{"id":499946,"date":"2015-10-21T14:24:47","date_gmt":"2015-10-21T12:24:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devoteam.com\/success-story\/waterbedrijf-groningen-kills-5-birds-with-one-app\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T09:03:45","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T07:03:45","slug":"waterbedrijf-groningen-kills-5-birds-with-one-app","status":"publish","type":"success-story","link":"https:\/\/devoteam.info\/en-pt\/success-story\/waterbedrijf-groningen-kills-5-birds-with-one-app\/","title":{"rendered":"Waterbedrijf Groningen Kills 5 Birds With One App"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Waterbedrijf Groningen supplies drinking water, grey water and water technology in the Dutch province of Groningen. A healthy and sustainable organisation that, for years, has managed to charge the Netherlands\u2019 lowest drinking water rates despite being one of the smaller water companies in the Netherlands. Smart operations and innovation form the basis for this. For instance, they called Devoteam in to develop an app that would enable substantial time savings for various groups of employees at the water company. Internal project leader Esther van Linge explains how the best ideas are sometimes born on the shop floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The Snapshot<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Waterbedrijf Groningen, an innovative Dutch water company, aimed to improve operational efficiency through smart solutions. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The primary challenge was a cumbersome and manual quality assurance process for inspecting contractor work, which involved handwritten “punch lists” and separate photo transfers. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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3<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The solution was to develop a strategic mobile application designed to digitise and streamline the inspection process, fostering innovation and enhancing data quality for field employees.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
One app for Five Processes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The initiative for change originated from a clear inefficiency in the company’s quality assurance process. As a water company that frequently hires contractors to build installations like pumps and pipelines, its own staff is responsible for inspecting the completed work. Any outstanding issues were historically documented on a “punch list,” but this was a cumbersome, manual task. The process involved transferring photos from a camera to a computer and manually typing up handwritten notes from the field, a time-consuming method that was ripe for improvement.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sound Plan of Approach<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Devoteam was ultimately chosen through a competitive tender process, standing out due to their strong plan and a proven track record from a past Mobile Device Management project. The partnership began dynamically, with praise for Devoteam’s committed and professional team. When the project encountered setbacks with external factors like back-end security integration and issues with Apple, the strength of the partnership became clear. Devoteam took ownership of the situation, doing everything possible to navigate the delays. This resilient approach was successful, and the project is now being prepared for its internal launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learning Organisation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Rather than being driven by a rigid business case, Waterbedrijf Groningen launched the project as a strategic initiative to foster innovation. The team was already confident that the app would streamline processes and enhance data quality, expectations that were fully met. A key goal was also to gain practical experience, such as understanding the trade-offs between custom-built applications and off-the-shelf solutions, and learning the nuances of their maintenance and management. As a learning organisation, the company believes in the importance of investing in innovation. The positive results of this project, which will be formally evaluated later this year, have reinforced that philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The new mobile app successfully streamlined the quality assurance process and enhanced data quality. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The resilient partnership navigated significant external setbacks to deliver the project for its internal launch. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The strategic initiative delivered valuable practical experience that reinforced the company’s innovation philosophy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Waterbedrijf Groningen supplies drinking water, grey water and water technology in the Dutch province of Groningen. A healthy and sustainable organisation that, for years, has managed to charge the Netherlands\u2019 lowest drinking water rates despite being one of the smaller water companies in the Netherlands. Smart operations and innovation form the basis for this. For […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":554284,"template":"","categories":[888],"tags":[3240],"industry":[2420],"class_list":["post-499946","success-story","type-success-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cloud-native-app-development-en-pt","tag-uk-import-en-pt","industry-energy-utilities-en-pt"],"acf":[],"cards":"\n\t
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