# Condition assessments

> Record asset condition over time and let AssetLab project degradation - the data that powers risk, FCI, and defensible capital plans.

Source: https://app.assetlab.ca/docs/asset-management/condition-assessments

A condition assessment is a dated, sourced statement of how an asset is doing. One rating is a snapshot; a series is a trend line - and trend lines are what turn "we think the boiler is getting worse" into a capital plan a council or board will fund.

## The condition scale

Condition is scored 0-100, and every screen that shows a grade uses the same bands:

| Grade | Score |
|---|---|
| Excellent | 85-100 |
| Good | 70-84 |
| Fair | 55-69 |
| Poor | 40-54 |
| Critical | 0-39 |
| Unscored | no score recorded |

The same bands apply to [infrastructure features](/docs/infrastructure/features), including the map's condition colouring. A feature or asset with no score recorded is **Unscored** - it is not counted as Critical, and it is not silently left out of the totals.

## Recording an assessment

From the asset page's **Condition Assessments** section, add an assessment with:

- **Assessment date** - when it was observed, not when it was typed in
- **Condition score** - the rating on your scale
- **Replacement cost** - the asset's current replacement value as observed
- **Update purchase cost** - an opt-in checkbox; see below
- **Assessor** - picked from your organization's users
- **Method** - chosen from a fixed list (how the condition was established)
- **Notes** - the evidence behind the number

To attach photos, use the asset's documents instead - the assessment record itself doesn't carry attachments.

Assessments build a dated history, and they stay editable: an entry can be corrected or deleted after the fact. Whenever an assessment is added, edited, or deleted, the asset's **condition score re-syncs to its latest assessment** automatically.

### What an assessment writes

An assessment can do more than record a number:

- Its **replacement cost** documents the observed current replacement value.
- With the **update purchase cost** opt-in checked, that value **overwrites the asset's purchase cost** - the previous figure is stashed on the assessment as its prior purchase cost, so nothing is silently lost.
- Both the condition sync and the purchase-cost writeback fire **risk history capture**, so the [risk trend](/docs/asset-management/risk-and-fci) reflects the change.

### Where assessments come from

- Manual entry on the asset page
- [Inspection forms](/docs/cmms/forms-and-inspections) completed during PM work orders
- Consultant studies brought in via [import](/docs/start/importing-data)
- The [API and MCP tools](/docs/ai/tools-and-scopes) (`create_asset_condition_assessment`)

> [!tip] The cheapest condition program is riding along with PMs: attach a short condition question to the PM inspection form and every quarterly service visit becomes a data point.

## Degradation projection

With an assessment history (or even one rating plus an installation date), AssetLab projects the asset's condition forward using its expected useful life - a degradation curve from current condition toward end of life. The projection shows:

- **Estimated condition today**, even between assessments
- **Projected year** the asset crosses your intervention threshold
- How new assessments **bend the curve** - a rebuild that improves condition pushes the projected replacement out; accelerated wear pulls it in

Projections are estimates, and they're labeled as such. Their job is triage: with ten thousand assets, nobody re-inspects everything annually - the curve tells you where to look.

## What condition data feeds

| Consumer | How it uses condition |
|---|---|
| [Risk scores](/docs/asset-management/risk-and-fci) | Condition drives likelihood-of-failure |
| [FCI](/docs/asset-management/risk-and-fci) | Deficiency costs over replacement value, rolled up by building and system |
| [Replacement planner](/docs/projects/replacement-planner) | Prioritizes candidates by condition and risk, not just age |
| [Dashboards](/docs/asset-management/dashboards) | Portfolio condition distribution and trend |
| [Infrastructure inspections](/docs/infrastructure/features) | The linear-asset equivalent, same idea per feature |

## Program advice

1. **Start with critical systems** - life safety, ice plants, boilers, roofs. Breadth can wait; criticality can't.
2. **Use one scale consistently.** Whatever your scale, write down what each rating means and put it in front of assessors.
3. **Date honestly.** Backdate imported consultant data to the study date, or your trend lines lie.