Correspondence: Hackman Hon Yin Lee, Flat A, 33/F, Block 12, Tierra Verde, Tsing Yi, New Territories, Hong Kong

¹is Chartered Surveyor (UK), Registered Professional Surveyor (HK), Certified Facility Manager (USA) and Registered International Engineering Technologist (HK) with over 20 years experience in the field of operation and maintenance for building services engineering systems, building maintenance and facilities management. Recently he obtained doctoral degree from the University of South Australia. His completed research study is to examine the gaps between top management and maintenance personnel in management of building maintenance for the sports and leisure facilities, Hong Kong.

²is Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia. His principal areas of teaching and research include Management of Construction, Construction Project Management, Construction IT, Engineering Economics. David Scott originally studied, trained in the United Kingdom but has worked in Africa, Asia and Australasia for 25 years before coming to Curtin. His main areas of research interest have changed and developed over the years but have always focused around construction management and engineering economics. Areas of special interest have ranged from resource planning to appropriate technology, from partnering to alternative evaluation techniques, and from computer applications to project management information systems. Currently his research centres on IT applications in construction and Internet-based teaching and learning.

Received 19 December 2008; Revised 19 December 2008.

Abstract

This paper is part of a research study focusing on building maintenance operation processes. The fundamental investigation is to review building maintenance policy with respect to maintenance strategy, acceptable standard and resources. The arguments and problems arising in maintenance operation processes are discussed. Following the overall discussions, the types of challenges, problems as well as arguments from the organisational and operational perspectives are summarised. The preliminary conceptual framework highlights the importance for maintenance personnel to justify the building maintenance objectives by matching with organisational goals and objectives. It helps to improve the gaps between the top management at the strategic level and maintenance personnel at the operation level in performing building maintenance as well as maintenance operation efficiency.