System Success Factors and the top ten reasons AM/FM/GIS projects falter
Nancy B. Lamer,David P. DiSera
EMA Services, Inc.
4319 Medical Drive, Suite 131-343, San Antonio, Texas 78229
Phone: (210) 697-3535 Fax: (210) 697-3570
Abstract
AM/FM/GIS implementation involves scores of people, hundreds of tasks, years of work, and
millions of dollars. Project success depends on strong executive commitment, rigorous project
management, technical expertise, programmed communications, and other important factors.
This paper examines the keys to success by presenting the top ten reasons that past projects have
fallen short of expectations. It then explores ways to overcome common barriers to successful
AM/FM/GIS implementation.
AM/FM/GIS Implementation Obstacles
The best way to identify critical success factors for AM/FM/GIS implementation is to analyze the
reasons behind projects that stumbled along the way. Following are ten of the most common
implementation obstacles and suggestions for overcoming them.
Loss of Momentum
GIS planning and implementation is a time-consuming process. Although most organizations
experience a wave of enthusiasm at the outset of a GIS development project, it is natural for this
enthusiasm to wane over time. Without constant attention to ensure that implementation tasks
are completed successfully and on schedule, the waning enthusiasm can lead to a dangerous loss
of momentum. Loss of momentum is a common problem when key GIS staff leave the
organization or are assigned different duties.
- A large county appraisal district, intent on building a precise cadastral instrument, spent ten
years COGO-ing and aligning its parcels. During this time, no information was released to
the county because the organization wanted to complete its efforts before making them
public. Although the organization worked diligently over the course of the ten year
development period, other county agencies perceived that the project was “dead in the water”
because they did not feel any progress.
The best way to combat this problem is to plan for a steady stream of new end user applications
throughout the long implementation process. Even in the earliest phases of implementation, it is
possible to develop simple data access screens that take advantage of existing maps and
databases (or even pilot data). By introducing a new application every month or two, the
organization can preserve a sense of progress and momentum.
Another tool to battle loss of momentum is a regular newsletter highlighting project activities and
progress. Communication with end users is very important, and a newsletter is an effective,
economical way to ensure that everyone in the organization is kept up to date.
Unrealistic Expectations
GIS technology is rapidly improving, but it is not a magic bullet. For many local government
decision makers, the first and only exposure to GIS has been a magazine article or a brief session
at a conference. They hear about the very best that a mature system has to offer without learning
about the long struggle that went into development of that system. This results in unrealistic
expectations about what the technology can actually do or about how quickly a system can be
fully implemented.
- A medium-sized utility on the West Coast purchased some GIS software, scanned and
rubber-sheeted its old, paper schematics, and roughly vectorized its infrastructure. The
organization expected this low cost system to meet all utility needs and was very disheartened
to learn that a significant additional investment would be needed before the system would be
broadly useful.
- A smaller utility purchased a GIS in the expectation that the technology would “fix” the
inaccuracies and gaps in existing maps and as-builts. Decision makers felt deceived when
they learned that the computers could not magically “fix” the data and that they would have
to spend time and money on extensive field surveys.
The best way to combat this problem is to educate all key decision makers at the outset of the
GIS planning effort and to reinforce proper expectations throughout the implementation of the
system. A regular newsletter can be an effective means of reinforcing realistic expectations.
Implementation Paralysis
GIS implementation, like any other major information systems implementation project, involves
hundreds of individual, interdependent tasks that can be difficult to manage. Organizations face
a risk of becoming overwhelmed by the magnitude and complexity of the effort, and this can lead
to virtual paralysis of implementation.
- A county-wide GIS project in the Mid-West struggled for over five years after acquiring its
aerial photography because the cooperating organizations could not get a handle on who
should be doing what to implement the system. No single organization had the resources to
do it all, nobody knew whereto begin, and by the time the county’s GIS staff were ready to
develop some applications, the original aerial photography was completely outdated.
The best ways to mitigate this risk are to utilize an automated project management tool and to
hire or designate a full-time GIS Coordinator whose only responsibility is GIS implementation
management. In the case of a cooperative regional effort, it is essential for the all the
organizations to recognize a single regional coordinator. Inter-local agreements or memoranda of
understanding are usually necessary to formalize this recognition.
Some cities have addressed the risk of implementation paralysis by outsourcing GIS
implementation management. The drawback of this approach is that the cities miss the
opportunity to build in-house expertise that will be invaluable for day-to-day system operations
once implementation is complete.
