It takes work to build up a culture throughout an organization. Maintaining a specific value system (such as integrity, dependability, etc.) throughout a group is important because it keeps people engaged even as challenges arise or changes occur. Often, it’s the small pieces which fit together and create the overall culture because the daily routine becomes engrained in the community. For example – if honesty is commonly utilized throughout a group, then honesty will naturally be integrated into new processes as they form.

A solid foundation for a certain value is built up daily, but the real progress comes through support and measured indicators. By setting and prioritizing goals, the vision becomes clearer and more attainable. These goals generate internal discussion about the company progress, how they align with the company’s vision, and how they advance the company in general. Many different instruments can propel goals forward, including data.

Data is a powerful tool for achieving a vision because it’s a tangible way to understand what progress is being made. Data can provide indicators to guide the overall goals. Many water utilities are integrating comprehensive data into their processes which is helping them recognize patterns. This can translate into a faster response to problems because they are being caught earlier. Consumers are able to access pertinent information which can answer questions before they need to call the utility. Information can also empower the consumer to take further steps, such as incorporating conservation. Data allows the values of a group to expand beyond themselves and impact others.

A group with poor data culture could have data collection systems, but the systems won’t be collecting worthwhile data or they won’t make the effort to translate the data into useful information. In contrast, a group with a strong data culture would prioritize data to accomplish their goals.

Some thoughts to ponder:

·  How do your various groups use data?

·  How can you use data in more effective ways?

·  How can data make a group stronger?

Getting everyone in the company to work together in the process of integrating a specific value (such as responsibility, adaptability, honesty, etc.) keeps everything focused and cohesive. Hearing thoughts from all levels of the company on how to integrate overarching values will bring important insights and keep everyone engaged. Creative problem-solving generates spaces for people to bring up new ideas which can guide processes to be innovative and keeps the company forward thinking. These are the things groups want to strive for but what do they do to achieve these goals? Below are some contrasts between poor group culture compared to strong group culture.

An example of a poorly cultured group would be where everyone is closed off and focused on themselves rather than the larger community and overarching values. This group might have a vision but they aren’t using their full potential to achieve their goals.

The American Productivity and Quality Center spoke at a conference in early October 2020, where they classified some common roadblocks to building a strong culture as:

• Risk adverse

• Lack of strategy and value proportion
• Legacy or siloed systems
• Bad performance measures
• Short-term focus
• Lack of accountability

The roadblocks listed above can also be roadblocks to change which can affect how the company functions. Just because the culture isn’t where it could be doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. SL-serco works with utilities throughout the United States to support their change implementations as they work towards their goals and visions for the future.

An example of a positive group culture would be where everyone prioritizes their time together through collaboration, engagement, and creative brainstorming. This group does their daily work well with an understanding of how it fits into the larger community, vision, and overarching values. A well cultured group looks to the future and wonders how things could be changed to be accomplished in a better way.

The American Productivity and Quality Center identified key supporting aspects to build a strong group including:

• Centralized or dedicated collaboration
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Clear and transparent processes
• Rewards and recognition
• Training and empowerment

SL-serco would add creativity and innovation as being key components to what makes a company culture successful. All of these elements can empower communities to grow stronger together and identify how to reach goals for the future.

Overall, building a community culture requires hard work but is worth the investment to achieve positive group culture.

Some thoughts to ponder:

•  What values could be integrated into your work?
•  How can you support implementing change?
•  What components do you think make a strong culture?

I’m often asked to make a laptop recommendation for drive-by read collection. There are a thousand possible right answers, but it sure can hurt if you get burned by a bad choice. Time lost to equipment failure is costly and really frustrating. I’ve been there.

A mobile reading system  large amounts of moving data and requires several components to perform in concert. All the parts of the system need do their respective jobs while operating in a moving, bouncing environment where they encounter dust, temperature variance, uneven power supply, coffee, and doughnuts. The nerve center that orchestrates all this activity it the laptop.

Mobile reading systems have a tall task to accomplish. It is smart to give them every advantage we can to achieve the most stable read-collection performance possible. So even thought the laptop is just one component, you want to choose one that is equal to the task.

Here are the factors on which I base my laptop recommendations:

1)  Processor speed: Recommendations for minimum speeds vary by manufacturer and read software. Some recommendations start as low 1.2 GHz , while others require at least 2.5 GHz. The single most common problem I see drive-by customers encounter are episodes where the program locks up and won’t close properly. That can corrupt the database and require tech support to get back in service. A faster processor decreases the likelihood that a processing lag will make the program lock up and crash. On the systems I support most frequently, I would feel comfortable with a speed of 3 GHz or better.

