Developing a conversion specification
Ray Watts
Project Manager, Baymont Technologies, Inc.
14100 58th Street North, Clearwater, FL 34620
Abstract
The conversion specification is usually encountered as part of a Request for Pricing (RFP) issued
by the organization seeking to contract conversion work. It is the basis the conversion service
companies use to estimate the effort (and consequently the cost) required to create a
computerized database of graphical and attribute data that meets the operational requirements of
the maintenance software and procedures the client is implementing. A narrow view, and early
RFP’s, defined the conversion specifications as only the graphical specifications and the database
schema describing the deliverable data format. In this paper, we will broaden that view by
adding some points that should be addressed in the RFP; these points collectively form a
definitive conversion specification, resulting in data that filly meets the needs of the client.
The topic will be discussed under three major headings:
Project Specifications: the current status, goals, scope and schedule of the AM/FM project
Data Specifications: define both the source data and the deliverable product
Administrative Specifications: define the project interfacing requirements
Project Specifications
In this section, the user provides information about the planned AM/FM system, its justification,
and how it is to function within the organization. The background of the project and its current
status help the service company understand how complete the implementation process is, and
what development activities may remain. The scope of work and the schedule set the parameters
that will assist in the pricing of the conversion.
Goals and Objectives
Indicate the objectives of the AM/FM7GIS system. How is it being implemented within the
organization? What hardware and software is it based upon? What is the operating philosophy
of the system? Where will the primary benefits be derived - from records management,
engineering or accounting applications? What fiture uses are envisioned but not currently
implemented? The service company’s input, based upon experiences with similar projects, can
be usefid in identi@ng aspects of the specifications that conflict with, or enhancements that
could further complement the objectives of the project.
Status
Provide the background history of the project and activities which have taken place to date. Give
the status with respect to corporate approvals, system selection and installation, prototyping and
pilots. Indicate whether a prototype conversion of a few drawings has been carried out as a test
of the system specifications, or whether a large-scale pilot project has been carried out in order to
filly test the conversion specifications. Define the project team and its organizational structure,
and the corporate organizational structure. The team members, their backgrounds and, if
appropriate, their departmental affiliation should be known by the service company.
Scope of Wrok
The project team should provide as much quantitative data on the conversion task as possible.
The more accurately a service company can estimate the workload, the less guesswork or
contingency will be required. How many of each type of the existing manual records will be
provided to the service company? How large a geographic area is involved, and what are its
characteristics? If it consists of urban and rural areas, what are the proportions of each?
Overview maps can be provided as part of the RFP package. How many customers are served by
the network, and how are they subdivided (business/residential, urban/rural)?
How will the project be subdivided into work-packages or subprojects, and how many will there
be? In a telephone records conversion, the work is subdivided by individual wire centers or
exchanges; in electric transmission, it can be subdivided by circuits or substations; in other
systems it maybe segmented geographically.
Indicate what technique will be used to integrate incremental deliveries into the client’s master
database. The procedure must allow for maintenance to proceed on the delivered data, and for
the merging of fiture deliveries into that data.
Is a pilot project to be the initial activity in the conversion? Conducting a pilot will allow for a
final review of the specifications before fill-scale conversion begins. A pilot can also verify the
service company’s understanding of the specifications. Often, regardless of the client’s
terminology, a service company will view the initial conversion as a pilot, and will speci~ a
schedule of sufficient length to allow for fine-tuning the specifications and procedures.
Provide complete statistics on the facility network: the types of plant and the quantities of each
type - cable/conductor/pipeline miles, street miles, trench miles, etc.
If possible, indicate the anticipated number of computerized records, files, and database size. In
many areas, the results of prototypes and pilot projects allow the establishment of a ratio between
old and new records.
Designate what method will be used to handle the backlog of updates that will develop during the
conversion. Maintenance backlogs can interrupt the conversion work flow while overtaxed
project groups struggle to catch up. Some clients are adding backlog posting as a second phase
of conversion and contracting the backlog posting work to the conversion service company.
The schedule can significantly affect the pricing of a conversion project. A schedule that is too
long, or one that involves intermittent conversion activity, can result in much higher costs.
Economics of scale, and the need to spread the large up-front setup costs over a steady
production activity, favor the project that can smoothly proceed through the schedule for what
will probably be several years. Provide the planned schedule and any schedule preferences or
constraints that could be used by the service company to generate a more favorable response.
When generating the schedule, pay particular attention to the effect of a pilot project, which
usually introduces a delay of several months to the conversion effort. Also consider the demands
of the backlog processing throughout the conversion phase.
Data Specifications
In this section we will define the information describing the nature of the conversion: the existing
data, its forms and formats; and the deliverable products - their physical and logical format.
Existhw Data
Describe all existing data sources in the RFP. Even if an on-site review is part of the bid process, include
typical samples with the RFP. Data sources maybe drawings, file records, and computerized records.
Each source should be detailed as to content, drafting standards and accuracy. Provide computer file
formats if they are to be used to populate the AIWFM database. If field inventory is to be used to generate
otherwise unavailable data, indicate in what format the field notes will be provided to the service company.
If the field inventory is to be a part of the conversion bid, define the data to be collected and the areas to be
inventoried.
