A. Identify process and product innovations and estimate the total effect on water savings to establish a goal. Key factors to be included in this step are:
- Regulatory constrains and local water supply issues
- Corporate mandate
- Risk – Does the goal allow room for production expansion? Are there any environmental risks?
An extensive optimization plan includes a list of water savings and wastewater quality related projects. Each project should include the following factors:
- A generic description
- The internal process being fed
- Technology to be employed
- An estimate of the water volume savings
- Capital and operating costs
- A timeline for implementation
- An estimate for the level of difficulty in execution
The "Water Footprint Reduction Technology Solutions" described in Appendix A is a list of solutions that help create water savings. The solutions are sorted by level of implementation difficulty and timelines for implementation. They start with the most immediate and easy to implement, progress to projects that require additional infrastructure, and finally move on to longer term schedules. All monetary figures are based on averages and estimates to provide a basis for project planning but do not represent a price list. Any project selected for execution should start with a future state water balance, which will disclose an estimate of the new flow capacities and related cost efficiencies.
B. Establish a budget and procure funding. Outside funding and grants can be available.
C. Develop a timeline for implementation and schedule periodic reviews with the water efficiency team to monitor progress. The following scheme will help you in prioritizing projects:
D. Develop an internal communications plan to continue engaging employees and creating awareness.
E. It is important to include all related stakeholders, internal and external, to develop support in delivering water projects. A useful tool can be a stakeholder analysis (see Figure 7), which will develop a detailed sense of who the key stakeholders are, how they currently feel about the change initiative, and the level of support they need to exhibit for the change initiative to have a good chance of success. Based on your analysis, an action plan can be devised to align support and mitigate sources of resistance.
At the end of this step, everything should be ready to execute. The projects should be scoped and approved, employees informed and a water solutions supplier identified.
Support Levels
Support Levels are the team’s assessment of each stakeholder’s support of the proposed change, as demonstrated by his or her words and actions. They are “perceptions” and need to be validated through dialog with the stakeholders.
SA = Strongly Against – Clear actions and words that contradict the change.
MA = Moderately Against – Holding back resources and support
N = Neutral – Neither supportive nor opposed to the change, “Wait and See”
MS = Moderately Supportive – Sharing resources as required
SS = Strongly Supportive – Fully engaged and enlisting others
