Integrated Capital Planning: New Tools to Integrate Project Delivery, Finance and Communications Systems

Even using advanced enterprise information systems, decision makers at Mount PleasantWaterworks (MPW) found they had a need for accurate, timely data to manage daily operations and improve long term planning. In 2005 they launched their own customized, low cost system to complement existing software, pull together data from separate systems and databases, and present it through desktop dashboards, web portals and reporting tools. This system, named PIPES (Project Integration Planning and Evaluation System), has been expanded and refined constantly over the past 9 years, and is now a reliable decision support tool, providing benefits, efficiencies and savings across the organization in ways not initially imagined, including:Long Term CIP Planning– Customized interfaces have been developed that link the CIP budget in PIPES with the rate model, creating a powerful financial forecasting tool. At commission meetings, each board member has a laptop, with simultaneous screens showing how changes made to large capital projects will affect the long term budget and rates. Supporting documentation is also stored in the system, streamlining the process even further, and flexible escalation values allow financial planning looking forward 20 years and beyond.Capital Planning– As PIPES continues to mature, it provides additional efficiencies. The most recent improvement automates the entire capital planning budget process, by allowing staff to submit all new budget requests and transfers directly through the PIPES system, which then auto-update records upon approval. This new feature is saving countless man-hours previously spent preparing the capital budget.Project Management/Asset Management– PIPES was initially designed to manage project information such as budgets, milestones, permits, contractor qualifications, and business contacts. MPW also uses the PIPES system to maintain new assets added to the system through the capital program and new development extensions. Once assets are added they can be exported by the Accounting Department directly in to the asset register.Realizing the ROI– Since becoming less dependent on paper copies and reports, MPW has been able to save one full-time equivalent (FTE) and many thousands of dollars on supplies that are no longer needed for printing documents. Reports that used to take hours to create are now