It’s amazing how fast three years fly by when you look back. This month marks the end of the third year since the Paradigm Club Project got underway and, though the Club Project is coming to an end, Paradigm has successfully demonstrated its value to the future of network management.
From an idea that sprung out of Northumbrian Water’s Innovate East in 2019, where it won the award for ‘Best Actionable Insight’, on to being developed through United Utilities Innovation Lab, Paradigm – or the ‘Component Demand Analysis Model (CDAM)’ as it was known then – has had collaborative effort at its heart from the very beginning.
Three years ago, we set out on a mission to build on this approach and provide a new perspective on leakage for the four water companies that initially signed up to be part of the Paradigm Club Project. We are very grateful that United Utilities, South Staffordshire Water, Severn Trent Water and Anglian Water joined us in those early days, with our very first user group being held in Staffordshire in June 2022.
Figure 1. The Moathouse, Staffordshire – User group venue
We would like to say a big thankyou to these early adopters and, although Severn Trent decided to go in another direction last year, the feedback we received from industry from the start has helped shape Paradigm into the well–rounded product that exists today. Constant feedbackbeen of inestimable value in how Paradigm has evolved over time. By ensuring we held regular forums where all stakeholders’ voices could be heard we have placed our users’ needs at the heart of Paradigm’s design.
And that’s the sweet spot: when we are meeting the needs of modern water companies by meeting the needs of our Club Project stakeholders at various levels without over-complicating the software. Paradigm present users with a clean design that enhances the efficiency with which it is possible to work, bringing together a range of data sources to provide a new perspective on leakage.
The only way to collect such exacting requirements has been to speak to stakeholders at all levels, which is exactly what we have done over the last three years through our regular user groups.
Figure 2. Studious faces at the June ’24 user group
In parallel with Paradigm, the Academy has continued to grow, now featuring general training material for leakage analysts as well as product specific courses. Where it started life as an introduction to Paradigm itself, it currently counts 280 users nationally, not all of whom are in roles that see them interact with the Paradigm user interface. This approach to producing content has enhanced the Academy’s utility for our clients, with it having been used both to train experienced analysts on a specific product as well as to introduce new starters to the industry to the key concepts of water networks.
Figure 3: The Paradigm Academy
Having grown from three core concept course groups in 2022, which simply explained the workings of a DMA, the Paradigm user interface and the ideas and methods that underpinned the analysis, in October 2025 the Academy provides a much wider range of learning. We now provide case studies showing in detail how Paradigm can be of use, as well as introducing users to the fundamentals of pressure optimisation, acoustic logging and common network issues to look out for.
Though the Club Project is coming to an end, we intend to continue to develop both the Academy and Paradigm to continue to meet the needs of our clients; continuing to add content that is specific to our analysis solutions as well as broader training materials that are accessible to as wide and audience as possible.
Having found success with this collaborative approach we intend to carry it forward into our next club project, Dynamo, which we will be talking more about very soon.
So, what next for Paradigm? As of the time of writing, Paradigm has been adopted by nine English water companies and we intend to build on this strong position by providing a considered, strategic approach to systematically improve network performance across the UK.
Despite this month marking the conclusion of the club project, our user groups will continue to be held on a biannual basis, giving us an open forum in which to collate our clients’ input regarding Paradigm’s future development. Looking back, it’s clear that Paradigm’s success has been built on partnership and a shared drive to make leakage management smarter and more efficient. We’re incredibly proud of what’s been achieved together through the Club Project and grateful to everyone who’s been part of the journey. The Club Project’s conclusion doesn’t mark an ending, it marks the start of a new phase. The insights, collaboration, and shared ambition that defined the past three years will continue to guide how we develop Paradigm and support the wider water industry. With nine water companies now using the platform and more innovation to come through initiatives like Dynamo, we’re just getting started.
Figure 4. Past and present Paradigm Club Project members and clients
