Download or read book Process Benchmarking in the Water Industry written by Renato Parena and published by IWA Publishing. This book was released on 2002-03-01 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Free market mechanisms increasingly influence former monopoly sectors such as water and wastewater services with requirements for more transparency and efficiency. Small and large-scale consumers alike demand greater insight into how drinking water tariffs are structured and into the level of service. Public and private shareholders require guarantees on water supply at a reasonable price, with the requisite quality (both of service and product) and reliability together with careful eco-management. Developing sound policies requires information on key industry issues such as water resources, public health, water services, the environment and the cost of providing the level of the service demanded by customers and regulators. Similarly, informed decision-making on issues of ownership, industry structure, competition policy and effective regulation requires accurate analysis of performance across the industry throughout the world. In many sectors of industry Performance Indicators and Benchmarking exercises are widely used as suitable management tools for gaining and maintaining continuous improvement and competitive advantage. Addressing the need to promote best practice principles as part of the advocacy for the advancement of water and sanitation services is currently one of the major governance issues that IWA is challenged to tackle. The objective is to develop generally accepted procedures and methodologies able to provide decision makers with an overall perception of the utility performance as a sound basis for making strategic choices. This requires the definition of a reference framework for Performance Indicators and Benchmarking methodologies, as well as adequate models of aggregation that fit the basic needs of the key types of user. The Task Force on Performance Indicators (operating within the IWA Operation and Management Specialist Group) and the Task Force on Benchmarking (operating within the IWA Statistics and Economics Specialist Group) were set up with the remit to develop the definition of such a common language. The Task Force on Benchmarking carried out a survey among the countries represented inside the Statistics and Economics Specialist Group with the aim of designing a framework of the various national approaches to Benchmarking in terms of: The type, degree evolution and main adopted concepts of Benchmarking Development of the above concepts in focusing Benchmark objectives The survey indicated that, in the main, initiatives of Process Benchmarking are voluntary and non-systematic. It is evident that many water utilities are on what the European Foundation for Quality Management calls the "start-up" level in terms of Business excellence (or continuous improvement) and are keen to find best practices to compare with. The Task Force on Benchmarking moved to the second step, borrowing the European Commission's DG III recommendation that identify benchmarking as an important tool to improve competitiveness of small and medium sized enterprises in Europe according to the methodologies developed and applied in large corporations. With the objective of developing a generally accepted concept and a methodology with wide applicability, deeper analyses were then made of Process Benchmarking procedures adopted in the Nordic countries and in The Netherlands. As a result this Manual aims to present well-devised guidelines for establishing a management tool based on the use of Process Benchmarking methodologies that will allow future systematic and rigorous performance comparisons to be made within the water industry. Contents Main benchmarking experiences in a water context How far we are on benchmarking Benchmarking methodologies in the Netherlands and the Nordic countries One coherent philosophy for two different approaches Process Benchmarking approach Key numbers and definitions References Relations between process benchmarking and performance indicators Introduction letter and questionnaires

