Utility Week

28 | SEPTEMBER 2022 | UTILITY WEEK Technology Research report Optimising processes can reap big benefits A new report by Utility Week, in association with Appian, looks at how process optimisation can empower the workforce to 'fail forward' and drive improvements across all business areas. T he optimisation of processes relates to the oen small, yet meaningful change that can have a huge impact on busi- ness performance by increasing efficiency and reducing error. Transformative improvements are fre- quently prioritised as the most significant route to tackling broad macro issues, such as decarbonisation. Radical change is, of course, essential to making progress on the industry's targets to reduce carbon emis- sions while also maintaining quality services that meet customers' varied needs. However, transformation should not be the enemy of incremental change, which has the potential to deliver major benefits for businesses, their people, and their customers. To find out more about how utilities are responding to these challenges and approaching change from the ground up, Utility Week partnered with global so- ware company Appian to conduct a unique piece of research with industry leaders and experts. The findings from the survey are explored in the new research report titled Balancing Risk and Security on the Road to Net Zero. Our survey sought to reveal the key bar- riers to driving gradual improvements across businesses and major projects, as well as gauging the appetite for new ideas and technologies that are designed to facilitate change. The research also looked to assess the business processes most in need of change and how this aligns with overarch- ing board-level strategies, as well as explor- ing how silos can be broken down to create a collaborative environment that supports new approaches to complex challenges. In our survey, 64% of respondents said there were established processes in place within their business to capture, assess and implement new ideas for process improve- ment – however, worryingly, this means that approximately one-third of respondents currently do not have adequate processes in place. Eighty-two per cent of respondents across both water and energy companies agreed that process optimisation was important or very important to their business. Encourag- ingly, most respondents already felt incen- tivised to incorporate optimisation within projects via established processes. Just 18% of respondents felt their busi- ness did not currently incentivise optimisa- tion in project delivery. It is clear that the concept of optimisation is generally valued by individuals and busi- nesses across the industry, but whether utili- ties have embedded the right systems and strategies to consistently capture and imple- ment new ideas remains a key challenge. Optimising intricate business processes is the very foundation of wider, transformative change. Enhancing organisational efficiency by improving resource management and pro- ductivity, reducing errors and streamlining workflows offer major benefits for utilities. Optimisation, at heart, is innovation – striving to do things differently and better. Undoubtedly, utilities are under more pres- sure than ever before to think differently about the issues facing the industry, while also delivering more for customers at a time of considerable economic uncertainty. Against this complicated backdrop, water and energy companies are tasked with tack- ling the complex carbon conundrum – how do we get to net zero, and how do we achieve that by 2050? Valuing optimisation Tackling the array of challenges facing the sector on the road to net zero requires change – both transformative and incremen- tal. While transformative change has been

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