AWWA IMTECH55829

This paper presents a framework for developing an e-Business strategy for the public sector utility. It describes how the North Wales Water Authority successfully executed this framework. The paper provides utility executives and managers practical insight into development of an e-Business Strategy. Phase one of the process involves the e-Business Readiness Assessment, which identifies areas within an organization requiring further attention. Phase two of the process develops the actual Strategic Plan. The first step in developing the e-Business Strategy defines "high level" e-Business Initiatives. Once these initiatives are defined, a "blueprinting" stage is used to identify the technology, process changes, and organizational changes required to implement the initiative, and finally, the implementation schedule and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for each e-Business initiative are developed. A six-step, cyclical process is used to define the high level e-Business Initiatives. One trip around the cycle results in the definition of a high level e-Business initiative. The number of initiatives that are developed in the process is dependent on the size and granularity of the utility's e-Business vision and implementation plan. Includes figures.