SME Water

Impact

• 2 new jobs created
• 33% increase in turnover
• KTP partnership established

About the business

Name: SME Water Ltd

Location: Birkenhead

Sector: Engineering consultancy

Employees: 9

SME Water delivers contemporary network solutions to the clean water industry. The company combines its extensive knowledge of water distribution network management with modern analysis and data science techniques to deliver complex projects across the UK water industry.

SME Water is unique in that it exclusively serves the UK water sector. The company has 15 UK-based potential clients and currently provides services to eight of them, including South-West Water, United Utilities, South Staffs Water, Severn Trent Water, and Anglian Water. Using their expertise, they assist water companies in reviewing their technology, people, and business processes, helping to improve productivity, efficiency, and drive growth.

SME Water has built a reputation as a thought leader within the industry, hosting a series of conferences and networking events to collaborate with and inspire water companies.

Challenges

SME Water completed Edge Hill’s Innovation Sprint growth programme in 2023, which helped the team clarify their strategic goals and identify the need to develop the Senior Management team’s strategic thinking. To grow the business, they recognized the need to first develop themselves, with learning to delegate as a key priority.

The team joined the fully funded CMI Level 7 course to not only develop individual skills but also to make a real difference within the business. The course aimed to develop the culture, mindset, and confidence of all employees, enabling them to take on more responsibility through senior roles and to encourage innovation.

It was a deliberate decision by the Directors to engage in the programme to lead significant strategic changes within the business and support growth. Engaging in the CMI programme also demonstrated their commitment to embedding training and development within the organisational culture from the top down.

Opportunity

Improving the skills and capabilities of the team would help SME Water foster a mindset and embed a culture that inspires and builds confidence within their team. The Directors view learning and development as essential tools to guide the team through the strategic changes that will shape the company’s future.

Each team member now has a personal development plan and is provided with a day each month to work towards their goals. This shift demonstrates the Directors’ commitment to embedding innovation not only within the business but also within each individual.

Impact

The CMI Level 7 programme’s action learning approach has introduced guiding principles required to transform both SME Water’s products and services, as well as the organisational structure and culture.

SME Water is currently transitioning from a traditional engineering consultancy to a Software as a Service (SaaS) provider. To facilitate this strategic shift, SME Water has adopted Kaizen and Agile project management methodologies as the foundation for supporting change within the business. This approach allows the business to move at its own pace to minimize disruption while growing and remaining agile.

The implementation of Kaizen has directly impacted turnover, resulting in a 33% increase, and has helped define the company’s strategy for the next two years. The business has recruited a Programme Manager and a Data Scientist to support this strategic change, with further team expansion planned. As part of their growth strategy, SME Water is engaging in a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Edge Hill, a three-year partnership that will support the development of a new, AI enabled, water pressure management platform to serve UK water company clients, with a vision to expand the offering internationally.

“Dedicating time to developing the leadership skills and capabilities of the senior team has given us the space to think about the strategic changes the business needed to undergo to achieve our growth ambitions. Through applying business models learned in the programme, we have been able to chart a route map to implement the changes at a pace suitable for the business.”