In an increasingly competitive environment, water utilities are utilizing AM/FM/GIS applications as mission-critical tools to assist with the daily management of the utility infrastructure. The advent of off-the-shelf applications such as ArcFM has made it possible for water utilities to reduce the time associated with planning and implementation while realizing a return on investment in a much shorter time frame. This paper focuses on the strategic GIS planning process and the benefits of using off-the-shelf applications such as ArcFM. The results of a successful two-year ArcFM strategic planning and implementation project for a Pennsylvania municipal water authority are examined.