Capitol Tech Solutions Aids DWR In 2021 Prospector Recipient Award Recognition

by Patrick Groves | May 2, 2022

The digital transformation firm assisted the state agency in its application for the California Awards for Performance Excellence Eureka Award

With the help of Capitol Tech Solutions, the California Council For Excellence (CCE) named the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) State Water Project as its 2021 Prospector Recipient. CCE will present DWR with its award during a dinner and ceremony on May 4.

The CCE recognizes organizations based on the Baldrige Framework for Performance Excellence for outstanding commitment to sustainable excellence through innovation, continuous improvement, and visionary leadership.

“DWR feels honored to receive this recognition that acknowledges the work the State Water Project has done to document its business practices,” John Yarbrough, DWR’s Assistant State Water Project Deputy Director, told CTS. “DWR looks forward to reviewing their assessment on the organization profile of the SWP.”

The CTS team designed the layout and graphic design elements, secured assets, and copyedited the 40-page application on behalf of the state agency. Creative Director Dawn Dais, marketing content writer Patrick Groves, and user experience specialist Kevin Olson worked in tandem on various application pieces.

“We had a small team of very talented people assisting DWR in putting this report together during May of last year. We consistently strive for the best outcomes for our clients, and we’re pleased to have helped them achieve the Prospector Recipient recognition.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, examiners for the CCE could not conduct an on-site visit of the State Water Project, a requirement for applicants to receive a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Eureka Award.

CCE Spokeswoman Jennifer Cunningham said California Awards for Performance Excellence (CAPE) applicants do not compete against each other but are evaluated against the Baldrige Framework and its criteria for performance excellence.

“If an organization applies for the Eureka and does not qualify for the award, then they still receive recognition as an organization who is on their journey to excellence,” Cunningham told CTS.

The CAPE Eureka Award process is modeled after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award established by Congress to promote improved quality of goods and services in U.S. companies and organizations. The goal of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement Act of 1987 was to enhance the competitiveness of U.S. businesses, according to the Baldrige Foundation’s website.

Yarbrough said applying for a CAPE Eureka Award was important for the State Water Project because it allowed outside expert organizations to conduct external assessments, which provides DWR with a more holistic view of the state water storage and distribution initiative.

“Using this nationally recognized framework for excellence, DWR is identifying areas in the SWP for further improvement moving forward,” he told CTS. “DWR plans to apply in the future to inform us through external assessments of how well we are doing with our improvement efforts.”

Reed said he and his team hope to assist DWR when they reapply for the CAPE Eureka Award.

Founded in 1992, the California Council for Excellence is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping California-based organizations achieve world-class results based on the Baldrige Excellence Framework.

The CCE will hold a Celebrating Excellence Dinner and Awards Ceremony to honor the 2020 and 2021 CAPE Eureka Award recipients on May 4, 2022, in Irvine, Calif.

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CAPE Eureka Award Assessment Timeline

CCE Spokeswoman Jennifer Cunningham provided CTS with the evaluation timeline for DWR’s 2021 CAPE Eureka Award submission:

DWR submitted an Intent to Apply in April 2021.
DWR submitted its written application to the CAPE Program on June 1, 2021. The written application is the organization’s response to the Baldrige Framework and its Criteria for Performance Excellence.
July-September: A team of trained CAPE Examiners, who are volunteers, evaluated the organization’s written application using the Baldrige Framework and its Criteria for Performance Excellence. Examiners evaluated the organization’s response for the six process categories (Leadership, Strategy, Customers, Measurement, Analysis, Knowledge Management, Workforce, and Operations) and reviewed/evaluated results presented in Category 7, Results. The final product of the CAPE Examination team is a feedback report consisting of Strengths and Opportunities for Improvement.
The team’s feedback report was then sent to a team of Tech Editors for final edits.
The final feedback report was sent to the organization on December 21, 2021.

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