Strategic Planning at Topeka – Improving Data Dissemination and Operational Efficiencies through GIS Development, CMMS Consolidation and Integration

In 2004, the city initiated the development of a strategic Information Management Master Plan (IMMP) to guide their vision of implementing a more holistic and integrated enterprise-wide management and decision support system. Together, city staff defined the operational objectives and key performance indicators (KPI) for each division and mapped the work processes to achieve these objectives and KPIs. A gap analysis was then performed and recommendation developed for minimizing organizational constraints and improving the processes, data and information systems involved. This resulted in a five-year strategic IMMP for the department to adopt and implement. The strategic IMMP provides Topeka’s Public Works Department with a detailed, prioritized set of projects that the department move forward with. Through the recommendations implemented to date, Topeka can now access, analyze and report on information critical to managing the city more easily, which has resulted in increased efficiencies in data collection and retrieval, improved operations management and field execution, cost savings in annual software maintenance and updates fees, improved customer service and increased revenue from more accurate maintenance cost tracking. Source: WEFTEC 2009 Proceedings