| 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
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For a project on the creation of customers’ service satisfaction for PWA Kabinburi branch, the following tactics and management tools for improvements and changes have been defined.
1. The management technique of SWOT analysis has been applied to investigate the branch’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats with an aim to define a guideline and mechanism for operational processes and an option appropriate to the branch, apart from separating the responsibility of each of the 3 branch sections determined by the branch’s manager and section heads based on PWA’s defined strategic plan, aimed at leading PWA to a sustainable high-performance organization (HPO) and effectively in response to customers’ need.
2. The branch has implemented the water safety plan (WSP) project, as a tool for the production of standard water supply, by writing a manual for standard operating procedure (SOP) aimed at defining a production control technique through formulating a work plan and implementing based on the defined plan, including following up the operation of and well maintaining the system so as to obtain continuous standard water supply production acceptable to all customers.
3. The quality control (QC) system has been used to control water quality in the water supply production process and service provision in order to maintain the water standard and generate confidence among customers. Besides, the balanced scorecard (BSC) and competency concept has been introduced for controlling the branch’s management process and evaluation of staff’s efficiency and potential, based on the key performance index (KPI) as a major mechanism, aimed at generating staff’s operating standard and a guideline for their work performance and operating consequence assessment indicators.
4. PWA Kabinburi branch’s main tactic of ’10 S’ is utilized in order to command service satisfaction among its customers and be a guideline for development and improvement of staff’s awareness of standard services. The tactic of ’10 S’ includes the following.
4.1 Smooth – All staff will retain their equanimity despite customers’ bad temper.
4.2 Smile – All staff will provide services with a smile on their faces.
4.3 Speak – All staff will speak sweetly and with a respect to customers.
4.4 Small – All staff will perform with humility or do not think that they are better or more important than other people.
4.5 Smart – All staff will have sound and stately personality.
4.6 Special – All staff will treat each customer as a special person.
4.7 Spirit – All staff are willing to listen to customers’ opinions.
4.8 Speed – All staff are prepared to provide a prompt service.
4.9 Super – All staff are firmly determined and ready to provide better services than customers anticipate.
4.10 Save – All staff are ready to save customers’ time and expenses during the latter’s service reception.
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| 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
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For PWA Kabinburi branch’s work management, there are both direct and indirect stakeholders comprising people living in Kabinburi district, PWA’s customers or service users, the private sector or business persons and traders using water supply in their business transactions, NGO members responsible for the envirionment, the staff of the Department of Health, the Ministry of Public Health, and other agencies of both the public and the private sector. This is due to the fact that water is a significant and major factor influencing the different respects of the country’s development. In this regard, water sources used for water supply production are precious assets that have to be taken good care of by all parties concerned. PWA has to receive good cooperation from all stakeholders for mutual interests based on the mechanism of increasing the role in their responsibility to society and the environment and the collaboration of all parties concerned, leading to the development of a process generating sustainable mutual interests. PWA believes that the need of all stakeholders results in the accomplishment of the project to be implemented based on PWA’s Kabinburi branch’s defined plan.
The people in Kabinburi district of Prachin Buri province directly benefit from this project since water is natural resources are valuable to them all and have to be taken good care of by them so that the amount of water will always be sufficient to everyone’s demand. This must be carried out without damaging or contaminating natural water sources, helping maximize the limited government budget and natural resources. Furthermore, the initiated project also helps develop knowledge and capability of personnel resources of both the government and private agencies concerned.
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| 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
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PWA Kabinburi branch has implemented its solution to the problem of inefficient operation and management through use of the branch’s limited resources and generating worthwhile investment, compared to the benefits derived, in response to customers’ or water consumers’ service satisfaction while creating the branch’s good image and customers’ confidence in the branch’s performance. Resources used to implement the project include the following.
1. Finance or budget, It is a significant factor influencing an achievement of the project. Without a supportive budget, an implementation of the project would not have been possible. PWA Kabinburi branch’s budget increased by 3.94% in 2013, compared to 2012 but its operating income rose by 22.41% in 2013, compared to the previous year.
2. Techniques and tactics used, For the techniques and tactics used for the implementation of the project, they must be suitable to the branch’s limited existing resources, especially its budget. The techniques used to implement the project include the water safety plan (WSP), arranging for a manual on standard operating procedure (SOP), use of the quality control (QC) system to supervise and control the water quality in the process of water supply production and distribution, and use of the balanced scorecard (BSC) and competency principle for the branch’s management and operation aimed at an appraisal of staff’s efficiency and potential applying the key performance index (KPI) as a main mechanism.
3. Personnel resources, Personnel resources are a significant machine pushing forward the branch toward its success. Though there are operating budget, work plan, as well as techniques and tactics of implementation, without experienced and skilled personnel, it is not possible to fulfill the goal or target defined by PWA or Kabinburi branch. As a consequence, the branch has to continuously develop its staff’s knowledge, skill and capability by making a study trip to water production stations and treatment plants of other PWA branches, including studying their management techniques in order to share experiences and knowledge with those branches’ staff. In 2013, PWA Kabinburi branch’s staff consist of 17 members.
