Case Study

Name: St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District Date: 1998 to 1999 Project: Management Audit

Summary: IMG performed a management audit for the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD), which resulted in a comprehensive examination and evaluation of the Board, management, and operations of MSD with recommendations for improvement.

Issue: MSD retained IMG to conduct an independent management audit to identify performance improvement opportunities that would make the District the best organization possible as it entered the twenty-first century.

Solution: IMG developed a 12-step methodology to fulfill the requirements of the scope of services, providing an objective review of the strengths and weaknesses of MSD’s governance, organization, policies, procedures, and system operations. IMG also assessed best practices in the industry and benchmarked MSD to both well-run private and public facilities.  IMG reviewed more than 150 documents, completed field visits to most MSD facilities, and interviewed each Board member, all Department Directors, the Executive Director, and union representatives. In addition, 250 employees provided input in 24 internal focus groups, and 8 Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) contractors discussed contract issues in an external focus group.

Value Created: The audit resulted in an objective assessment of current management and business processes, a detailed summary of the organization’s strengths and weaknesses, a comparison to best practices, and recommendations (detailing projected costs and savings) for improvements in operating policies and procedures.