Enterprise Resilience for a Large-Scale Utility Integration

Overview

Supported the Enterprise Resilience workstream in a complex utility integration programme, helping establish a structured baseline for resilience and define the actions required to harmonize critical functions across the new operating environment. The workstream covered governance, risk, SHEQ, business continuity, disaster recovery, security, document and record management, and selected ICT resilience activities.

The challenge

A newly reconfigured utility environment required a coordinated approach to resilience across multiple functions, systems, teams, and sites. Existing practices were fragmented, with differences in ISO certification cycles, document management platforms, security structures, emergency response arrangements, and ICT operating environments. The programme needed a practical way to assess current capability, identify gaps, and prioritize actions for integration and long-term resilience.

What was done

The engagement used the Effective Utility Management framework as the basis for a structured self-assessment. Stakeholder workshops were run to evaluate resilience practices across three business levels, with scoring applied to both current-state maturity and required actions. The work was then extended beyond the framework to address material transition issues such as ISO integration, document and records management, security operating model design, and business continuity/disaster recovery requirements.

Key areas of focus

Key deliverables and recommendations included alignment of governance structures and SOPs, development of a joint risk register, integration of emergency roles and communication procedures, adoption of a single document and record management approach, definition of an ISO certification strategy, consolidation of security service arrangements, and planning for integrated flood response, early warning, and broader resilience measures. The workstream also addressed ICT migration priorities, cyber controls, backup and failover practices, and the need for coordinated business continuity and disaster recovery testing across the integrated footprint.

Impact

The work created a clear resilience baseline, a prioritized action roadmap, and a practical basis for management to take forward integration decisions. It highlighted where structures already overlapped and where targeted intervention was needed to strengthen resilience across the combined environment. The overall WS07 outcome showed a workstream well advanced toward integration, with combined scores indicating an "in progress" current state and a defined improvement agenda for the next phase.