As June marks the halfway point of the year and with the academic year winding down and campuses temporarily quiet, summer brings a unique opportunity for asset, inventory and surplus professionals in K–12 school districts and higher education institutions to pause, reassess, and realign.  

1. Prioritize a Comprehensive Inventory Audit 

The accessibility that summer provides makes it ideal for executing full physical inventories. Whether you’re verifying high-value equipment, classroom tech, or furniture, now is the time to reconcile physical counts with digital records. 

Best Practice: Break audits into manageable phases by location or asset type. Focus on historically problematic areas first—such as remote buildings or shared-use spaces—to close the most common data gaps. 

2. Deep Clean Your Data 

With fewer day-to-day distractions, this is the perfect time to clean house. Use this window to purge outdated entries, close lifecycle records on disposed assets, and resolve mismatches uncovered during previous audits. Clean, accurate data not only simplifies reporting and planning—it also strengthens compliance and boosts confidence in your department’s operations. 

As operations evolve—through new technology rollouts, department restructuring, or shifting funding priorities—your asset management framework must evolve too. These changes often happen gradually, and without periodic review, your system can become inconsistent or outdated. 

Pro Tip: Take time to revisit your internal naming conventions, asset classification structures, and lifecycle stages. Ask yourself: 

• Are asset categories aligned with how assets are actually used and tracked today? 

• Do naming conventions reflect newer asset types added in the past 1–2 years (like hybrid tech, mobile workstations, or learning carts)? 

• Are lifecycle stages still relevant, or do they need to be updated to reflect changes in replacement cycles or procurement models? 

Modernizing these foundational elements isn’t just a cosmetic fix—it’s a strategic move to ensure your asset data remains accurate, actionable, and aligned with current operational realities. 

3. Address Surplus Before It Becomes a Bottleneck 

Surplus often sits quietly in the background—until it becomes a space, compliance, or budgeting issue. Use this time to identify and classify surplus items across departments, especially those that have been informally “set aside” throughout the year. 

Strategy: Establish surplus review checkpoints with departments, ensuring surplus moves through your workflow in a timely and auditable manner. If possible, coordinate interdepartmental transfers or bulk disposals while stakeholders are more available.  

💡Talk to the AssetWorks team to learn more about Surplus Management tools and strategies! 

4. Refine Team Processes and Training 

The summer slowdown is a rare opportunity to regroup as a team. Whether you’re onboarding new members, transitioning responsibilities, or streamlining existing processes, this is the time to sharpen your internal practices. 

Suggestions: 

• Conduct a post-mortem on inventory efforts from the school year: What worked? What stalled? 

• Update or create SOPs for key workflows. 

• Host a quick training series or cross-training sessions to build redundancy and resilience. 

5. Set Forward-Looking KPIs for the Second Half 

June is a natural checkpoint to assess your annual goals and recalibrate where needed. Whether your focus is improving inventory accuracy, increasing surplus turnaround, or enhancing reporting speed, clear KPIs will help your team stay aligned and accountable into the fall. 

Ideas for Mid-Year KPIs: 

• Percentage of assets physically verified by August 

• Average surplus processing time 

• Reduction in outstanding exceptions or data mismatches 

Leaning Into the Opportunity 

Summer is a strategic inflection point. By treating this time with intention, asset and inventory professionals can strengthen the foundation of their programs and set their institutions up for greater efficiency, accuracy, and success in the second half of the year. 

Mid-year momentum isn’t just about catching up—it’s about getting ahead.  

If you’re looking to optimize your processes, realign your strategy, or validate your current approach, now is a great time to connect with our team. We’re here to offer guidance, share best practices, and help you make the most of this critical window.