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| 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
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For non-concrete output, which is a real-time learning from actual situations, and an experience which can’t be found in any textbook. For concrete outputs, they comprise the following.
1. The technique of SWOT analysis was applied to find Kabinburi branch’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats prior to project implementation, while a strategic plan appropriate to the branch’s limited resources was formulated, which led to the goal and target established. An economical budget could be allocated for project implementation. This was reflected in the branch’s operating income, which rose from Baht 16.87 million in 2012 to Baht 25.18 million in 2013, or 49.26%.
2. For an implementation of the water safety plan (WSP) in water supply production process through a manual on standard operating procedure (SOP) aimed at defining a controlling approach by formulating a work plan and implementing based on the defined plan so as to follow up the control of and maintain the production system, a standard water production is achieved throughout.
3. The quality control (QC) system has been utilized to control the quality of water in the water supply production and distribution process, and service provision in order to maintain the standard and generate confidence among all stakeholders, particularly consumers.
4. As to the supervision of the process of staff’s management and evaluation of their efficiency and potential using the balanced scorecard (BSC) and competency system based on key performance index (KPI) defined as a major mechanism, operating staff have an apparent guideline for their duty performance while the operating consequence can be concretely evaluated, creating equity within the branch.
5. Concerning the creation of service satisfaction among customers using the branch’s major tactic of ‘10 S’ as a supplement to the guideline for staff’s operation and improvement of service, it helps promote the branch’s good image in the eyes of customers or service users.
The accomplishments referred to above have enabled PWA Kabinburi branch to produce water supply of WHO standards of 15 parameters defined in 3 aspects, namely, physical, chemical and bacterial aspects, with steadily increasing average water pressure between 2011 and 2013, which equals 7.7, 9.5 and 10.5 meters, respectively (PWA’s water pressure standard must be = or > 5 meters). Similarly, there has been no suspension of water distribution owing to leaking pipe or pipe burst for 2 years in a row, or in 2012 and 2013.
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| 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
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PWA Kabinburi branch has defined a system of closely and contantly supervising and following up the project implementation, including formulating a preventive plan on maintaining the sustainability of the branch’s standard operation and service, which comprises the following details.
1. The quality control (QC) system has been used to control the quality of the water production and distribution process and service provision so as to maintain the water standard and create the confidence in service among customers, as defined in PWA’s requirements, including its corrective action when the production process and service provision do not go in accordance with the requirements, which means the damage or problem has taken place and will negatively affect consumers.
2. The balanced scorecard and competency system has been applied to supervise and control PWA’s management and staff’ and employees’ operation and evaluation on the efficiency and potential of performance based on the key performance index defined, apart from being a management tool which helps strategic implementation based on an effective measurement, generating solidarity and coherence within the organization and concentrating on the issues necessary for the agency’s achievements in order for steady and efficient services.
3. There has been a plan defined for following up and assessing the performance both at the organizational and branch level, compared to the monthly plan all the time, for instance, operating consequences and complaints from customers in each month, quarter and year, which definitely impacts PWA’s and branches’ management.
4. A preventive plan has been defined to develop PWA Kabinburi branch’s staff’s knowledge and skills and create the organization culture, aimed at raising the awareness on their love and commitment to the organization and service, including maintaining the organization’s interests through the training and development of staff with respect to services so that they have knowledge and skills necessary and relevant to their duties and responsibilities.
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| 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
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1. Prior to an achievement of the project, Kabinburi branch’s staff’s lack of knowledge and understanding of a guideline and tactic for a solution to problems they were confronted with was a major hindrance to project implementation. To solve this problem, the branch’s management convened a meeting to constantly generate an understanding among staff at least twice a month and applied the balanced scorecard and competency system to the supervision and control of staff’s assessment on their efficiency and potential based on the defined key performance index.
2. Previously, Kabinburi branch encountered the problem of maintaining water supply production standard and steady distribution of stable-pressure water due to its obsolete production system and dilapidated water treatment plants. To solve the problem, the branch attempted to make the most of its limited resources by setting an order of priorities, giving highest importance to customer services and using the quality control system to control the quality of water in the water supply production process and service provision with an aim to maintain a high standard and generate confidence among customers.
3. Due to a rapid economic growth in Kabinburi district stemming from a transfer of an industrial base to the area in compliance with the strategy, causing a rise in demand for water supply and a shortage of raw water for water supply production during the dry season. To solve the problem, the branch manager has convened a meeting of all parties concerned to find a guideline for a problem solution, after which there has been an agreement that the Provincial Irrigation Office will allocate water (Water quota) from Praprong reservoir, in the dry season each year, in the amount of 9,000 cubic meters per day, in order to relieve the hardship of getting raw water for water supply production.
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