Integrating Core Wastewater Business Processes – Lessons Learned from Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

The collective business requirements of large, regional agencies like the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) often exceed the capabilities of individual IT Systems that are designed to deliver a specific set of functionality. MWRD's complex management requirements meant they needed process improvement in multiple areas, data access throughout the business, and the need to upgrade and/or deploy new technology in multiple areas of the organization at the same time. Together, these and other factors led MWRD to establish pre-integrated, enterprise-class business applications – referred to as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications – as the cornerstone of their IT Strategy.This paper discusses:Fundamental drivers that led MWRD to set ERP as a key business improvement strategy;The value of developing an IT Strategic Plan in preparing for ERP implementation;Challenges of implementing enterprise-scale business applications in large public utilities; andLessons learned and outcomes from the MWRD planning and implementation of enterprise-class business applications.