Rippleffect information sheet Step 3: Develop an action plan Draw up an action plan Once you have identified the water savings devices and practices that are most suitable for your site you should be in a good position to develop an action plan to improve water use in your organisation. This Rippleffect information sheet provides example action plans for a hotel, an office and an industrial site. It is important to have a clear and easily understood plan to ensure:     all of the achievable savings are identified; the exercise doesn’t become a one-off ‘purge’; ongoing savings are pursued; and employees remain motivated to help implement the ideas. The plan should make it clear whether the whole site is being addressed or just one part. For example, for a large site, you could select one area or department for a pilot study. The plan should also cover all of the planned activities so if the overall programme of work is likely to last 12 months or more, setting regular milestones, such as monthly milestones, can be important. Remember, when you are preparing an action plan, it is important to make sure that the objectives you set are SMART: S specific (e.g. well defined to all of your colleagues); M manageable (e.g. know when the target is achieved); A achievable (e.g. within the availability of resources and knowledge); R realistic (e.g. the goal is attainable within the time available) T timely (e.g. specify completion within a defined time period) 1 A template for an action plan is shown in Figure 1 and can be downloaded here. Figure 1 Rippleffect action plan template Sample action plans are provided for a hotel (Table 1), an office (Table 2) and an industrial site (Table 3). Table 1 An example action plan for a small hotel Action Benefit Staff member responsible Target date for completion Use tanks to collect surface water Reduce flood risk Hotel Manager 31 October 2015 Install 400 litre water butts x12 Rainwater used for garden watering Hotel Manager 31 October 2015 Recover water from restaurant and kitchen areas 104 m3/year mains water saved Chefs 30 September 2015 Install water saving devices in toilets. Replace old toilets with dual-flush models Water use reduced by up to 2 litres per flush. Water use reduced by up to 4 litres per flush Hotel Manager 31 December 2015 Table 2 An example action plan for an office Action Benefit (savings) Staff member responsible Target date for completion Installation of urinal controls £1,600/year Facilities Manager 31 December 2015 £350 Facilities Manager 31 October 2015 Reduction of heat load in offices Unknown Facilities Manager 30 November 2015 Lagging of hot water pipes Unknown Facilities Manager 30 September 2015 Reduction of cistern flush volumes Table 3 An example action plan for an industrial site (a factory) Action Benefit Staff member responsible Target date for completion Install 28 water meters Data available on water use in different parts of plant Facilities Manager March 2015 Implement a water reduction campaign Involve all staff and benefit from their ideas. Poor practice using excessive volumes of water eliminated. Environment Manager April 2015 Construct a water balance for the site Identified leak costing £11,000/year and repaired it Environment Manager May 2015 Reduce hot water supply pressure Avoid excessive water use and heating costs Facilities Manager March 2015 Fit urinal controls Prevent excessive water use when building unoccupied Facilities Manager June 2015 All of the above combined Saving of 17,000 m3/year = £13,000/year This information sheet is one of a series from the Rippleffect, for more information click here. www.wrap.org.uk/rippleffect