Introduction
In this study, we will study the use of quality management tools with reference to DEWA (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority). DEWA is a public service infrastructure company which was established in the year 1992. The purpose of the company is to provide an adequate supply of water and electricity to the people of Dubai. The company has achieved a competitive advantage in the business by reducing losses in power transmission and water networks.
DEWA is initiating a number of projects which are focused on promotion and use of solar energy in the economy so that the dependence on non-renewable sources could be reduced. The Electricity and Water Industry in UAE is witnessing changes because of the increase in demand for water and electricity and on the other hand the depletion of the non-renewable resources which gives rise to the need to look for alternative sources. Also, the government of UAE is putting up efforts to involve private players in this industry. There is a shift in the economy toward solar energy and the development of smart cities. The smart cities are focused on reducing the consumption of energy through new opportunities CITATION Ele17 l 16393 (Ventures Onsite for Middle East Electricity, 2017).
Need for quality is essential for DEWA and the public infrastructure industry and this is because there is a lot of wastages in power transmission and along the water network which can be reduced by implementing quality management tools. Also as the non-renewable resources are dwindling, we need to focus on renewable resources but the quality aspect needs to be matched so that the requirements of the society are matched. The power generation industry also impacts the environment in a negative manner which needs to be taken care of by these organizations so that the adverse impact could be controlled and this can be improved with the help of quality management tools. DEWA is working on the clean energy strategy wherein 25% from solar energy, 7% from nuclear power, 7% from clean coal, and 61% from gas will be extracted by 2030 CITATION Ven18 l 16393 (Ventures Onsite, 2018).
Dubai Electricity and Water AuthorityDEWA is a public sector organization which was formed as a merger of Dubai Electricity Company and Dubai Water Department. The organization is making continuous efforts to provide Dubai residents with electricity and water supply. DEWA is ranked as one of the best utility suppliers in the world. The organization is partnering with a number of sustainability projects so that they can contribute to building a smarter world. MBR Solar park is one of the important initiatives of the organization which will provide 1000 MW power by 2020 and 5000 MW by 2030. The company is ISO Certified which states the very fact that the company follows best international practices.
Mission “We are committed to the happiness of our stakeholders and promoting Dubai’s vision through the delivery of sustainable electricity and water services at a world-class level of reliability, efficiency and safety in an environment that nurtures innovation with a competent workforce and effective partnerships; supporting resources sustainability.” The mission of the organization is to focus on resource sustainability with the help of innovation initiatives channeled through the efficient workforce of the organization. Objectives and challenges The objectives of the study are as below: To assess the quality tools that are implemented by DEWA To assess the benefits of quality tools for DEWA To analyze the need for improvement in the organization in terms of quality initiatives The challenge of the study is to get access to internal information of the company within a limited frame of time. Quality Processes at DEWAEFQM Model DEWA implemented the EFQM model in the organization to achieve business excellence. The EFQM Model comprises of three components which help in understanding the cause and effect relationships between the actions of the organizations and the results achieved by the organization. The three components of the EFQM Model are as below: Fundamental concepts of excellence The criteria The Radar DEWA makes use of almost all the fundamental concepts of excellence in order to succeed in the initiatives taken up by the organization. The organization is focusing on adding value to the customers by understanding their needs and expectations.
DEWA is making continuous efforts to provide electricity and power to the residents of Dubai. The organization is focused on developing a sustainable future by focusing on renewable sources of energy like solar energy. Further, the organization is also focused on harnessing creativity and innovation which has helped the organization come a long way and now they are working on the development of smart cities. This has been made possible with the efforts of the human resources of the organization who are contributing towards the goals of the organization. Thus the organization is succeeding through the talent of people and sustain outstanding results.
Thus DEWA is focusing on the use of the EFQM model for achieving excellence in business and supporting the society. The criteria component of the EFQM model focuses on enablers and results criterion which support the implementation of the above-mentioned concepts and this is achieved through people, leaders, strategy, and resources. Strategic direction is an important concept because if the organization does not have a clear strategy then the efforts of the employees and leaders will be in different directions. The leaders are required to enforce the strategy so that the employees of the organization can be channel towards achieving the results of the organization.
The resources are required to achieve the goals of the organization. DEWA will not have been able to achieve the success it currently has without the help of the enablers CITATION EFQ12 l 16393 (EFQM, 2012). The organization has a strong leadership and they are much focused on developing the talent of the organization so that they can work towards achieving the objectives of the organization. Also, there needs to be a criterion for results against which they should be measured and the results need to be measurable in order to be achieved else there will be no motivation to work for them. The Radar aspect of the model states that the organization should determine the results that are to be achieved and then the planning should be in line with those results and accordingly the resources should be deployed and refining of the approaches should be taken up to achieve end results.
