experts in the field. Therefore, the aim of this research is to develop and validate a comprehensive and multidimensional framework of sustainability performance indicators for the assessment of maintenance impacts on the triple-bottom-line. To that end, an exhaustive list of general indicators is collected based on both international organizations standard-sets and published literature. Subsequently, this list is projected on the maintenance area to establish the pertinent indicators. Then, a validation phase is performed with a highly qualified expert panel through semi-structured questionnaires and follow-up discussions. The validated list of sustainable maintenance KPIs includes 63 indicators amongst which 34 belong to the environmental pillar and are split between various categories such as resource use, residuals, environmental compliance, etc. The social pillar comprises of 15 indicators related to occupational health and safety, training and development and customer satisfaction dimensions. Finally, the economic pillar includes 14 indicators split between economic performance and investment categories. The findings of this research provide guidance to practitioners in the field and set the foundations for conducting promising future works. A rich portfolio of future research based on the obtained results is proposed.

An Assessment Model for Sustainable Cities Using Crowdsourced Data Based on General System Theory: A Design Science Methodology Approach

“…The questionnaire was designed as a validation tool, with questions organized based on the taxonomy that has been created. This questionnaire is semi-structured [56], incorporating closed questions, allowing respondents to rank the relevance of criteria or indicators via a 5-point Likert scale wherein (1)-not at all relevant, (2)-slightly relevant, (3)-moderately relevant, (4)-very relevant, and (5)-extremely relevant, and the questions are open for additional suggestions or comments [57]. For the selection of experts, we used a purposive sampling method, focusing on individuals with special expertise in the field of smart cities, sustainable cities, or smart city assessments [58].…”

“…The number of invited experts is regulated in such a way so as to ensure adequate representation in order to guarantee the validity of the results. Next, the responses from experts are summarized and analyzed using the measures of central tendency and variability method [56]. If necessary, further discussions are held with the experts.…”

An Assessment Model for Sustainability City Using Crowdsourced Data Based on General System Theory: A Design Science Methodology Approach

“…This questionnaire finds its roots in the comprehensive taxonomy that has been meticulously crafted, encompassing a spectrum of criteria and indicators. The questionnaire itself adheres to a semi-structured format, encompassing a blend of both closed-ended and open-ended inquiries [49].…”

“…The distilled insights, encapsulating the collective wisdom of the experts, are subsequently subjected to a ranking process. This discerning process culminates in the curation of the final array of dimensions and indicators [49]. The threshold for determining this selection is anchored in a mean value equal to or exceeding 3.7.…”

Identification of Criteria for Enabling the Adoption of Sustainable Maintenance Practice: An Umbrella Review

“…Sustainable maintenance is slowly becoming a focus of mainstream research, mainly due to the benefits this practice offers, ensuring the long-term functionality, sustainability and viability of various systems and infrastructures [14][15][16][17][18]. As the world faces unprecedented challenges such as climate change and resource depletion, there is an urgent need for sustainable approaches in maintaining and managing organisational physical assets [19].…”