AWWA CSC91090

The Des Moines Water Works (Iowa) developed a proactive management of information services department to manage the water works' computer functions. In an effort to involve users in the applications design process, a nine-point schedule was established to submit a program request, select a project team, conduct a feasibility study, estimate the project, establish priorities, schedule the project, test and train users, implement the project, and evaluate team performance. Implementation practices were modified to improve scheduling of projects. An effort was made to support "super" users with hardware. The need for centralized information versus centralized computing and the need for powerful work stations is discussed. Future trends in the water industry and at Des Moines involve enhanced graphics, AM/FM systems, integrating the office environment, expert systems, control center automation, interface with laboratory information management systems (LIMS), a change in the philosophy of inventory control, plant and distribution management, and disaster recovery; each of these is briefly discussed.