The Operations Excellence Council was organized in 2004 and has implemented process
improvements, developed workforce flexibility, and improved team identity at the Santa Clara Valley Water District in San Jose, California. It follows the
District CEO's vision for a "cleaner, greener, and leaner" organization to produce high quality
drinking water, be environmental stewards, and to have efficient operations. This paper is focused on the Water Utility Operations Division of the Water Utility Enterprise
and its efforts to make process improvements through an expanded management team. In late
2004, the District was faced with a request by the State of California to shift $51 million of
property tax revenues (over 2 years) from the District to help cover the State's budget shortfall.
The fiscal year 2005-2006 budget has incorporated this revenue shift as well as other cost
containment actions. At the same time, the District is adding new treatment processes and is
maintaining aging infrastructure while trying to hold the line on water rate increases. The CEO has
adopted the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program framework and other business tools to
meet these challenges. To comply with the vision, the Water Utility Operations Division
organized an expanded management team to generate new ideas and to implement process
improvements. Includes tables.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 260 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 9 |
| Published : | 06/01/2006 |
