Using Technology to Enhance Human Performance

The human side of operations often overlooked during the technology boom has now revealed a new level of potential threat to the Water and Wastewater industry. Skilled workers moving to other industries and generational changes which has seen large-scale retirement of experienced engineers combined with a lack of suitable replacements, is biting deep into the skills base. With an estimated 36% of highly skilled engineers in the industry expected to retire in the next ten or so years and a lack of suitable replacements, the industry is facing a potential crisis. Combined with pressure for cost control in a high cost environment means organisations must do more with less, while making better use of the experience of remaining skilled workers.

Generating actions through insights, made by implementation of an effective digitalisation strategy on a well operated plant can address many of these challenges. The key is to capture the experience of older engineers and operators and utilise that knowledge in a way which will benefit the business for generations to come. This can only be done through effective collaboration and co-innovation, using best practice examples from all industry segments.

Another issue is that many operators are faced with a torrent of current technological innovation which threatens to overwhelm them. Although many may have set out on a digital transformation journey with clear objectives and expected outcomes, others are yet to identify whether digital transformation holds anything of benefit. It is this group who are most at risk of making hasty and uninformed decisions, as pressure mounts internally and externally to take advantage of the ‘digital revolution’. The risk of making hasty and ill-informed decisions, thus adopting ‘transformational change’ without clear objectives can not only be costly, but could be detrimental to operational effectiveness, safety and security.

This paper not only examines the threats to operational effectiveness posed by the demographic timebomb but examines how industry research and standards combined with lessons learned from other sectors can address such challenges. With real-life examples of using technology to supplement and enhance human performance, it investigates ways of helping water industry operators become better acquainted with the digital revolution.