Tas Water Sept

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TASWATER
CDO
NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER 2019 EDITION
Welcome to our second newsletter!
We received really positive feedback from the first newsletter and, as promised, we are
always listening to what you want to read so that you can understand the CDO even
better.
As we forge ahead as one team, there is one thing I would like to emphasise, it’s the
need to be innovative in our daily work here in the CDO. In this month’s newsletter, we
have taken this theme of Innovation and written articles on innovative working styles,
innovations that will be coming out of the Pulse Survey results, upcoming summits from
our Enablement Plan and so much more.
To up the ante on inspiration for innovation, I would like to share on the next page, an
article by Bill Wood, who is an Environmental Scientist at our Launceston location. Bill has
some great innovative takeaways and it’s such a benefit to hear from one of the TasWater
team on how they’re pushing the boundaries.
This is the type of thinking we need to nurture in the CDO as we promote a culture of
innovation and amplify technical improvements for the longer term. Not only is this written
into the Program Alliance Agreement, it is something that we’ve all signed up to in our
Charter as well.
In October, we will have our first Innovation Summit where we can apply Bill’s tips and
identify some great new ways to deliver the capital works program for TasWater.
Bill’s unique ideas for a new approach to biosolids management is currently under
consideration by the TasWater Executive so watch this space.
I hope you enjoy the read and this newsletter as much as I have.
Happy reading everyone!
Sam Quagliata

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INNOVATION BREEDS CULTURE -
BILL WOOD, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST
In 2025, could TasWater have an electric car fleet powered by clean
energy produced at one of our sewage treatment plants?
Bill Wood, an Environmental Scientist in Launceston, is already thinking along those lines, with an innovative
approach to the treatment of biosolids.
Once a farmer, Bill is predicting that there will be some major changes in the way our sludge is used by
industry. He forecasts that farmers will no longer be able to accept the biosolids we currently provide
because retail buyers will demand cleaner pathogen-free products for the land that livestock graze on or food
is produced on. In fact, it is already happening in America so it is really just a matter of time until we see this
shift in perception in Tasmania.
“The onus is on industry to find solutions but it requires an entirely different mindset. We need to ask
ourselves if there is a better way to do this?” says Bill.
So, what are Bill’s top tips for innovation - here are his top four!
1. Using our different experiences as catalysts for new ways of thinking. Bill’s vast experience as a farmer,
research scientist Ecologist, manager in the mining and minerals processing industry and Environmental
Scientist with TasWater means he has many different ways of looking at problems. Our diverse TasWater,
UGL, CPB and WSP staff bring similar work histories and differences that we can benefit from.
2. Taking a longer term strategic view of our business., Bill’s experience is that reacting to short term
problems, while always easier initially, is not going to help us fix the complex issues that we are faced with.
Examples include the way we manage our sewage treatment process by-products, sludge and bio-gas
emissions. We need to ensure the former remains acceptable for re-use into the long-term, and that we
re-use the latter for energy production rather than emit it as “Greenhouse Gas”. Resolving such issues will
assist us in a pathway towards carbon neutrality in a climate change compromised world.

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3. Thinking about the relationships of how things work and understanding why things happen the way
they do. As an Ecologist, Bill is trained to look at ecosystems and how they interact and stabilise. The
same approach can be applied to a business or a chain of processes, like wastewater treatment. It’s a
slightly different approach, but a useful skill we could all benefit from learning.
4. Find ways to have future generations look back on the work that we did, and say “Gee they really got
that right” rather than “What on earth were they thinking?”

