Building AM/FM/GIS User Acceptance Through Communications
Rockford S. Webster
Team Leader, Future Focus Team,Tucson Electric Power Company,
4350 East Irvington Road
Tucson, Arizona 85714
(520) 745-3425,(520) 745-3412 (fax)
Kate Varden
Senior Consultant, UGC Consulting, 6200 S. Syracuse Way,
Suite 222, Englewood, Colorado 80111
(303) 773-6166,(303) 773-6618 (fax)
Abstract
Facing ongoing corporate change and reengineering efforts, employees are cautious and
unsure about the future. Many may be less likely to embrace new technology such as
AM/FM/GIS, for fear the technology may take their jobs. In order for companies to
realize the opportunities of AM/FM/GIS, employees -- executives, managers and line
workers alike -- need to understand how the technology fits into the company’s long-term
mission. When Tucson Electric Power initiated a two-year plan to redesign its Energy
Service Process, along with introducing a comprehensive AM/FM system and related
technologies, the company cited employee communications as a critical task. The project
team developed and initiated a strategic communications program, complete with a full-time
project spokesperson. The program’s objective was to build executive, project team,
and user confidence and acceptance of AM/FM and related technologies by educating
them about the benefits of the technology and the project’s progress. The paper will use
Tucson Electric as a case study to illustrate how utilities may plan for, implement and
maintain an employee communications program which will help support achieving the
goals and objectives of AM/FM/GIS.
Employee Communication is Critical to a Successful AM/FM/GIS Project
Once considered nonessential, “soft,” and “touchy-feely,” the role of employee
communications within an AM/FM/GIS project more recently has taken on a much more
visible and important role. In the aftermath of a GIS project setback, more than one
199.project manager has been overheard saying, “it wasn’t a technology problem, it was a
‘people’ problem.”
Many utility companies now realize that overall project organization, including effective
communication, is critical to a successful project. In fact, employee communications is
often cited as a risk mitigator that can help avoid the “people problems” encountered by
GIS projects in the past. For utility companies experiencing significant changes in
corporate work processes and technology during GIS projects, timely, relevant and
consistent information must be conveyed to all employees - including top management,
the project team, and the end users.
It is no secret that change, particularly technological change, can cause great anxiety
among employees at an organization embarking on a GIS project. End users may feel
anxious about using a new system; some employees may even be using a computer for
the first time. Project team members may suffer many anxiety-ridden moments,
wondering how and whether the project will be completed on time and within budget.
Executives, too, have an understandable interest in the large technology investment their
company has made and how and when the technology’s advertised benefits will
materialize.
The overall investment in a communications program is just a small percentage of the
total GIS project cost. Whether a utility dedicates a full-time staff person to handle
communications or relies on the project manager to give regularly scheduled updates to
key audiences, the objective is the same: To inform people about the status of the
project and the benefits of the technology.
Developing a Model for Introducing AM/FM/GIS to Employees
Before launching a communications program to support a GIS project, it is important to
analyze the company’s current situation and environment. Project team members who
have been with the company for many years may think they know exactly how to
communicate information about the project. Chances are, however, they may have made
some inaccurate assumptions.
For instance, although project team members may believe the company’s internal Web
site is a valuable communications vehicle, many other employees may not yet be
comfortable with the medium and therefore will not rely on it as a source of information.
In other cases, some people may want to produce a videotape about the project without
considering the videotape’s goal or intended audience.
By conducting a situation analysis, a GIS project team can help ensure that careful
consideration is given to how the project-and, specifically, the communications efforts--
will fit into the overall corporate environment. It is helpfid to take the “temperature” of
200.the company by taking an informal survey. It also helps to understand how other large
projects have communicated information in the past to learn from their successes and
failures. For instance, if a particular project promised a seamless, paperless approach to
the utility’s accounting fi.mctions within six months and did not deliver, the importance of
managing expectations becomes clear very quickly.
In addition, it is helpfi.d to take an inventory of other large projects currently underway at
the company. More than likely, the company will have several large initiatives underway
at the same time. Recognizing that the GIS project is not the only “game in town” helps
put the project within the scope of the company’s overall mission.
A list of target audiences is another critical component of a successful communications
program. This list identifies who is likely to be directly and indirectly impacted by the
project, and is typically compiled by department name. Included in the list should be the
direct users of the technology as well as less obvious groups such as executives and the
project team itself. The target audiences are the recipients of key project information.
Once the situation analysis is complete, the next step is to identifi program objectives
and strategies. These answer the questions “what do we want to do,” and “how do we
want to do it?” A typical objective for a GIS communications program may be “to build
the target audiences’ confidence and acceptance of AM/FM/GIS by educating them about
the benefits of the technology and the project’s progress.”
The strategies of a GIS communications program will vary by company depending on the
project’s size and the utility’s overall business situation. However, effective
communications strategies can include relating the corporate mission to the project,
building project identity, demonstrating employee involvement, and communicating
openly and honestly.
