Flow State: Aligning Utility Vision, Drivers, and Delivery

[b]Operationalizing Strategic Utility Planning[/b] Defining a clear vision is a critical first step for any utility, but translating that vision into the everyday flow of operational decisions is one of the most persistent and complex issues facing the water sector today. Too often, bold ideas stall at the point of execution, leaving utilities with fragmented priorities, underutilized resources, and missed opportunities. This presentation explores how the City of Boise's Water Renewal Services (WRS) tackled this challenge head-on by transforming recommendations from its strategic implementation plan (the [i]what[/i] and [i]why[/i]) into a living, tactical framework (the [i]how[/i]). Attendees will learn how WRS built a repeatable process that connects strategic drivers to capital planning, developed prioritization metrics rooted in the utility's vision and community values, and created feedback loops that allow tactical execution to shape future strategy. The session will offer practical tools and insights for utilities seeking to close the implementation gap and build resilient, adaptive systems that reflect both regulatory requirements and public expectations. Key lessons learned will be explored: ensuring implementation decisions are incorporated into subsequent strategies, connecting capital planning with other tactical planning efforts, and identifying the timing and prompts for updating tactical plans. [b]From Disposal to Purpose: The Strategic Shift[/b] In 2020, WRS redefined its mission, shifting from disposal to renewal: the 2020 WRS Utility Plan set a new direction for the utility and established the broad vision (the [i]what[/i]) for the next several decades. Importantly, WRS invited its community to co-author the future-shaping a utility plan that reflects shared values, environmental stewardship, and long-term resilience. The utility plan unified diverse planning drivers into a clear framework – [b]planning drivers[/b] (the [i]why[/i]) were used to build viable solutions, instead of trying to do everything, everywhere, all at once. This was done by establishing the [b]boundary conditions[/b] of the planning drivers underpinning the utility plan. The vision of [i]what[/i] and [i]why[/i] established in 2020 still stands today. The WRS Utility Plan is not a static map - it's a compass. To follow the compass's guidance, the 2020 WRS Utility Plan also established an implementation roadmap (the [i]how[/i]) for WRS to move toward that Vision and meet the expectations of the community, organized in '4Ps' – People/Processes, Policy, Pricing, and Projects. The implementation roadmap was conceived as a guiding strategy, with the expectation that further detail would be developed. As WRS has embarked on implementation, a key lesson learned is that gaps in strategic implementation can create challenges in day-to-day tactical utility activities. [b]When Strategy Meets Reality: The Tactical Challenge[/b] All utilities face needs that require investments – from a broken pump to a new treatment facility. WRS' Project Delivery Model (PDM) has a planning component designed to progress utility issues from problems to executable projects, first conceived as part of the 2020 Utility Strategic Implementation Plan, but without the tactical detail for daily decision-making. So what if, as is the case at most, if not all utilities:
The needs outweigh the resources (capital dollars and human and organizational capacity) available to implement a solution?
Information on the various needs is incomplete, inaccurate, or simply not available?
Accountability for outcomes of decisions is divorced from the ability to make those decisions?
Needs are highly interdependent? Further, as was the case at WRS, what if prioritizing needs isn't standardized? Can a high-level recommendation from a strategic utility plan become a tactical reality? [b]From the what and why of strategy to the how of tactical implementation[/b] Recognizing that most utilities face overwhelming needs and limited resources, WRS tackled the challenge head-on by asking, 'How can we go from analysis to action? What if every decision could be traced back to shared values and strategic goals?' WRS answered by leveraging an engagement strategy grounded in key planning drivers and boundary conditions from the 2020 Utility Plan: 1. [b]Utility leadership set the course[/b] by identifying priorities that should be captured in the capital delivery plan, known as the 'workbank' – a place to capture all identified problems across the utility. These priorities aligned to the vision (the [i]what[/i]) established in the 2020 Utility Plan. 2. [b]Staff across programs and operations defined the workbank[/b] across categories of needs tied to the planning drivers (the [i]why[/i]) described in the 2020 Utility Plan. The workbank provided a centralized way to identify and evaluate all upcoming utility needs in coordination, rather than treating them as isolated issues. 3. [b]Prioritization metrics aligned[/b] to those same planning drivers and ensured the utility would continue to operate within the boundary conditions set by the plan were developed to allow for an apples-to-apples comparison of projects. Metrics included levels of service, regulatory drivers, innovation, etc. 4. [b]Workbank workshops unified the conversation[/b], transforming fragmented discussions into a focused, informed prioritization process (the [i]how[/i]). By facilitating cross-functional dialogue, these workshops provided the context for values-based decisions based on the utility's needs and planning drivers, enabling value-based decision-making across the organization. This collaborative approach provided the setting necessary for aligning tactical actions with strategic goals - reinforcing a unified vision that guides every step of capital planning. [b]The result? A repeatable process that doesn't just produce a list – it builds momentum.[/b] Every CIP planning cycle now will reinforce the utility's core values and vision, creating a feedback loop that connects strategy to execution and prepares the organization to adapt without starting from scratch. This has allowed the utility to avoid a major plan update with every CIP update. [b]Next steps: from tactical execution to strategic evolution[/b] Strategic planning is not a one-way street, from strategic to tactical, it's a dynamic cycle. [i]How [/i]things get implemented does not just follow strategy; it can help reshape it. As the utility updates its 2020 Utility Plan, it's using real-world insights from the workbank prioritization process to inform the next generation of strategic direction. One key lesson learned: [i]how [/i]projects are prioritized directly influences [i]what [/i]gets planned. When one area receives more attention, others may see their boundary conditions narrow – limiting the scope of future solutions. This feedback loop between tactical decisions and strategic planning ensures that priorities remain aligned and responsive. Similarly, a transparent feedback loop between planning processes can help to avoid conflicting priorities. A lesson learned is that all planning efforts that a utility undertakes, strategic or tactical, are interconnected and WRS is working to better define how planning efforts like facility plan updates, that follow the workbank prioritization, should be scoped to take into account decisions made while still supporting the appropriate level of analysis. Finally, WRS is defining a proactive management process for keeping its plans continually updated, having learned that having a definition of what triggers a change in a course of action is as important to define as making the decision in the first place. Because in utility planning, change isn't just inevitable - it's essential. And with a shared vision, adaptive tools, and a commitment to learning from implementation, WRS is proving that change can be strategic, inclusive, and transformative.