Case Study
Digital Transformation on Dredging Data Results in Better Project Management, Communication
Kennedy Jenks used digital strategies to track metrics for ongoing dredging projects that support internal communication and allow the team to make informed data-driven decisions.
A major paper products manufacturing company engaged Kennedy Jenks (KJ) to observe and manage the dredging of a basin associated with the manufacturing process and wastewater treatment. At KJ, we believe technology can be used at all levels to improve the efficiency and value of data collected in a project. KJ developed tools that simplified and streamlined our client’s project tracking approach and improved project communication. KJ developed a project tracking dashboard in Microsoft Power BI that combined and visualized data metrics and key performance indicators in one location for access by the client and the entire project team. The dashboard highlighted important trends in the data, supporting seamless internal communication and data-informed decision-making during dredging operations.
As a byproduct of the manufacturing processes, wastewater runs through a treatment plant and discharges to a local river. State environmental compliance regulations mandate that this discharge meet certain standards prior to release. Our client monitors effluent water quality and solids accumulation within the wastewater treatment plant basins to maintain the quality of discharged wastewater.
Wastewater from the manufacturing processes collects in a network of surface drains and then flows through secondary treatment ponds to a final settling basin before being pumped via effluent piping to the outfall at a major river. Settleable solids build up over time in the basin and require periodic removal through dredging. To monitor this process, our client completes annual bathymetry depth surveys of their basins to calculate settled solid accumulation. These surveys and internal benchmarks triggered the need to dredge one large basin at the site. Our client used an existing relationship with a local dredging company to provide hydraulic dredging services for this project and requested KJ’s onsite presence to observe and document the progress of dredging operations.
The Challenge: High Volume of Disconnected Data
Dredging operations are a common practice for our client and are typically managed without the use of digital data tools like Power BI, leading to a high volume of disconnected data. KJ saw an opportunity to deploy these tools in a way that would connect data sets and provide our client with accessible project status summaries to support data-driven communications between the dredging contractors and KJ throughout the dredging process.
Project data came from a variety of sources, including:
PDF reports of daily production data from the dredging contractor,
Water-quality data for the wastewater outfalls that were regularly monitored for permit compliance, and
Financial data.
Initially, the data were stored in new Excel files each week, and none of the data were connected in a way that key insights or trends could be easily observed. KJ determined that with minimal cost and effort, we could connect and centralize the project data by introducing a project tracking dashboard.
The Solution: Connect and Communicate Project Data on a Dashboard
To provide this beneficial tool to the project team and client stakeholders, KJ connected multiple data sources into one central source on a Power BI dashboard. KJ chose MS Power BI as the ideal tool for this approach because the client owned the full Microsoft suite, and already had familiarity with using Power BI dashboards to investigate their financial data. The use of this tool resulted in no additional software costs to our client and provided them with a data platform they had seen and used before. The dashboard consolidated these data sources into key project metrics to provide a clear and simple summary of the project's progress. Data sources were live-linked to the dashboard and updated weekly whenever new data were available.
The overall project summary page of the dashboard was a comprehensive, one-stop location that provided a simple overview of the dredging process and quickly became a valuable way for client stakeholders to evaluate project status. Metrics included the percent of dredging complete, the average production rate, and an evaluation of lost time due to weather or equipment failure. A map provided an at-a-glance overview of dredging progress.
The monthly status tracking page provided the same metrics as the overall project summary page but compared the data month-to-month. This allowed KJ to observe any broader trends in the production data, as well as other factors like the influence of weather on the dredging progress.
The dashboard didn’t stop there – it also allowed monitoring of outfall water-quality data, as our client must comply with state environmental regulatory permit requirements for the wastewater that is released to the nearby river. This critical information was readily available via the dashboard, allowing our client to see that water-quality metrics remained within permit compliance with the click of a button.
Graphs within the dashboard tracked total suspended solids and biochemical oxygen demand data compared to the permit standards. These graphs were monitored throughout the progression of the project, and dredging activities were adjusted as needed to keep water quality within permit compliance. Using this tool, it was easy to remain in compliance throughout the entire dredging process.
The final page of the dashboard tracked financial metrics and allowed us to compare anticipated spend to the actual spend across the entire event. As project managers, KJ used this tool to track project progress compared to spend and understand if the project remained within budget.
Every page of the dashboard also included a date slicer at the bottom which allowed the dashboard viewer to filter every visual by a specific date range, empowering them to investigate data through each stage of the project to reflect on the past and compare trends over time.
The Result: Unified Project Communication through Connected and Informative Data Presentation
KJ’s integration of digital data tools increased the accessibility and usefulness of the project data during the dredging process. The project tracking dashboard built in Power BI became a central information hub for our client, the dredging contractors, and KJ’s project managers.
All stakeholders were kept current on project status with weekly dashboard updates. Consolidating and visualizing the data metrics allowed KJ to notice trends as they happened and rapidly address any potential concerns to project advancement. Our client had a comprehensive one-stop location that quickly and simply summarized their project, which kept them informed on activities at their site.
Close communication was key to project success. KJ’s dashboard allowed for clear understanding of the process and progress status, with comprehensive information available to the site operators and the contractor. The dashboard supported communication between all stakeholders of the project and promoted data-informed discussions that led to project success.
This project also supported digital transformation at the client site. Our client encouraged staff to make more consistent use of digital tools like Power BI to improve workflows. By developing this tool, KJ demonstrated the value and ease-of-use of dashboards to deliver project insights. KJ’s team saw an opportunity to improve workflow and efficiency in our project delivery and we built the tool to improve the value we could offer.
The value to the client was quickly apparent: the status of the program – cost allocation and savings advantages – can be viewed in real time, resulting in a smooth and predictable site operation based on the approach to the task. Due to the success of the tool for this dredging project, the client is using this dashboard for other dredging projects and anticipates that it will become an essential tool for dredging projects in the future.