Tech Forum

I just want to clarify how you all understand the computer replacement cycle. The five-year cycle is described thus:

The stake physical facilities representative should work with the FM group during the fourth year of the computer’s life so that funds from the annual plan can be requested to replace the computer during the fifth year.

The fifth year is the time the computer is between 4 years old and 5 years old. But our facilities group seems to interpret it as after the computer is 5 years old.

What is your experience?

I've always interpreted it as replaced when 5 years old. But I understand what you mean by "5th year", since we don't start with a zero year. But since it does need to be budgeted in advance, it will only be 4 years old when the planning starts.

It does say to start budgeting in the 4th year, which is technically when it is between 3 and 4 years old.

craiggsmith wrote:It does say to start budgeting in the 4th year, which is technically when it is between 3 and 4 years old.

It also says "replace the computer during the fifth year".

Since we're talking about budget, I'm guessing that the policy was written with the idea that "year" would be the calendar year, not a year based on the in-service date. I suspect the policy writers were assuming that the current computer would have been placed in service mid-year. I don't think they're overly worried about replacing a computer a few months before it's 5th birthday. However, this could lead to a 4-year cycle and the first sentence explicitly says "Church computers are replaced on a five-year cycle in accordance with local and area facility management (FM) group budgets."

As such, I'm inclined to think the computer has to be at least close to 5 years old to be replaced, not on it's 4th birthday.

To me "five-year cycle" is vague exactly because they don't replace a computer on its anniversary, and the other language clarifies it. It is true that that time could be closer to 4 years (which is the "industry" standard) than 5 years, but interpreted the other way it could also be closer to 6 years, which is a really long time. If they really mean that a computer should be at least 5 years old they should change the language.

The way I read it, and the way our FM Group sees it (budget issues notwithstanding), if an administrative computer was installed in 2011, it should be replaced in 2016. And in 2015, the PFR should have reminded the FM Group that the computer will need replacing in 2016 and asked them to budget for it.