Fixed assets frequently account for the largest part of an organisation's balance sheet, yet they receive less control than cash or stock. Registers fall behind, tags fade, assets move between departments without records, and depreciation is calculated on items that no longer exist. For donor-funded projects and public bodies, weak asset control is also one of the most common audit findings.

This programme treats asset management as a joint responsibility of finance, operations and procurement. Participants first establish sound foundations: a complete register, clear capitalisation thresholds, coding and tagging, and responsibility for custody. They then address valuation, depreciation methods, impairment, revaluation and disposal in line with accounting standards. The second half introduces the ISO 55001 management system, showing how policy, strategic plan, risk assessment, lifecycle costing and performance indicators connect to produce value from assets rather than only record them.

Sessions use realistic registers with deliberate errors, count sheets and condition data. Participants practise reconciling, investigating differences and presenting findings, and they leave with a draft improvement plan for their own organisation.

On completion, participants will be able to:

• Explain the asset lifecycle and the responsibilities of finance, operations and custodians.
• Design and maintain a complete fixed asset register with coding and tagging.
• Apply capitalisation, depreciation, impairment and disposal rules correctly.
• Plan and run a physical verification exercise and reconcile results to the ledger.
• Rank assets by criticality and condition to prioritise maintenance and renewal.
• Prepare lifecycle cost comparisons to support investment decisions.
• Interpret the requirements of ISO 55001 and map them to current practice.
• Draft an asset management policy and improvement plan.

The course is suited to people who record, control or rely on physical assets, including:

• Finance managers and accountants responsible for fixed assets
• Asset managers and facilities managers
• Maintenance, engineering and fleet managers
• Stores, logistics and procurement officers
• Internal auditors and external audit staff
• Public sector accountants in ministries, counties and parastatals
• Project finance officers in NGOs and donor programmes
• Utility, hospital and school administrators

Participants take away:

• A fixed asset register template with the fields auditors expect.
• A step-by-step plan for a physical verification count and reconciliation.
• A depreciation and impairment worksheet they can adapt.
• A criticality ranking method for maintenance and renewal decisions.
• A gap analysis against ISO 55001 for their own organisation.
• A draft asset management policy and 90-day improvement plan.

Instruction mixes standards with hands-on practice:

• Spreadsheet workshops using sample registers with planted errors
• A simulated verification count with count sheets and variances
• Lifecycle costing exercises on vehicles, plant and buildings
• Clause-by-clause gap analysis in groups
• Open discussion of participants' own asset challenges

On successful attendance and completion of the practical work, each participant is issued a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion by Vision Reach Global Consultancy.