The empowered field force - Leveraging new technologies in support of field operations
Brian Jackson TXU Electric and Gas 1601 Bryan Street Dallas, TX 75201 USA Jason Linley Tadpole Cartesia Inc. 2300 Faraday Avenue Carlsbad, CA 92008 Abstract This presentation details TXU’s successful field deployment of a work management and mapping system designed to support the compliance management aspects of gas operations. The focus of the presentation highlights the substantial operational gains realized when essential data is placed in the hands of the field workforce. Areas covered will include systems architecture and functionality, hardware, increased data integrity and accuracy, increased operational efficiencies, planned wireless upgrades, and payback periods. Overview The enterprise-wide adoption of new working practices and information technology in the utilities and telecommunications industries are issues that top on agendas as the industry looks to maximize returns on assets and realize efficiencies where it counts most - in the field. Historically, investments in tools to enhance field worker productivity have taken second place to network assets and key central systems for improving information on customers. The costs of appropriate field hardware, together with the technical challenges of providing both the operational job-related information and the map data that is so often needed, have also meant that field systems rarely made it to the top of the investment list. But that has changed. Deregulation forces the utilities to become competitive, customer-centric, and to come to grips with a new business model of declining revenues 'per customer unit' from the supply of gas, water and electricity. It also forces utilities to look at how best to lower the cost of their operations whilst maintaining safety standards, and to maintain current levels of profits needed to pay for the investments required to develop their networks and cope with the estimated increases in demand for services by 2020. There are two constants in any utility's business model. One hundred percent of its assets delivering service to industry and the consumer are in the field. And sixty to seventy percent of its extended workforce will be called upon at some time to repair, maintain, upgrade and inspect those assets. And there is the problem. Be it surveyors, field inspectors, work gangs, maintenance, or emergency repair teams, the information used by the vast majority to get the job done is probably old data and certainly ill-suited to productive and efficient field working, particularly in arduous conditions. A typical utility will make countless changes and updates to its network every day and that data is depicted on maps - hundreds of them - and stored on paper - reams of it. There are just too many maps and too much paper being used in the field for efficient management of field tasks, or to bring about a heterogeneous, distributed corporate network with all working off the same score sheet. Today’s new systems reduce payback times dramatically, and the traditional paper-intensive fieldwork is beginning to adopt technology. Some utilities have already provided field workers with access to job or geographic information systems (GIS) - the key to their vast networks and service reliability - and are beginning to enjoy the results in terms of productivity gains and more efficient work practices. Up to sevenfold productivity gains have been reported, compared with previous paper-based working practices, with quantifiable payback periods ranging between twelve and twenty months. The opportunities are now clear. By enabling up-to-date work management and GIS data on assets held at a utility's corporate headquarters to be provided to mobile workforces on field computers, they'll be able to repair outages more quickly, reduce customer lost minutes, and improve scheduled maintenance productivity. By allowing engineers to inspect and record asset data in the field, utilities can eliminate paper-based reporting, and improve overall efficiency. By the enterprise-wide, use of appropriate technology in the field, utilities can strengthen relationships with their customers, improve customer interaction efficiency, and provide superior customer service levels at reasonable cost. TXU Electric & Gas is no different from the rest of the industry. Constantly looking for more productive methods of working in the field, the Gas Distribution Division has created technology that automates key work processes. Aimed at supporting the company's pledge to deliver value and customer support, a compliance management system (CM+) was developed to track and assign all work to a technician in the field; plus, provide up to date GIS information CM+ Compliance Management Plus (CM+) is a work management system that coordinates operation and maintenance activities---leak survey, regulator, odorant smell test, and valve information based on TXU’s business and system logic. Recording work to be done and tracking the progress of that work in a central database not only allows for system-wide analysis, but for inter-related activities to be triggered based on the stored operational logic. Work orders are created in the field on the technician’s laptop and uploaded into CM+ at the end of each day. Work orders, when complete, are closed-out with the work history sent to a central server. Status, schedules, and performance history are maintained and readily available. CM+ is a system that manages data centrally and distributes work order information to and from