Asset management is the buzz word in the water industry best practices to address aging infrastructure rehabilitation and renewal needs, and complying with Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB 34) and Capacity Management Operations Maintenance (CMOM) requirements. To most organizations, asset management is a new concept and practice which they typically do not have the resources and organizational support to develop an asset management program. Most organizations are overwhelmed with the level of effort in developing a comprehensive asset management program. There are several alternative approaches that allow organizations to startup and realize the benefits of an asset management program without being overwhelmed by taking on a comprehensive system-wide asset management program. They include: needs assessment/benchmark status review; top down renewal and replacement forecast; vertical pilot approach; and, risk based approach. This paper presents case projects where organizations have applied these approaches and can demonstrate key benefits. Includes figure.