Scope Creep
Since GIS can benefit so many departments and divisions in a local government or utility, and
since an organization can literally identify hundreds of potential GIS applications, there is a
tendency for the scope of GIS projects to creep outward until people are attempting to do too
many things at once.
- A major municipal utility district on the East Coast spent more than six years in the pilot phase
of its GIS project as it added more and more features to its maps and databases. All the while,
end users continued to do things the “old way” while wondering if they would ever see a
working GIS.
- While in the early stages of its AM/FM data conversion effort, a water wholesaler in the United
States became distracted by the possibility of selling its data to other utilities and local
governments. The organization started devoting resources to the capture of data that it did not
need but that it thought would be marketable, and staff that were originally designated to work
on internal AM/FM project were re-assigned to work on the marketing effort. Five years later,
the data conversion project was not yet complete, no applications had been developed, no data
maintenance procedures had been implemented, and nobody had purchased the as yet
unfinished database.
The best way to control scope creep is to clearly define project scope and then maintain a detailed
work plan that ties back to this scope definition. Project management software can be helpful
here.
Sticker Shock
GIS implementation can be very expensive, particularly if an organization has to develop its own
base map and facility maps. Many local governments have discovered that their officials are
unwilling to fund the effort once they see the price tag.
- A regional GIS consortium in the Southwest began making plans for base map development.
Mid-level management understood that this effort would cost over a million dollars and
recognized that this was a reasonable budget for a major GIS data development effort.
However, when city and county officials learned that they were building a “million dollar
map,” they quickly shut down the project.
The best way to avoid this problem is to educate policy makers about potential costs before the
planning project begins and then to involve the policy makers in the development of the
implementation budget and schedule.
Benign Neglect
The implementation of a GIS requires a multi-year commitment of funds. Some cities have run
into trouble when policy makers lose interest in the project and begin shifting funds.
l Enthusiastic about its new GIS project, a county in the Deep South invested half a million
dollars in base map development, hired GIS staff, and purchased hardware and software.
However, other issues took precedence in future years. The county continued to fund the
staff positions, but when it came time to update the base map and re-fly rapidly growing
areas, officials never committed sufficient funds. As a result, the high quality base map they
initially developed became less and less valuable over time. County officials were still in
405?favor of a strong GIS program; they simply did not give it the necessary attention and
resources.
To combat this tendency toward benign neglect, an organization should have a policy maker or
senior executive that serves as the GIS Project Champion. This individual is an official
“cheerleader” for the project, keeps it at the forefront of policy makers’ attention, and maintains
regular communications with GIS staff. The GIS Champion must have the ear of governing
officials and must have a genuine interest in the GIS project. Mid-level managers and technical
staff interested in building any major information system such as AM/FM/GIS should seek a
Project Champion at the outset.
Misuse of Data
Spatial data have properties that many users do not understand. Without a basic understanding of
the fundamentals of topology, cartography, data resolution, and surveying, staff may
unintentionally misuse GIS data. This problem is especially critical in the early phases of
implementation when an organization has not yet institutionalized procedures for using the GIS
data.
- License approval staff in an urban county used to take field measurements to ensure that each
new business license application was in compliance with regulations regarding the proximity
of other establishments. When the county implemented its GIS with a schematic-quality base
map, the licensing staff quit doing the field measurements and began scaling the distances off
the schematic. They did not realize that the data were unsuitable for this task, and this
compromised their ability to fairly administer licensing regulations.
Members of the general public are at an even greater risk than internal staff for unintentionally
misusing or misinterpreting spatial data. For example, many citizens will improperly compare
accurate parcel maps with schematic flood zones from the Federal Emergency Management
Agency and will draw erroneous conclusions about whether particular properties fall in particular
flood zones
Two ways to mitigate the risk of internal misuse are to educate end users and to maintain
metadata that explain how specific data sets should be used. User education should include the
fundamentals of mapping and map interpretation as well as the basics of database management.
Metadata should be maintained as rigorously as the data it documents, and users should have
automatic access to metadata any time they query the GIS.
In order to combat data misuse by the general public, an organization can utilize standard
disclaimers on all spatial data products it distributes. Public education may also be an option for
local governments.
Turfism
Who manages the GIS? In a multi-departmental or regional project, people may perceive that
one agency or department will end up controlling the system and the data. Some departments
will be delighted that somebody else will have the all headaches, but others may be concerned
that they will lose influence or that the GIS will not meet all their needs. This can lead to battles
over who “owns” the system, who administers the hardware and software, and who maintains the
“real” data.
