By Mark Fritsch, General Manager
In my last article I mentioned the great results that Owatonna Public Utilities has been achieving. Those results are tied directly to our strategic planning and execution. This plan sets the course for us to ensure our mission and vision are accomplished. The mission, to enrich the quality of life in our community by delivering reasonably priced, reliable, safe, and customer-focused utility services, serves as the foundation for our five key focus areas:
People/Culture: Investments and improvements in our employee development, succession planning and on-the-job training programs.
Process: Identification and improvements in key work processes and benchmarking.
Facilities: Facilities that promote safe, efficient operations and provide the platform for growth and expansion.
Measurements: Identification and use of key performance measurements to track and improve operational effectiveness and customer service.
Technology: Investments and use of technology to support current and future needs of our employees and customers.
These focus areas have stayed the same for the last couple years. What changes each year are the specific goals, timelines and success measures that support each one. For example, we have a goal this year to improve our on-the-job training program. Line crews are developing specific training, practicing and evaluations to qualify new line crew members in their job tasks. This goal supports our People/Culture focus area, and supports safety, and productivity. These in turn show up as affecting key performance indicators such as safety, reliability, and the cost of service/rates.
We have started to measure specific indicators in the last couple years that give crews and leaders direct feedback on how well we are meeting customer expectations. We track these indicators on a scorecard similar to tracking indicators that sport teams use. One such indicator is how long it takes us to restore electric service when a loss of power occurs. We have a target to be under 50 minute’s average for a year. Storms have had the biggest impact on us during the last couple years. Last year we were above our target at 52 minutes with the largest impact being our May 2nd winter storm. Even at 52 minutes, we were significantly better than other utilities. Xcel Energy’s goal in 2013 was to be under 91-117 minutes depending on the area being served. This goal supports our Measurements focus area.
It’s rewarding to see the impact that completion of our focus area goals has on our results. We continue to work hard to deliver on our mission to serve each of you to the best of our abilities.
