Aimée L Felton 2012

41 FOUR increasing or lessening due to these external forces - irrespective of protection in place. An appreciation and understanding of this is crucial, so not to risk compromising or causing permanent reduction in the asset’s value (Worthing, D and Bond, S. 2008:p139) for both the organisation and the heritage they protect. Conversely, it needs to be understood that the ongoing management action may intentionally or inadvertently transform the cultural significance of the asset, due to changing priorities within the organisation and society. This needs to be acknowledged alongside a change in perspectives within society, with an approach that can be regularly updated upon completion of annual, or quinquennial (QQ’s) reports. When finance, economics and budgeting are such integral components of an organisations management system, effective decisions regarding prioritisation of relative and competing issues is an important function of a successful maintenance management plan. Only when conservation policies are derived from an unbiased conservation plan, adapted to align with organisation goals and agendas, including heritage focused awareness does it become possible for historic buildings to have a central and strategic role within corporate planning. There is a limit to how useful and usable the information collated through condition surveys, historical archives and user feedback can be to organisations. There is a relationship between quantity against quality and it is vital that information is not collected just because it can be. Whilst a certain precision and investigation is needed to ensure the correct typology and detail of Four•Four Information management Chapter Four - Maintenance Management Aimee Felton