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Monthly Pulse Surveys -
August results are in!
The monthly CDO Pulse Check started in August
and surveys will continue to be sent out monthly.
We encourage all staff to continue take the time to
complete the survey.
From the August survey we’ve listened and heard:
You want better communications
So we’re going to do:
• Monthly team meetings (with manager briefing kits)
• And we’re still doing Yammer, circulation of the
monthly ALT Executive Summary, Project Central
and Quarterly CDO News
You want to be more empowered
So we’re going to:
• Finalise the KPIs and set them for each person
• And we’re still rolling out the process flow diagrams
and Delegation of Authority
We heard you’re not feeling a sense of
achievement
So we’re going to:
• Introduce a monthly award that celebrates ‘how’
we work not just ‘what’ we do. With the CATS Award
being launch in September, where everyone can
nominate their team mates for the monthly award

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Enablement plan and Four year strategy –
Collaboration, Quality, Value and Legacy
As part of the CDO four-year strategy, we’ve identified four key result areas and if you have not had much time
to understand each area and how it involves you then here’s a brief update for you.
As part of the collective CDO journey to achieve the KPIs, the APMT has also introduced an Enablement Plan.
To bring this plan to life and to ensure all CDO staff are on the journey with us we talked with a number of
people across Launceston, Devonport and Hobart during August. A priority is to keep our teams strong and
communications open while we board the CDO bus towards the completion of successful projects over the
next four years.
Through our interactions, workshops and meetings, we have listened and heard that staff want to know how
Cultural Development will be integrated and continued as a part of the Enablement Plan. A first step to strong
Cultural Development is to make sure that everyone of us in the team feel safe and supported to follow our
Way of Working. That is why we are launching a CATS award – read more about it later in this newsletter.
If you’re wanting to know the importance of Cultural Development and the impact it has on an organisation’s
strategy here is another great video commentary by Seth Godin.
The strategy and marketing guru speaks about the importance of an organisation’s culture, where a lack of
strength in culture can be detrimental to the strategy where Culture can eat strategy.
Seth Godin on culture defeats everything - click HERE to watch the video.

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September happenings in the CDO
Upcoming RFTs
• Latrobe Sewer - Major Sewer Replacement Works – estimated release mid September
• Latrobe Sewer - Pipe Supply – estimated release mid September
• Latrobe Sewer - Mechanical and Electrical Works – estimated release end September
• Programs - Reservoir Refurbishment Works – estimated release end September
• Riverside Trickling Filter Media Replacement – estimated release end September
• Forth/Leven Design Services – estimated release end September
• SPS Program – Switchboard Supply - estimated release mid September
• SPS Program – Electrical Installation Works - estimated release end September
Currently in Market
• Bryn Estyn - Traffic Impact Assessment – closing mid September
• Flinders Island Temporary WTP - closing mid September
Tenders Closed – Under evaluation
• Programs - Filter Media Supply
• Henderson Dam - Major Works
• Mikany Dam - Major Works
• Bryn Estyn - Design Services
• Booth Avenue - Design Services
• Adventure Bay - Works package
WContracts Awarded
• Program: Environmental Planning and Approvals Consultancy Support
WE WANT TO CELEBRATE YOU!
If you haven’t already heard, we are introducing the
CATS Award. CATS will be monthly awards which
celebrate how we work not just what we do. CATS is an
acronym for Conversation, Attitude, Trust and Support
which epitomises the CDOs Way of Working. More
information will be available on Yammer and posters
on your notice board on how to vote so keep your eyes
peeled and your ears to the ground for colleagues who
tick the boxes of:
• Positive attitude
• A trusted team member
• Good on the job support ethic

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Lunch N Learn - at a table near you!
Don’t forget to pencil in the next Lunch N Learn into your calendar. Following the CPEng, Graduate Program,
Scholarship & Professional Development and gender diversity sessions in August, the upcoming months will
host some great speakers and topics.
Sept 18th – TasWater Graduate & 2019 Young Professional of the Year – Matthew Robertson Click on this link
to learn more about Matthew, a process Engineer in the TasWater team.
Oct 16th – Community and Stakeholder Engagement in Infrastructure. At this session you will learn more about
the engagement process where an organisation involves people who may be affected by the decisions it makes
and for the benefit of greater transparency for the best outcomes of the project.
Nov 19th – Project Management 101. This session will delve into how projects are managed and how
collaboration, communications, structure, strategy and open conversations are important aspects of managing
a project for future success, particularly in our CDO environment where many of us have varied experiences of
what good project management can look like.
Lunch N Learns are great opportunities to train and develop over the lunch period and it’s a great incentive to
connect with your team mates and learn over a bite to eat.
Sessions will be held at various locations across Tasmania so head to our Project Central site for specific time
and location details.
Working together : Claire Zhao
“I have focused on the ‘working
together’ value by working with my
team members to finish tasks. For
example, I received a WBS structure
form from Paul P to finish project set
up in Aconex, and got help from Ben
Q to create users in Aconex. I also
worked together with Group Leaders
and Kirsty, our Quality Manager, to
finalise the workflow process for
task budget requests,” Claire Zhao
What commitments did you
make at the Foundation
Workshop back in May?
Share your progress and email us
at cdo.feedback@taswater.com.au