the field, maintaining history. While housing all of this information centrally provides analysis and coordination benefits, it must be distributed to the individuals completing the work in order to realize operational gains. It can be obvious that a piece of infrastructure needs to be replaced when its maintenance history is reviewed, but if ten different people completed that maintenance and a central office is the only one reviewing the trend, the need may not be readily apparent. Outfield Outfield is the mapping software used in concert with CM+. As a tool, Outfield reads the various file formats used (.DGN, .DWG, and .CAL) and directly supports the various leak survey functions. Within Outfield, tools have been created that automate such tasks as leak migration tracking, leak reporting, and general mapping functions. For example, leak sketches are drawn using a simple redline tools overlaid on GIS data. The leak survey information captured within Outfield is passed into the database via a seamless interface with CM+. Now critical facility, infrastructure, and mapping information are shared organizationally, including with field technicians. System Overview TXU Electric and Gas developed CM+ over a six-year period. Outfield, a derivative of Tadpole Cartesia Inc.’s field mapping product Conic, was coupled with the system to integrate automated mapping. Both CM+ and Outfield are Visual Basic applications. CM+ stores data centrally in a SQL Server and processes the business logic on a Microsoft Transaction Server. GIS data is stored on a central server in the form of .dgn, .dwg, and .cal. On field devices data is stored in Access. The mobile applications use primarily LAN connections and occasionally dial-up connections for access to the central system. Work Flow Overview CM+ assigns work to a region, district, and work unit based on the town and the map sheet of where the work is located. The local supervisor then assigns the work to a crew. The ability to assign work is based upon the user set permissions. The work crew downloads assigned work and records the details of the work once it is completed. The mapping functionality is employed within the leak survey portion of CM+. An Outfield button in the CM+ interface launches the mapping program. Leak locations, test point locations, leak migration patterns, and address information are redlined onto existing map sheet data and stored as an image file. Once a gas leak is recorded, it must be regularly monitored based upon a variety of factors. These rules are built into CM+ and generate the work orders so those leaks are checked again. System Monitoring Technicians perform leak surveys on a continual basis to ensure the integrity of installed pipeline. A survey schedule is generated for a specified period of time by area, technician, and / or pipe type within the selected period. Work orders (survey reports) are generated from the system for use in the field by the survey teams. Detected leak reports are completed and entered into the system via the mobile leak survey application. If there is a discrepancy between the leak survey report and the pipe inventory data, the system pipe inventory is updated before a leak is recorded or a survey job can be completed. Validated leak reports are electronically sent to assigned repair teams. Upon completion of the repairs, the repair section of the report is completed and monitoring initiated. All repair and subsequent monitoring data is entered into the CM+ electronically (or by fax in form). Odorant Concentration Inspections are scheduled and the subsequent information reported and validated in the same manner as the leak surveys. Benefits The system was designed to automate key work processes as well as manage and maintain regulatory compliance data audited by the Texas Railroad Commission. By scheduling and maintaining leak surveys, detect, repair, and monitoring assignments, an in-depth history is kept and used for reporting. Necessary reporting can be generated in minutes through an automated process rather than days of manual effort in paper files. Electronically captured and centrally stored sketches significantly reduce the likelihood of information loss or misinterpretation. Cost savings are realized by reducing the need for expensive paper maps. By using organizationally maintained GIS, data accuracy and integrity are reinforced by both office and field personnel. Hardware CM+ is accessed through desktops by office workers and through laptops by field technicians. User must log on to the system while connected directly to the LAN or by dialing up the network with a modem. At present, the system is supporting approximately 900 users. Standard, non-ruggedized laptops are deployed in the field (specs could be obtained from Brian Jackson). Wireless An upgrade to CDPD technology is being considered as an alternative to both LAN and dial-up connections. CDPD will allow sufficient bandwidth to pass information bi-directional creating savings by eliminating unnecessary office trips. Conclusion The decision to use technology to automate key work practices was logical. Efficiencies can be gained in workflow and savings can be realized through several means, the least of which is the elimination of paper. Further, by delivering mapping solutions to the field, investments in GIS can be leveraged across of large population of employees. Overall, TXU is satisfied with its approach to field force automation and expects to make further advances in this area. | ||
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