Canadian Water Network (CWN) recently brought together 19 utilities for the second data Strategic Sharing Group meeting. This group brings together members of CWN’s Canadian Municipal Water Consortium to explore approaches to advancing digital transformation through a water lens. Building on conversations from the October kickoff meeting, members heard from Halifax Water about its ambitious five-year data roadmap. Members of the Canadian Municipal Water Consortium also explored potential challenges and strategies for implementing data roadmaps in their organizations.

With a focus on eliminating siloes, fostering cross-departmental collaboration, and building a compelling business case for data initiatives, Halifax Water’s journey provided valuable lessons for organizations seeking to harness the power of data. Crucially, Halifax Water has broken down siloes by consolidating IT and OT teams under one umbrella. Halifax Water also fosters synergies, integration and regular communication that enable the organization to share data across disciplines and gain holistic insights into operations.

Early wins showcased Halifax Water’s tangible progress, including automating spreadsheet processes, enhancing reports, and implementing a computerized maintenance management system. These successes underscored the value of aligning deliverables with business objectives and leveraging data to drive operational improvements.

The meeting also enabled group members to participate in insightful breakout room discussions. Key takeaways included the importance of clarifying scope and expectations, overcoming siloes through collaborative conversations, and securing buy-in from executives by demonstrating tangible benefits. Addressing staffing resources and capacity emerged as a critical consideration, in addition to fostering a culture of continuous improvement and accountability to maximize the impact of data initiatives.

Looking ahead, CWN will continue to foster these critical conversations and knowledge-sharing opportunities on data governance and analytics by hosting a third meeting in the spring. To learn more about the group, please contact Katina Tam at [email protected].