When turfkm surfaces and is not adequately addressed, it is a safe bet that some departments or
agencies are going to be dissatisfied with the cooperative effort. These dissatisfied groups may
406?become impatient with the speed of implementation, or they may decide that they cannot work
with the data sets or applications built and maintained by other departments. In either case, the
detractors often decide to embark on their own projects. This can lead to incompatible data and
systems as well as redundant development costs.
One way to prevent turfism from becoming an issue is to involve all agencies and departments in
the GIS planning process. In extreme situations, a new and separate agency or department may
have to be created for the GIS. There is know way to order people not to feel threatened by turf
issues, but the top official(s) in the organization or region can issue a directive prohibiting all
agencies and departments from pursuing GIS outside the scope of the cooperative project. Then,
if a particular group becomes impatient with the process and wants to expedite development of
particular data sets and applications, its only alternative is to work with the recognized GIS
manager to fund or assign additional resources for those tasks.
GIS in a Vacuum
GIS benefits depend to a large extent on the existence of an integrated information environment,
including an enterprise database. Organizations will struggle to gain value from their GIS
investments if they do not have clear information systems goals and standards or if they allow
staff to develop standalone databases.
- An electric utility decided to build an AM/FM system and to integrate it with their existing
maintenance and customer information systems. However, the existing systems were home-grown
products on an outdated mainframe computer with an obsolete architecture. There
were no AM/FM software products on the market that could interact directly with the legacy
system. Staff knew that the utility would eventually have to move to a more modem
architecture for its corporate system, but there were no formal plans, goals, or standards. As
a result, they spent several years designing an AMEM that could link to a system that they
knew they would eventually abandon.
In order to mitigate this type of risk, an organization should complete a strategic plan for general
information systems before planning specifically for a GIS.
The New Homeowner’s Disillusionment {Maintenance Woes\
Anyone who has ever purchased a home will remember that sinking feeling common to all first
time home buyers as they realize that their evenings, weekends, and paychecks are about to be
consumed by home maintenance. Just like houses, GIS databases must be carefully maintained
to retain their value. And procrastination just makes the maintenance harder and more
expensive !
The biggest risk of any data development project is that people will refuse to use the data because
the content is inadequate or, more frequently, because the records are too far out of date. GIS
data conversion can take many months, and sometimes the source data itself is months or years
old.
- A medium-sized southern city hired a conversion firm to create digital infrastructure maps.
At the time the files were delivered, the city had not yet purchased software, written
applications, or designated personnel to maintain the data. Five years later, when the people,
software, and policies were in place, the data was so old that the city had to discard it and
start from scratch.
- A utility near the West Coast spent seven years converting its facility maps. The utility
decided to wait until everything was converted before releasing the data, so the Engineering
Department continued using its paper map books. During this time, the utility’s service area
underwent rapid growth. As a result, they had a huge, seven-year backlog of updates that had
to be posted before the conversion project was completed.
The first step in combating data conversion risks is to thoroughly specify all data conversion
projects and to scrub all source data to ensure it is as up-to-date as possible. Another important
step is to define interim source data maintenance procedures so that changes that occur during the
conversion process can be added to the new files as quickly and efficiently as possible. Once a
geographic area has been converted, the old data should be replaced by the digital data as quickly
as possible in order to minimize update backlogs. For some organizations this will result in
hybrid map set during the conversion process, but this temporary inconvenience is usually less
burdensome than the update backlog that would otherwise result. Finally, in order to ensure that
its data sets retain their value over time, it is absolutely critical for an organization to define data
maintenance procedures and responsibilities for each new data set. These procedures and
assignments should be documented well before the new data comes on line.
Summary of critical success factors
Successful AMIFM/GIS projects prevent or overcome the implementation obstacles described
above. Such projects share many of the following critical success factors:
- A full-time GIS Coordinator whose only responsibility is AM/FM/GIS implementation
management
- A highly placed GIS Project Champion
- An automated project management tool that reflects a thorough implementation plan with a
clearly defined project scope
- Rapid development of simple end user applications
- Programmed, formal communications with end users, which may include a regular newsletter
Officials who have been educated about the realistic potential and the costs of AM/FM/GIS
- A participative planning effort that includes all agencies, departments, and officials
- Metadata
- A strategic information systems plan that identifies general IS goals and standards
- A GIS education program for end users
- Clear data maintenance assignments and documented data maintenance procedures
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