{"id":927,"date":"2021-01-13T20:54:18","date_gmt":"2021-01-13T20:54:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swefc.unm.edu\/iamf\/?page_id=927"},"modified":"2026-06-03T17:22:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T17:22:01","slug":"level-of-service-goals-internal-vs-external-goals","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/swefc.unm.edu\/iamf\/level-of-service\/level-of-service-goals\/level-of-service-goals-internal-vs-external-goals\/","title":{"rendered":"Level of Service Goals \/ Internal vs External Goals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; custom_padding_last_edited=&#8221;on|tablet&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; positioning=&#8221;none&#8221; horizontal_offset_tablet=&#8221;&#8221; horizontal_offset_phone=&#8221;&#8221; horizontal_offset_last_edited=&#8221;on|tablet&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px||||false|false&#8221; custom_margin_tablet=&#8221;&#8221; custom_margin_phone=&#8221;&#8221; custom_margin_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|||0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_tablet=&#8221;|||25px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_phone=&#8221;&#8221; da_disable_devices=&#8221;off|off|off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover_enabled=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;0px|||0px|false|false&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221; da_is_popup=&#8221;off&#8221; da_exit_intent=&#8221;off&#8221; da_has_close=&#8221;on&#8221; da_alt_close=&#8221;off&#8221; da_dark_close=&#8221;off&#8221; da_not_modal=&#8221;on&#8221; da_is_singular=&#8221;off&#8221; da_with_loader=&#8221;off&#8221; da_has_shadow=&#8221;on&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; width=&#8221;100%&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;16px&#8221; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Interval vs. External Goals<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Systems should\u00a0identify\u00a0the categories that are most relevant to their purpose and most important to their community. Regulatory requirements and consent decrees are often drivers of goals and are a good place to start. Additionally, aesthetics is usually\u00a0very important\u00a0to the community and is a good category to begin with when setting green asset goals. A good\u00a0approach would be to pick 3 or 4 of the categories from the table below to guide the\u00a0initial\u00a0goal setting.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Level of service goals should be a combination of goals that are of concern to the system (internal) and goals\u00a0that are of concern to customers (external). Internal goals define a system\u2019s operation but are not easily understood by the community it serves. They are derived from the technical knowledge, experience, professional standards<\/span><span>,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0and training of system staff. It is best to involve a cross-section of personnel<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span>from elected officials to those in the field,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0to management when setting internal goals to ensure they are\u00a0feasible.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Examples of internal goal topics:\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Maintenance scheduling\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Safety and security<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Soil management (pH, microbial population, moisture levels<\/span><span>,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0etc.)\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Number of\u00a0pipe\u00a0breaks per mile\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Compliance with stream protection ordinance\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Staff certification<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Effectiveness of local stormwater management programs\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">External goals are items that directly\u00a0impact\u00a0the community. When setting external goals, a system should ask\u00a0themselves\u00a0\u201cwhat does my community want or expect?\u201d This question can only be answered effectively by engaging in a conversation with the community. This type of conversation\u00a0should\u00a0be conducted in any way that is\u00a0feasible\u00a0and practical for the system and its community. For example, a small system with\u00a0fe<\/span><span>wer<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">than 100 customers may be able to go door to door and ask for feedback. A system that holds annual meetings may be able to get feedback from\u00a0the\u00a0annual meeting. A larger system may wish to hold focus groups with randomly selected customers. If a customer call\/complaint log is kept at the utility, the information obtained from these phone calls\/logs can be examined and used to create external goals. Involving stakeholders in goal development can help ensure that residents and property owners, particularly those in disadvantaged communities, understand and support the goals.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Examples of external goal topics:\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Response time for water outages or sewer back-ups\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Response time for customer complaints\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Stormwater volume reduction\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Cost of service\/rates\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Water volume reduction due to water conservation programs\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Restoration of a stream corridor\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Water savings from water conservation<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Interval vs. External Goals &nbsp; Systems should\u00a0identify\u00a0the categories that are most relevant to their purpose and most important to their community. Regulatory requirements and consent decrees are often drivers of goals and are a good place to start. Additionally, aesthetics is usually\u00a0very important\u00a0to the community and is a good category to begin with when setting green asset goals. A good\u00a0approach would be to pick 3 or 4 of the categories from the table below to guide the\u00a0initial\u00a0goal setting.\u00a0 \u00a0Level of service goals should be a combination of goals that are of concern to the system (internal) and goals\u00a0that are of concern to customers (external). Internal goals define a system\u2019s operation but are not easily understood by the community it serves. They are derived from the technical knowledge, experience, professional standards,\u00a0and training of system staff. It is best to involve a cross-section of personnel\u00a0from elected officials to those in the field,\u00a0to management when setting internal goals to ensure they are\u00a0feasible.\u00a0 Examples of internal goal topics:\u00a0\u00a0 Maintenance scheduling\u00a0\u00a0 Safety and security\u00a0 Soil management (pH, microbial population, moisture levels,\u00a0etc.)\u00a0\u00a0 Number of\u00a0pipe\u00a0breaks per mile\u00a0\u00a0 Compliance with stream protection ordinance\u00a0\u00a0 Staff certification\u00a0 Effectiveness of local stormwater management programs\u00a0\u00a0 External goals are items that directly\u00a0impact\u00a0the community. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":920,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-927","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Level of Service Goals \/ Internal vs External Goals - Integrated Asset Management Framework<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/swefc.unm.edu\/iamf\/level-of-service\/level-of-service-goals\/level-of-service-goals-internal-vs-external-goals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Level of Service Goals \/ Internal vs External Goals - Integrated Asset Management Framework\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Interval vs. External Goals &nbsp; Systems should\u00a0identify\u00a0the categories that are most relevant to their purpose and most important to their community. Regulatory requirements and consent decrees are often drivers of goals and are a good place to start. Additionally, aesthetics is usually\u00a0very important\u00a0to the community and is a good category to begin with when setting green asset goals. A good\u00a0approach would be to pick 3 or 4 of the categories from the table below to guide the\u00a0initial\u00a0goal setting.\u00a0 \u00a0Level of service goals should be a combination of goals that are of concern to the system (internal) and goals\u00a0that are of concern to customers (external). Internal goals define a system\u2019s operation but are not easily understood by the community it serves. They are derived from the technical knowledge, experience, professional standards,\u00a0and training of system staff. It is best to involve a cross-section of personnel\u00a0from elected officials to those in the field,\u00a0to management when setting internal goals to ensure they are\u00a0feasible.\u00a0 Examples of internal goal topics:\u00a0\u00a0 Maintenance scheduling\u00a0\u00a0 Safety and security\u00a0 Soil management (pH, microbial population, moisture levels,\u00a0etc.)\u00a0\u00a0 Number of\u00a0pipe\u00a0breaks per mile\u00a0\u00a0 Compliance with stream protection ordinance\u00a0\u00a0 Staff certification\u00a0 Effectiveness of local stormwater management programs\u00a0\u00a0 External goals are items that directly\u00a0impact\u00a0the community. 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