“Managing value through an Architecture Approach”
Pierre Vorster
Project Director, Operations Support Project Management Office
BC Gas Utility Ltd.
1111 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC, V6E 4M4
Background
BC Gas Utility Ltd. is the largest distributor of natural gas in the province of British
Columbia, Canada. It was formed in 1988 when Inland Gas acquired the gas division of
BC Hydro. With 750,000 customers, it has one of the largest territories amongst gas
utilities in North America. BC Gas Utility Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of BC Gas
Inc. Like many utilities across North America, BC Gas is moving into new business
paradigms. Deregulation, competition and unbundling are challenging the organization to
achieve operational excellence through numerous high priority initiatives. Amongst these
is the AM/FM Implementation Project.
A strategic study was commissioned during 1996 to evaluate and present the business
case for implementing a corporate GIS. The study identified approximately eighteen
applications and three major interfaces and included a significant data conversion
component. A phased implementation plan was presented which was subsequently
shortened to three and a half years to drive out early business benefits. The project approval progressed through executive, Board of Directors and finally, Utilities
Commission approval before officially starting in December 1997.
The AM/FM Implementation Project was initiated in a changing business environment.
The organization was in the midst of a major reorganization and had initiated two major
technology projects:
- a replacement of the CIS systems; and,
- an SAP implementation of Financials, HR and MM modules.
Two other projects were in the planning stage:
- integrated scheduling and dispatch; and,
- replacement of WMS and Preventative Maintenance system.
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