Critical infrastructure guide
Asset Criticality Assessment
Rank infrastructure assets by service consequence rather than replacement cost alone.
Systems note: infrastructure classifications, standards and responsibilities vary by country and operator. Use current local requirements for real decisions.
Why this matters
Rank infrastructure assets by service consequence rather than replacement cost alone.
Core system ideas
Criticality considers what service is lost, how many users are affected and how quickly consequences emerge.
An inexpensive component can be highly critical if it has no substitute and a long replacement lead time.
Criticality should influence inspection, spares, redundancy and recovery planning.
What to review
Useful reviews usually combine service criticality, dependencies, condition, capacity, maintenance, alternate arrangements, restoration time and clear ownership rather than relying on one isolated metric.