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Let’s get to know: Michael Muller
Michael moved to Tasmania from Western Australia
12 years ago and now lives on a small farm in the
north with his wife and two daughters. He’s a Full
Stack Software Developer with a specific focus on
construction based systems and processes.
For the last 20 years he has worked throughout
Australia and internationally as a Systems Specialist
within the Resources sector providing systems
development, integration and implementation
services. He began working in the CDO in February
2019. Here’s our CDO 60 Minutes style interview with
Michael:
How do you contribute to the CDO as a Systems Specialist?
My role on the CDO has been to coordinate the provisioning of ICT infrastructure and plan the systems
architecture to meet the unique requirements of the Alliance. Over the last 7 months I have worked closely
with the TasWater ICT team to provide a network, ICT hardware and implement project management systems
such as Aconex, Project Central and Replicon.
Currently I’m focussing on the development of an Alliance reporting platform through which all project
management reporting will be delivered. Going forward I will be working closely with all disciplines within the
CDO to develop their reporting capabilities and reduce duplication of effort through systems integration and
automation. This will be a key legacy for the CDO.

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What’s a positive engagement you’ve had as part of the CDO team?
The Alliance comes with some very unique requirements in the ICT/Systems space. To achieve the
necessary outcome I have worked closely with the TasWater ICT team headed by Jon Ettershank.
This highly competent team of ICT professionals have been integral to the successful implementation of
the network, hardware and systems architecture to date. From the first meetings in December 2018 the
TasWater ICT team have done everything possible to support me and help overcome the unique challenges
associated with this Alliance. We have established an effective team based upon communication,
cooperation and the common goal of making the CDO a success.
What makes working on this project important for you?
Although I live in Tasmania, for the majority of my career I have worked on construction projects based on
the mainland. The TasWater Alliance has given me the opportunity to work within my home state with an
iconic Tasmanian company. Contributing to the water infrastructure of Tasmania, improving the service
levels within Tasmanian communities and enhancing local capability for construction project management
represents some of the most rewarding opportunities that I have had throughout my career.

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Do you have questions and need them
answered fast?
If you have any questions about work, the projects on hand and the general wellbeing
of the CDO - grab one of our Ask Me About Anything Champions. Peter,
Lynette, Tim, Campbell and Dheeraj had their first training session in August and
are ready and willing to get your questions answered!

Last but not least: CATS AWARD IS GO FOR
LAUNCH!
We listened and we heard your August Pulse Check feedback and we know
you want us to get better at celebrating our achievements and ‘doing what
we say we’ll do’. To kick off the celebrations, we’re launching our CATS Award.
Nominate a colleague for their outstanding performance in relation to one of
our Ways of Working – Conversation, Attitude, Trust or Support – and they could
be the proud owner of our CDO Mascot for month!
The APMT will review all nominations received and announce the winner each
month based on the person who best demonstrated our CDO Way of Working.
That person then gets to keep our CDO Mascot for the month until it moves to
the next winner. For additional celebrations, we’ll have an annual overall
CDO Super Cat announced in February each year!
All you have to do is nominate a colleague by emailing
apmt.cdo@taswater.com.au and, in 50 words or less, say why that person has
the best attitude, constructive conversations, trust or support to help the CDO.
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