Benchmarking Laboratory Processes for Drinking-Water Quality Monitoring

摘要

Six major German water laboratories have developed a process benchmarking system specific to the quality monitoring tasks of drinking-water supply companies. Based on an analysis of laboratory characteristics, relevant tasks, and processes have been defined. Relevant data can be classified into data on service output, laboratory infrastructure, personnel, finance and structure. Improving comparability of laboratory services with respect to the indicators provided by existing benchmarking systems was a major concern. Project partners set up standardised service specifications, distinguishing between tests that are required by applicable standards / regulatory legislation, or other objectives. Compilation of financial data had to be adjusted, because cost allocation varies significantly when the various individual benchmarking objects such as laboratory space, vehicle fleet, IT-services and overhead-costs are considered. After testing a range of performance indicators for water-quality monitoring, a total of 46 indicators have been retained covering five dimensions. Network delivery rate and the scale of abstraction and treatment plants have been identified as main explanatory factors for specific service output variations. The proportion of organic testing also accounts for significant differences. Due to factor cost variation most financial indicators appear not to be useful for evaluation of process efficiency. Participating laboratories involved with monitoring drinking-water supplies obtain valuable insights for optimised capacity utilisation in different aspects. The regional and strategic setting of water undertakings and their associated infrastructures have an impact on the highly integrated performance indicators such as water-quality monitoring costs per cubic metre accounting for variations which are more than ten times higher than variations in process efficiency.