2)  Disk Drive: A hard disk drive (HDD) is made of moving, mechanical parts. Remember jogging with a Discman? I’m old enough to remember how “well” that worked. Everything became much more stable when we graduated to M  players and eventually, smartphones. Apply the same concept here. No matter how careful you are, you will encounter bumps and jostling. Avoid the HDD, buy a solid-state drive (SDD).

3)  RAM: This one is simple. Refer to  r mobile reading system’s published requirements and double the minimum recommended RAM. You’ll have plenty of headroom and can focus on driving safely.

4)  USB ports: I can assure you, at least one of your  ports will eventually fail so make sure you have extras. Some mobile reading systems require a USB port for the transceiver, a second for the removable drive, a third for the GPS receiver, and the Read Collector may want to have a fourth available to keep a phone charged. USB splitters are often incompatible and add more potential failure points (at best), so the meter   I work with discourage using them. This is not a wise place to cut costs. Make sure you have extra USB’s and you’ll thank me later.

If you apply these suggestions, you should end up with good fit for your read system. Don’t install unnecessary programs. You’ll do just fine.

I hope this helps you make a good choice and avoid some future heartache.

- By Reed Sutter

One Wednesday,  an issue came across my desk from a Meter Reader who reported an apparent equipment failure. She was performing drive-by read collection when it just stopped reading. Reads were coming in quickly, and the dots that represented unread meters were disappearing from the screen… until they just stopped. In one neighborhood, the dots just wouldn’t disappear.

It appeared to her that the antenna was failing, or the transceiver, or maybe there is a setting we could try changing.

Whatever the cause, she needed the reads from the transmitters in that neighborhood and they must work. After all, they were installed last summer. The transmitters could not be the problem.

I imagined a few possible scenarios but I would need more information to diagnose this issue. I suggested a few actions for her to perform to help troubleshoot and collect more information. She’d follow through and get back to me with information later in the week.

Now, let’s fast forward 2 days and go back to my desk where I took another call from a different Meter Reader who described a suspiciously similar equipment failure. This Utility was over 1,300 miles across the country from the first. For him, reading was progressing nicely… until it wasn’t. The meter location dots in the next neighborhood just wouldn’t disappear.

He too was confident the reading equipment had to be the problem because the transmitters were installed just months ago.

I asked him to perform some field interrogation actions and he promised to report back on Monday with the results after he’d made follow up visits.

The following Monday, before either Utility reported back, I took 2 more support calls from drive-by customers who were encountering similar failures.

From the perspective of the Utility personnel, this looked like a failure of the read collection equipment. All 4 customers drew the same conclusion, and I too would have suspected that if I were in their position. However, because I was connected to customers across the country, I had a unique vantage point and could see a pattern that they could not. With their assistance, I was able to create a list of Serial Numbers that suggested an issue affecting a specific production range of transmitters. I had not drilled all the way to core issue, but I had enough information to contact the Manufacturer.

These customers were experiencing the leading edge of an emerging issue that would require quick action to remedy and the Manufacturer took the issue seriously right away. They worked quickly to identify the core problem and made a plan to fix it. In short order, they mobilized their Distributors nationwide to help both the customers who were experiencing premature transmitter failure and to take preventive action to shield other customers who might soon suffer the same failure.

Episodes like this are bound to arise when we apply technology across any industry. When they do, it is incredibly beneficial to have a network of support. Allies who can look at issues from different perspectives.

For me, it was really satisfying to realize that I had a unique vantage point that positioned me to help many people. I could see important parts of the picture than were not visible to the Readers who were calling me for help. From the information coming to me, I could tell that there were countless others who were completely unaware trouble was headed their way. Those calls for help from a few affected Meter Readers turned into a large effort to help and protect Utilities across our industry. It took communication and a cooperative effort across several organizations; Utility, Support Provider, Distributor, and Manufacturer.

This was a reminder that we should not be afraid of communication and teamwork. We are most powerful when we act as a community and always look out for one another. Partnering with a  knowledgeable advocate might be just what your team needs.

-By Reed Sutter

NACWA (National Association of Clean Water Agencies) and AMWA (Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies) have been hosting a series of webinars on resilience. These webinars have been of particular interest to SL-serco because we are involved in evaluating the risk and resilience of different water systems in response to the American Water Infrastructure Act. There were a few important takeaways from the information presented:

·  Climate change is affecting different areas of the planet in unique ways so research into what the future could look like based on historical data will become increasingly valuable.

·  The long history of mutual aid between cities is beneficial and it is important to continue to engage in those relationships in areas aside from strictly emergency situations

·  Communication is critical to smooth transitions as things are changing – especially in an emergency situation where information is crucial.

·  Technology will be at the forefront as new opportunities are discovered and data is being utilized in new ways

In conclusion, resilience is important to us all and investing in resilience collaboration will provide more opportunities for the future.