Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water ...

Project Study # 14
Converting from paper utility to a Geodatabase
Project Description: The Utility has moved from a paper based utility to the process of capturing
all asset data into one database.
Size of Utility: 310 employees
Critical Success Factors: The skill sets of the existing employees did not match the skill sets
needed for higher technology use. Therefore the employees had to be trained on the use of the
new Geodatabase.
Cost: $300,000 to $500,000 over a three-year period for technology, training, and overtime for
310 employees.
Alignment: Specifically aligned with the technology plan due to having better integration with
the work order management system, customer information system, billing systems and
document management system. Also, from a knowledge retention viewpoint, all the information
is now easily captured within an electronic database rather than having to rely on hard copies.
Benefits: The organization has better data for asset management, and therefore can make
better asset management decisions, and is able to answer inquiries on asset information. This
process enables the utility to better integrate asset information with other applications.
Compiled April 2008
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POC:
Cheryl Nero or Dave Matthews
City of Akron Public Utilities Bureau
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