Field is hooked....Cannot live without it!!

Printer Friendly Format

Page 3 of 4
| Previous | Next |

Field is hooked....Cannot live without it!!

Key Success Factors
As everyone knows the key to any successful software / hardware implementation is having end-user acceptance. This means field staff willingly use the system and actually look for ways to use these tools even more extensively. UtiliCorp Networks Canada has not only succeeded in meeting our intended outcome but has gone far beyond our greatest expectations. The Field Staff have developed a sense of ownership in both the software tools and more importantly the data. They now help drive enhancements in the software and are sending in field changes and corrections in unprecedented numbers. The steps that we feel enabled UtiliCorp to achieve such a high level of success are:

1. Business Unit Ownership
All end-users and our Field staff in particular need have a strong sense of ownership in any tool to make it successful. To achieve this we selected a Business Unit owner that had come up through the organization and had been in the same lineman position as they are now. This gave him instant credibility, encouraged open honest communication and an overwhelming sense of trust. He reports to the same Director and VP as most of the Field Users ensuring that he can and is held responsible and accountable for Field View’s success. His strategic goals, objectives and incentives are the same as the field staff which fosters a team approach to our successes. This may seem like a rather insignificant item but has made a huge impact on the field staffs overall acceptance and use of the Field View tool and its data.

2. Easy to Use Functionality

One of UtiliCorps’ biggest successes has been utilizing GPS technology in our service trucks and linking this with our Field View application. This produced our simplest and most powerful search function used by the Lineman called “Locate by GPS”. With just a single keystroke, the facility map is centered around the exact position the is truck located at. This function is without doubt one of the main reasons that our Linemen have taken to this software and say they cannot do without it. Leveraging of GPS technology is not only an impressive locate function, it gives our Dispatchers a graphical view of where each lineman is located at all times. This information is updated via CDPD wireless network every 2 minutes providing a near real time location of all 200 lineman throughout the day. Using this information Dispatch can now send the Lineman in the best position to respond to a new request. This is a huge cost savings to UtiliCorps’ operating costs, by reducing hundreds of hours of unnecessary windshield time for our Lineman. Another, major benefit is on the safety side, dispatch now knows exactly where a Lineman is and if he has not responded in a reasonable time period can send help to his exact location.
After a Lineman has identified all work required along a feeder utilizing the detailed “Line Patrol” function in Field View. The Maintenance group, use a simple VB application which produces an excel report that summarizes all of these repairs. The Maintenance Group then analysis all this information including priorities that the Lineman have suggested and determine what work needs to be done immediately. This is then dispatched to the Lineman along with the excel spreadsheet listing all of the work required. The Lineman then uses a function in Field View called “Hi-light Repairs”. This asks the Lineman to select a spreadsheet anywhere on his hard drive. Field View then hi-lights all required work from the spreadsheet that is in his current view. At a glance the Lineman can now plan his work in the area saving a great deal of time and effort panning around looking for these problems. He can then either refer to the spreadsheet or query the feature in Field View for the repair details. Once he has completed the work he indicates this in Field View against the actual feature. This then tells the Maintenance group, electronically, that the work is completed. As well as updating our corporate record in a timely and accurate manner.
Distribution Outage Statistics and Apparatus Counters are two additional very powerful and easy to use functions. The data captured here is crucial for a number of reasons;
1. Measuring UtiiCorps’ distribution performance against other utilities.
  UtiliCorp is a member of Canadian Electric Association and provides this Outage information in the form of SAIDI, SAIFI, CAIDI and MAIFI. This information also allows us to benchmark our performance compared to other Electric Utilities. Allowing Senior Management a view of our operating performance and the ability to take action if necessary.
2. UtiliCorps’ worst performing feeders.
  The Planning and Maintenance Groups now use these statistics and easily produced thematic maps to look at our worst performing feeders. These groups can then analysis the data and see exactly where and what the outages were. This allows them to provide optimal solutions and improve the performance of these feeders. At present UtiliCorp is able to look at the 15 worst performing feeders, out of 430 feeders, each year. Thus we are able to direct our annual budgeted maintenance dollars to improving both our overall performance and customer service.
3. Providing accurate statistics used for Performance Based Regulations.
  As these statistics will be the basis for measuring UtiliCorps’ performance. The Alberta and BC Regulators will use this information to apply the Performance Base Regulation guidelines towards. Thus UtiliCorps’ future profitability will rely on this information and we need to be very accurate and continual use these statistics to improve our operating efficiency.
  
  All of the above require very thorough, timely and accurate data. When each outage occurs and the Lineman finds and corrects the problem he enters the information directly into Field View. Within seconds using simple pull downs and pick lists the lineman can record accurate information that is sent directly into to our corporate AMFM database. Then, using a simple VB application everyone in the corporation including the lineman can produce reports showing the outage statistics by customer, by feeder or within an entire service point. As well, users in the Head Office can plot thematic maps using yet another simple VB application.

3. Training & User Documentation

We provided thorough comprehensive training by trainers that were either peers or had been peers in the past. This created a very relaxed and comfortable setting. We found in this setting the lineman were not hesitant to ask questions (there were no dumb questions) or to ask for the pace to be altered either slowed down or picked up. The training was centered on real life examples of using the functionality for specific tasks that the lineman will be performing in the field. This allowed the Lineman to relate better and retain his learnings as he could definitely see how to apply each function to his work. Through this training process some Lineman have really excelled and they have become what we call “Field View Super-Users”. These Linemen are used to handle the roll out of smaller changes and enhancements. This is accomplished by having the “Super-User” travel around his surrounding area holding small sessions with 2 or 3 Linemen in each Service Point. This has proved to be highly successful & a very cost effective way to handle these smaller releases.
UtiliCorp has also, produced a very thorough easy to read and use set of documentation for our Field View application. This documentation has a detailed index or can be searched by key words. Enabling the Lineman to go to their area of interest very easily and quickly. The documentation covers every possible keystroke and function in the Field View application. It has been written in Lineman language so that it easy to understand and follow. The Documentation is stored on-line in a database and is updated whenever, changes or enhancements are made to the Field View application. However, the Lineman always has the documentation available to him even when he is in his truck in the field. This is accomplished by replicating this database regularly when he is connected to the network in the office.