Utilities Management Consulting Case Studies

Case Study #1

Greeley and Hansen is providing management consulting services for a municipal agency that owns and operates a large wastewater treatment plant and solids handling facility.

Out-of-date computer technology; competitiveness; and efficiency were the main problems facing our client. In initial planning meetings, we came up with a laundry list of problems that needed to be addressed:

• Define and refine business processes to make them efficient
• Select computer applications to support these processes
• Make information available to decisionmakers

Future tasks will include implementation assistance and business process reengineering.

Case Study #2

Greeley and Hansen is near completion of a management consulting project for a large water supply agency that operates and manages several raw water supplies, several water treatment plants and distribution systems.

The client needed to justify their need for a new laboratory facility to their Board. The problem involved helping a client decide how to structure a laboratory. Should the water authority expand its lab, eliminate it, move, or employ a larger or smaller staff?

Through a series of sessions, the needs were identified:

1. Strategic planning a basic Business Plan for the laboratory as a framework for improving efficiency
   a) Customers/Needs
   b) Services
   c) Costs of Business
   d) Staff/Management/Business Systems
2. Assess performance and compare with other laboratories to identify opportunities for improvement
3. Define and implement improvement strategies
4. Develop a business case for new laboratory facilities (if warranted) and sell it to the Board

Potential work includes developing a Business Plan and providing a business process analyses.

Case Study #3

Greeley and Hansen recently completed a management consulting project for a municipal public utilities department who is in charge of water, wastewater, gas and street lighting utilities.

After an initial strategic meeting with our client, we identified several problems that needed to be addressed:

1. Define maintenance management as it applies across the Department
2. Map core maintenance management processes
3. Identify opportunities for improvement and optimal maintenance management processes
4. Realign the organization and business systems to allow improvements to occur

During the 18-month contract, we were able to assess the client's maintenance management needs, as well as a Maintenance Management Program Plan (MMPP; long-range development plan for the Department).

Future steps may include the MMPP implementation assistance.

Case Study #4

Greeley and Hansen is currently working with a municipal department of public works as a utilities management consultant. The department faces an unacceptable city bond rating as well as the need to cut $300,000 from the wastewater treatment plant budget to improve the City's financial standing.

Client meetings resulted in identifying the issues that need to be resolved:

1. Determine where expenditures are going to identify opportunities for savings
2. Develop a baseline of costs and then make changes to see how effective the changes are
3. Enhance maintenance management practices to make them more efficient and provide opportunities for savings
4. Need for a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) to support enhancements

These deliverables are in the process of being met. Future steps may include further implementation assistance with CMMS, and the extension of the system to the water plant and perhaps, other City functions.