Download or read book Benchmarking Water Services written by Enrique Cabrera Jr and published by IWA Publishing. This book was released on 2011-03-01 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Benchmarking has become a key tool in the water industry to promote and achieve performance targets for utilities. The use of this tool for performance improvement through systematic search and adaptation of leading practices, has expanded globally during the past decade. Many ongoing projects worldwide aim to address different needs and objectives, in varying contexts, with outstanding results and impact. Benchmarking Water Services provides valuable information to everyone interested in benchmarking in the water industry. The text is aimed at utilities considering joining a benchmarking project, experienced practitioners in charge of organizing a benchmarking exercise, consultants, regulators and researchers. The document is presented with a clear practice oriented approach and can be used as a how-to-benchmark guide presented from different perspectives (participants, organizers, supervising bodies). Readers will gain practical insight on real life benchmarking practices and will benefit from the experiences gained in some of the leading benchmarking projects of the water industry (including the IWA-WSAA benchmarking efforts, the European Benchmarking Co-operation and the several benchmarking projects carried out in Austria and Central Europe). The manual also presents the new IWA Benchmarking Framework, which aims to harmonize the terms used to describe benchmarking and performance indicators practices in the water industry, guaranteeing a more fluent and efficient communication. This Manual of Best Practice is edited by the IWA Specialist Group on Benchmarking and Performance Assessment, and co-published by AWWA and IWA Publishing. Praise for Benchmarking Water Services: "The continual trend of conceptual to specifics throughout the book provides for an educational experience each time the book is either casually perused or carefully studied." "The authors (Cabrera, Haskins and Fritiz) diligently pursue the focus of improvement." "Benchmarking Water Services is an in depth and practical ‘must have’ guide for any utility currently engaged in or planning to develop a benchmarking process" - Gregory M. Baird (2012) Benchmarking: An International Journal 19:2. More information about the book can be found on the Water Wiki in an article written by the author: http://www.iwawaterwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Articles/TheNewIWABenchmarkingFramework A Spanish language version of this book is available as a free eBook: http://www.iwawaterwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Articles/eBookTitlesfromIWAPublishingFreetoDownload-Volume2#HBenchmarkingParaServiciosdeAgua

Download or read book Performance Indicators for Water Supply Services written by Helena Alegre and published by IWA Publishing. This book was released on 2016-09-15 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The IWA Performance Indicator System for water services is now recognized as a worldwide reference. Since it first appearance in 2000, the system has been widely quoted, adapted and used in a large number of projects both for internal performance assessment and metric benchmarking. Water professionals have benefited from a coherent and flexible system, with precise and detailed definitions that in many cases have become a standard. The system has proven to be adaptable and it has been used in very different contexts for diverse purposes. The Performance Indicators System can be used in any organization regardless of its size, nature (public, private, etc.) or degree of complexity and development. The third edition of Performance Indicators for Water Supply Services represents a further improvement of the original manual. It contains a reviewed and consolidated version of the indicators, resulting from the real needs of water companies worldwide that were expressed during the extensive field testing of the original system. The indicators now properly cover bulk distribution and the needs of developing countries, and all definitions have been thoroughly revised. The confidence grading scheme has been simplified and the procedure to assess the results- uncertainty has been significantly enhanced. In addition to the updated contents of the original edition, a large part of the manual is now devoted to the practical application of the system. Complete with simplified step-by-step implementation procedures and case studies, the manual provides guidelines on how to adapt the IWA concepts and indicators to specific contexts and objectives. This new edition of Performance Indicators for Water Supply Services is an invaluable reference source for all those concerned with managing the performance of the water supply industry, including those in the water utilities as well as regulators, policy-makers and financial agencies.

Download or read book Measuring Performance and Benchmarking Project Management at the Department of Energy written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2005-08-01 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1997, Congress, in the conference report, H.R. 105-271, to the FY1998 Energy and Water Development Appropriation Bill, directed the National Research Council (NRC) to carry out a series of assessments of project management at the Department of Energy (DOE). The final report in that series noted that DOE lacked an objective set of measures for assessing project management quality. The department set up a committee to develop performance measures and benchmarking procedures and asked the NRC for assistance in this effort. This report presents information and guidance for use as a first step toward development of a viable methodology to suit DOE's needs. It provides a number of possible performance measures, an analysis of the benchmarking process, and a description ways to implement the measures and benchmarking process.

Download or read book Effective Practices to Select Acquire and Implement a Utility CIS written by Melanie Rettie and published by American Water Works Association. This book was released on 2005 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The project objective was to provide utilities with direction as they select, acquire, and implement a Customer Information System (CIS). The project focused on underlying business practices, not specific technologies. Research objectives included (1) characterizing the current status of water utilities regarding CIS solutions, (2) identifying and documenting critical success factors (and barriers to success) related to CIS implementations, (3) documenting successful CIS implementations and associated practices, and (4) providing a CIS projects roadmap for utilities.

