After the thrill is gone: Institutionalizing GM
Records Backlog
Prior to the data conversion, there was a healthy backlog of completed work that had not
been posted to the paper facility maps and records. Over the last ten years, the number of
people who were responsible for posting these records has been reduced due solely to
attrition. Since the processes hadn’t changed much, it is not surprising that the backlogs
tended to grow. Increasingly the records people became fi-ustrated that the work was
falling behind. Then the GIS project came. All this did was increase the workload. The
records people then had to collate and package all the drawings for the conversion
contractor, answer the millions of questions about the inconsistencies and then accept the
converted data. Further, they had to be trained on a computer system and essentially
undo all the learning they had accumulated about drafting, which drawing showed what
detail, what scale was what and what symbol meant what. In the meantime the backlog
continued to grow. Thus afler complete conversion of the first geographic division, the
backlog had doubled.
What really needed to happen was to foreshadow the awkwardness of the transition from
a paper system to the GIS. Instead, we underestimated the impact of the backlog. What
resulted was that even with solid applications, the data was essentially delivered out of
date. We could rightly argue that the digital file was no worse in terms of timelines of
data than the old manual maps. That’s probably the wrong answer to our users’
management. To them it sounds like, “Now it takes less time to get the wrong answer.”
The Output Products
One of the project’s original goal was to be a paperless. The vision was that anyone on
any terminal could view the GIS data. Printouts or plots were to be ad-hoc and be very
personalized. However, during the transition from complete manual to complete digital,
paper maps and records are still used. Even after the complete transition of a vast
majority of our system, plots are still the communication of choice of our users. The
problem is that the digital output products do not look exactly like the old paper maps.
First, the people who made the old maps took great liberties in scale and placement.
Annotation appeared wherever there was room with long arrows pointing to devices. The
primary electrical maps were a combination of schematic and geographic. If a new
section did not fit on the map, little randomly placed blow-ups were scattered about. The
original grid layout that was created in the 1930’s turned out not to be rectilinear.
While the new digital information was correct, it looked quite different on paper from the
original. Thus users of the maps were concerned about the accuracy and often preferred
the old manual maps.
Process Changes
The strength of the GIS is to enable process simplification. However changing processes
and introducing a new computer system is not easy. The first editor applications tended
to mirror the original manual processes and proved ineffective. Despite the fact the data
was fully integrated, users still tended to segment the data into the same packages that
existed on the manual sheets. Certain people were assigned to update primary electrical
data, others to update secondary data, even though the data resided in the same place.
Without continuous reinforcement of the vision of the project, users naturally tended to
resort to old familiar methods of performing their job, attempting to adapt the new system
to fit the old processes, instead of creating new processes to simplifj their jobs.
Data Conversion
An observer might view the GIS project as a computer program development project.
Yet, the majority of effort has been in the data conversion. Most of the value of the
project is in the converted and coordinated data. The data existed on a variety of records,
in a variety of representations and in a differing level of detail. For example, on the
Primary Electrical Diagrams, the scale is one inch equals four hundred feet; only primary
430?devices are shown, streets are shown at twice their actual width, and no intermediate
poles or manholes are indicated. On the secondary sheets, the scale is one inch equals 50
feet, no primary devices are shown and there is no clear indication if there are primary
conductors are on the poles or not. Pole plans (scale one inch equals forty feet) show
pole offset from the street right of ways and guying but no pole sizes. Finally pole
records show foreign attachments and size but do not show electrical equipment. The
underground plans are similarly fragmented. When each of the drawings are plotted at
the same scale, none tit together.
These facts tended to complicate the conversion process significantly. We found that in
crowded areas, symbols could not be plotted because of data and annotation overlap. It
was only until after the data conversion was completed that we made decisions about
some of the symbology and output product scales. We found that we had to abandon the
400 scale Primary Electrical Diagrams in favor of a 100 scale. Had we done this earlier,
we wouldhave avoided some of the user acceptance issues.
Applications
The target platform is a mixed system of UNIX Servers, off the shelf relational data base
software, Arc/Info and PC’s as workstations. The user applications are essentially
macros, data base forms, custom menus and dialog boxes. It is an “Open System.”
However, not all UNIX servers and workstations are alike. The UNIX operating software
had been somewhat unstable causing crashes and hang ups. In the old days, there was
only one software product running at any time. Today, the GIS has many running
programs concurrently. Occasionally, the products do not work smoothly with each
other. Upgrading the data base software to a new version may create a compatibility
problem with the PC networking software. We have had a number of integration
difficulties.
Testing
We have a developmental system for the project team. All testing is done on this system.
However, the field configurations are slightly different. In theory, the testing of the
applications and data should be independent of the configuration. This has often not been
the case. Since the data is so varied, it is difficult to anticipate the complete set of user
responses to the data. Often users discover a bug or a trap or some function that they do
not understand. They respond perhaps by shutting the system down or by rebooting.
This tends to either mask the problem or make it worse. Setting up an effective testing of
new versions of the applications is an on-going challenge. Thus adequate pre-release
testing is a major outstanding issue as we roll out new applications.
Sharing the Vision
The GIS project and production operations can get mired in the details. What could
happen is that as the system gets to be “normal.” Invention may slow down or stop.
People will get comfortable and used to the system. What needs to happen is an on-going
sharing of the vision. Our vision of the GIS is:
- To greatly simpli~ the ability to analyze the power delivery system
- To model our transmission and distribution assets in a variety of ways for :
- Optimal investment
- Application of new and existing technologies
- Competitive evaluation
- Systematic improvement in performance
- To be an enabler for step changes in process improvements
- To be an information resource for other customer service initiatives, such as field
dispatch, service calls, trouble location
- To be one tool to help redefine and re-invent the business by offering a new spatial
dimensionto information.
A good technical solution
Above all, the system must work. It has to be easy to use and fast. It must be able to
move with the technology. Fast today is slow tomorrow. The hardware, software, data
base and network need to be designed to work together.
So, successful institutionalization might look like:
- Widespread integration in many facets of the enterprise
- The words Geographic Information System in virtually all the business operating
plans of departments that have geography as a dimension of their operation
- Some mention of how GIS can be used to win competitive advantage in the enterprise
strategic planning initiatives or projects.
- Corporate officers familiar with the project and capability
- Significant enough data converted to have a bottom line impact.
- A few successfid applications running in a production mode making money for the
enterprise.
- People identifying themselves as having GIS vocations (as opposed to drafting
vocations)
- Process re-engineering initiatives having a GIS component.
- Customer service initiatives having a GIS component
- A work-force not intimidated by the technology
We are not there yet. There still exists a significant gap between the technology and the
average user. We still need to raise the users level of knowledge, training and system
understanding. At the same time we need to continuously work on the applications to
make them easier to use and more intuitive. We think we will really be institutionalized
when there is a continuous flow of wondefil new initiatives utilizing GIS. We will be
there when those ideas dramatically reduce operating costs, facilitate the growth of the
business and delight the employees.
