Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 7TH - 13TH SEPTEMBER 2018 | 17 Operations & Assets Operations & Assets to attract more users and to make the lido a year-round attraction. The triangular pool is one of only five sea water lidos remaining in the country. Drilling of a 1.4km deep geothermal well, which will enable visitors to enjoy bathing in waters of around 35°C in a section of the pool, is taking place this summer, financed by the European Regional Development Fund, but a further £350,000 must be raised by the community. With another month to go, a crowd-funding campaign has raised more than half that. If you have an asset or project you would like to see featured in this slot, please send pictures and details to: paulnewton@fav-house.com Market view Your employees have the answers Gero Decker examines how utilities can optimise operational efficiency to ensure a reliable service and avoid fines. I n the utilities industry, efficiency and effectiveness are priorities. But hiccups do happen: Ofgem fined energy firm Npower £2.4 million for failing to install advanced meters by the April 2014 deadline. Meanwhile, water companies have been urged by the government to "raise the bar" on tackling leaks, with more than 175 Olympic-sized swimming pools' worth of water lost daily. In June, Ofwat ordered Thames Water to pay back £65 million to customers as part of a £120 million package of penalties over poor management of leaks. While water companies need to review their leak processes, energy companies' customer services are under scrutiny, and many are looking to revamp how they deliver to customers, oen by transforming their back-office processes to address growing regulatory and cost pressures. So how can utility providers achieve operational efficiencies, to pass on to the public in the form of reliable service, as well as avoid fines? Taking a more people-centric approach to process management will help utilities to remain customer- focused, while achieving optimised results and more effective management of their day-to-day operations. When driving an operational excellence programme in harmony with a business transformation initiative, it's important to consider the future model or process before worrying about understanding how things are currently working. Gaining an understanding of what the people using the process or system think is not working well and why, and listening to how they might improve it, is easier when you understand your future goals. Having identified which parts of the organisation, processes and practices require improvement, streamlin- ing the work can be considered. This may include work- flow or process automation. But companies shouldn't assume that everything needs to be heavily specified, planned and implemented. In many cases, if staff are given easy-to-use workflow tools, they will create the systems they need to boost productivity by themselves. Ultimately, strong processes offer the foundation that will empower utilities to be agile and adaptable. But more importantly, placing employees at the centre of the system and mapping processes based on their feedback will ensure better engagement and collaboration. In a pressured environment, utility companies need to respond to developments more rapidly and efficiently. If they make their processes more efficient, they also become more effective, which leads to better-informed decisions, improved execution of necessary tasks and enriched customer experiences. Gero Decker, chief executive, Signavio

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