Download or read book Performance Benchmarking for Water Utilities written by Awwa and published by American Water Works Association. This book was released on 1996 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book 2007 Benchmarking and Data Book of Water Utilities in India written by Asian Development Bank and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Benchmarking Theory and Practice written by Asbjørn Rolstadås and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-06-05 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lecturers and researchers in the areas of industrial engineering, quality management and business development, and middle and higher management in business or technology- oriented positions, will find this book invaluable.

Download or read book Handbook on Applying Environmental Benchmarking in Freight Transportation written by Laurence O'Rourke and published by Transportation Research Board. This book was released on 2012 with total page 79 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "NCFRP Report 21: Handbook on Applying Environmental Benchmarking in Freight Transportation identifies and evaluates approaches that can be used by public and private entities to estimate, monitor, and reduce freight emissions and impacts across the supply chain by examining how benchmarking can be used as a management tool in the freight and logistics industry to promote environmental performance. The handbook provides a step-by-step overview of the benchmarking process and describes a framework for applying this process to freight carriers, shippers, and freight hubs"--Foreword.

Download or read book Reinventing Water and Wastewater Systems written by Paul Seidenstat and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2002-07-25 with total page 502 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A critical and insightful look at the past, present, and future state of water and wastewater services In response to the worldwide water crisis foreseen by many experts, Reinventing Water and Wastewater Systems presents practical solutions for making drinking water more affordable and available, as well as strategies for improving water sanitation to satisfy the demands of a growing global population. Through extensive data and case histories, this book demonstrates the potential success of privatizing water delivery and wastewater treatment facilities. In addition, it provides examples of state-of-the-art techniques for achieving higher efficiencies in water infrastructure facilities through reengineering, improved technologies, and quality benchmarking. Contributed chapters are provided by leading global engineers and economists from such companies as the World Bank, Stone and Weber Consultants, the Atlantis Water Fund, and the Anglian Water Company. Coverage by these experts includes exploring regulatory frameworks, financing the water and wastewater infrastructure, reinventing public sector operations, analyzing the past and future of the global water industry, and examining the restructuring operations in selected U.S. cities. Reinventing Water and Wastewater Systems: Global Lessons for Improving Water Management is a constructive volume for civil engineers working in water and wastewater treatment, urban and regional planners, and environmental engineers, as well as government administrators overseeing infrastructure and water systems and financial institutions involved with underwriting major water improvement projects.

Download or read book Performance Indicators for Wastewater Services written by R. Matos and published by IWA Publishing. This book was released on 2003-09-30 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Manual of Best Practice Performance Indicators for Wastewater Services provides guidelines for the establishment of a management tool for wastewater utilities based on the use of performance indicators. The publication comprises the text and a CD-ROM with the SIGMA Lite WW software, developed by Instituto Tecnologico del Agua (ITA), Valencia Polytechnic University, Spain. The focus is on those performance indicators considered to be the most relevant for the majority of wastewater utilities, to be used routinely at management level and potentially for metric benchmarking practices. A set of three comprehensive appendices includes a glossary of technical terms, specifications of each parameter required to assess the performance indicators and an introduction to the software with tips for use and an example of application. This product will be an invaluable reference source for all those concerned with managing the performance of wastewater services including customer groups, utility managers and policy-makers, regulators and other stakeholders. Contents Structure of the wastewater PI-System Data reporting Context Information Performance Indicators Implementation Strategy for the PI-System Appendix 1 - Glossary of technical terms Appendix 2 - Data Definition and Processing Rules Appendix 3 ©SIGMA Lite WW

Download or read book Benchmarking for Best Practices written by Christopher E. Bogan and published by McGraw-Hill Companies. This book was released on 1994 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Packed with dramatic case studies, this step-by-step guide shows managers how to adopt the seminal benchmarking techniques revolutionizing quality at companies like Federal Express, AT&T, and other industry leaders. Features timesaving tips, evaluation charts, graphs, ethics, and antitrust guidelines. 50 illus.