DEWA wants to develop a sustainable future and basis that it is taking up projects that will lead the company towards this goal. ISO Standards DEWA is ISO certified for implementation of integrated management systems and its commitment for Dubai Plan 2021. DEWA has been commended for ensuring the highest standards of safety and security as well as supporting the sustainability of resources. The quality management principles followed by DEWA help in managing, controlling and reducing risks in order to enhance services.
DEWA has also been awarded ISO 27001:2013 which is for the highest international standard in information security management. This has been extended to all the divisions and departments of DEWA. The ISO standards have helped the organization focus on the quality aspect. Thus DEWA is providing electricity and water services according to the highest levels of availability, efficiency, and reliability.
Process Map at DEWA The above process map for DEWA includes the quality management techniques that are used by DEWA. The process map highlights that the DEWA needs to identify the demand for its services and then assess the current supply situation. As there is an increase in demand vs. supply, DEWA needs to identify the gap and then look for sources to fill the gap. While filling the gap, the organization is focusing on quality management wherein it seeks to ensure a sustainable future for the organization. Tools to improve quality below tools could be applied to focus on quality aspect: Check Sheets: DEWA could make use of check sheets where the process and all its important components could be listed in the sheets and this could be checked by the people at the department in order to identify any discrepancies in the system.
The check sheets will help the organization keep a track on the performance and the data will be available historically and thus it could be used as a yardstick for further improvement CITATION Dal07 l 16393 (Dale, 2007). Control charts: This is another important quality tool that will help focus on the quality of services provided by DEWA. This could be used to assess the demand and supply of water and electricity to the residents of Dubai and also check if there are any losses in transmission. The upper and lower limits of the control charts will help DEWA identify the discrepancies at an early stage before they turn out to become a roadblock for the organization CITATION Oak l 16393 (Oakland, 2002). Scatter Diagram: The scatter diagrams could also be used by DEWA to assess the increase in consumption of water and electricity over a period of time and comparing it with the increase in the population of Dubai.
This will help the organization have a fair idea about the increase in usage of services and would help them plan better for the future. The scatter diagram helps to identify the relationship between two variables and this will be useful for DEWA to assess the demand and supply situation CITATION Sou02 l 16393 (Sousa, R. and Voss, C.A., 2002). Recommendations for Process ImprovementDEWA is already focused on making use of quality management tools in order to make changes in its process and it is using a number of tools to achieve that. However, the organization can follow below-mentioned recommendations: The organization should include quality management as part of their regular processes An organization should focus on the development of talent in the organization so that it can foster creativity Apart from the above recommendations, the organization should adopt the below-mentioned approach for ensuring that they focus on the quality aspect. PDCA: The organization should focus on quality aspect in order to improve its processes.
The concept of PDCA is a four-step process which states that the organization needs to follow the 4 steps in order to ensure that quality is the first and foremost focus of the organization. This process is aimed at ensuring continuous improvement in the organization. The first stage of the cycle is to “plan” wherein the organization will define the problem and will collect the relevant data that is required for the problem at hand. This stage might also involve doing a root cause analysis in order to assess the problem to the deeper level of details.
The second stage is “do” stage which states that the organization then needs to develop and implement a solution and also the measurement of the result need to be gauged at this stage and this is because if the results cannot be measured it is not feasible to implement such a system CITATION Lanss l 16393 (Langley & Moen, 2009). The third stage is the “check” stage where the results are compared for a before and after analysis to assess the changes. The last stage is the “act” stage where the results are documented and recommendations are noted based on the problems that are noticed which are taken up in the next PDCA cycle CITATION Tag05 l 16393 (Tague, 2005).
Conclusion
The above study has highlighted the use of quality tools by DEWA which is a public sector infrastructure company of Dubai.
The organization is a pioneer player in the adoption of quality management tools and thus focuses on the use of such tools to ensure a sustainable future for the people of Dubai. DEWA is also making up efforts to improve the quality of the environment by focusing on a sustainable future and looking for alternative sources of energy for generation of power. Basis on the study it has been highlighted that there are a number of quality tools that are implemented by DEWA; however it has also been recommended that there is likely to be an increase in the demand for DEWA services and thus some of the quality techniques have been suggested to monitor and control the demand and supply situation so that nothing comes as a big surprise for the organization.
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- Retrieved October 28, 2018, from HYPERLINK “https://www.dewa.gov.ae/en/about-dewa/news-and-media/press-and-news/latest-news/2018/07/dewa-extends-iso-27001-in-information-security-management-to-cover-all-its-sectors-and-operations” https://www.dewa.gov.ae/en/about-dewa/news-and-media/press-and-news/latest-news/2018/07/dewa-extends-iso-27001-in-information-security-management-to-cover-all-its-sectors-and-operations DEWA completes update and transition to ISO 9001:2015. (2017, July 11). Retrieved October 28, 2018, from https://www.dewa.gov.ae/en/about-dewa/news-and-media/press-and-news/latest-news/2017/07/dewa-completes-update-and-transition-to-iso
