John Schiebold and his collaborators from the City of Grand Rapids, MI were invited to present a case study at WEFTEC 2017. The presentation described how implementing recommendations from an operational assessment and ongoing improvements allowed the City of Grand Rapids Water System and Environmental Services Department to transform their organization, improve operational effectiveness, and save at least $25 million in operating costs between 2009 and 2015.
Prior to the start of the assessment, the City was in the midst of an economic crisis and under threat of privatization. It was necessary to transform service delivery to align with economic conditions. Water and ESD had to become more efficient and effective with declining staff levels, while providing exceptional service. To do this they partnered with EMA, Inc. to perform an operational assessment and develop a roadmap of prioritized recommendations to reach their future state of operations.
The session provided utility leaders with an understanding of the value of an operational assessment, describing how Grand Rapids has moved forward and transformed using the recommendations and continues forward with ongoing transformation. Session topics included quick wins, project prioritization through business case evaluation, implementation successes, and change management steps taken to foster staff engagement to help the City move forward toward greater efficiency and effectiveness.
Click here to download a copy of the slide deck for this presentation. If you’d like to discuss how EMA can help improve your organization’s effectiveness, please contact us.