Download or read book Report of the International Consultations on Partnership in the Water Sector for Cities in Africa written by United Nations Centre for Human Settlements and published by UN-HABITAT. This book was released on 1997 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Reform of China s Urban Water Sector written by Tao Fu and published by IWA Publishing. This book was released on 2008-03-15 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Edited by the Water Policy Research Center of the Environment Department of Tsinghua University, this comprehensive report on the Chinese water sector is a collection of findings from recent research conducted by the Center and government consultancy reports. The report presents an overview and analysis of the current situation of the reform of the Chinese urban water sector. This is followed by case studies and appraisals on 17 water industry reform measures collected by the authors in 14 cities. The report then examines key problems of the current water industry reform. The comprehensive scope of this report, the level of detail, as well as the authors’ insights together make this document a unique reference on China’s water industry, as well as an important guide to the future of China’s water management. The book will be extremely useful for public utility reform in China and in other countries. It will therefore be of particular value to government departments, policy advisors, consultants, financing bodies, and utility service providers. The report is part of the Water21 Market Briefing Series. Titles in the series provide more focused insight into aspects of the international water sector. About the authors: Dr Tao FU is Director of the Water Policy Research Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing, P.R. China. Dr Miao CHANG is Senior Research Fellow at the Water Policy Research Center, Tsinghua University. Dr Lijin ZHONG is with the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University.

Download or read book Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book WATER HEALTH Volume I written by and published by EOLSS Publications. This book was released on 2010-10-24 with total page 442 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Water Health is a component of Encyclopedia of Water Sciences, Engineering and Technology Resources in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. These volumes discuss matters of great relevance to our world on desalination which is a critically important as clearly the only possible means of producing fresh water from the sea for many parts of the world. The two volumes present state-of-the art subject matter of various aspects of water health such as: Water And Health; Classification Of Water-Related Disease; Burden Of Disease: Current Situation And Trends; Transmission And Prevention Of Water-Related Diseases; Goals Of Water Treatment And Disinfection: Reduction In Morbidity And Mortality; Diseases Associated With Drinking Water Supplies That Meet Treatment And Indicator Specifications; New And Emerging Waterborne Infectious Diseases; Safe Drinking Water In The Twenty-First Century: Priorities For Public Health; Health Impact And Economic Costs Of Poor Water And Sanitation; Water Safety Plans For Water Technologies; Hygiene Promotion; Institutional Issues In The Delivery Of Water And Sanitation Services; Economics And Financing In The Water Sector; Monitoring Drinking Water Supplies; Zoonoses Acquired Through Drinking Water; Microbiological Water Quality Assessment (Catchment To Tap); Epidemiologic Studies Of Disinfectants And Disinfectant By-Products; Health Effects Of Chemical Contamination Of Drinking Water Supplies; Unconventional Sources Of Water Supply; Point-Of-Use Water Treatment For Home And Travel; Treatment And Safe Storage Of Water In Households Without Piped Supplies Of Treated Water; Quantifying Health Risks In Wastewater Irrigation Impacts Of Eutrophication On The Safety Of Drinking And Recreational Water; Groundwater And Public Health; Aquaculture And Mariculture; Recreation In Natural Water Resources; Dry Sanitation Technologies - Can They Be Sustainable?; Constraints To Improving Water And Sanitation Services; Human Health In Water Resources Development; Toxic Cyanobacteria; Multiple Uses Of Water And Human Health; Health Impact Assessment; Water Reclamation And Reuse; Role Of Water Reuse In Management Of Urban Water Resources; The Uses Of Recycled Water; Coming To Terms With Nature: Water Reuse New Paradigm Towards Integrated Water Resources Management; Helminth Ova Control In Wastewater And Sludge For Agricultural Reuse. These volumes are aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College Students Educators, Professional Practitioners, Research Personnel and Policy and Decision Makers

Download or read book The IBNET Water Supply and Sanitation Performance Blue Book written by Caroline van den Berg and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2010-12-23 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book aims to raise awareness of how the International Benchmarking Network of Water and Sanitation Utilities (IBNET)can help utilities identify ways to improve urban water and wastewater services. It provides an introduction to benchmarking and to the objectives, scope and focus of IBNET and describes some of its recent achievements. The methodology and data behind IBNET are elaborated, and an overview of IBNET results and country data are presented.