Successfully Scaling Resources With Real-Time Cross Communication

Case Study

Electric and Gas Delivery Company

Successfully Scaling Resources With Real-Time Cross Communication Challenge Starting in 2013, the utility embarked on a project to deploy 1.2 million electric meters and gas modules over its service area of 47,000 square miles. Faced with the resource constraints that many utilities encounter when adding a large, long-term project to already over-taxed staff, the utility sought to outsource the entire project including staffing, warehousing, hiring and training of personnel, reverse logistics, and overall management of the project.

The company needed a partner and a solution that would allow it to quickly scale resources up and down as necessary, yet still closely monitor progress.

A challenging task in itself, the project stakes were raised when, as in many smart metering projects, inventory availability and delivery timeframes often shifted, so the company needed a partner and a solution that would allow it to quickly scale resources up and down as necessary, yet still closely monitor progress. With this type of frequent scaling, the utility knew it also needed a partner that could facilitate real-time cross communication between all parties on the project to maintain schedule and efficiency.

smartgridsolutions.us

Smart Grid Solutions

Solution Smart Grid Solutions (SGS) was selected as the subcontractor to a large smart meter manufacturer to provide an end-to-end solution that includes full staffing, warehousing, hiring and training of personnel, reverse logistics, and its proprietary workforce management solution, ProFieldMETER, for its ability to help manage the entire process and show in real time what is happening with staff, inventory, customers, and problem escalation. Real-time data was key to the utility. The company wanted to be aware of activity as well as problems, whether 4 miles or 4,000 miles from the office. With ProField that was possible—in real time. But every bit as important as monitoring progress was the data that the software offered not just to the utility, but also to its partners. When quick scaling was necessary, ProField gave all partners in the project the flexibility to collaborate and create new resource plans and schedules so that work could go on, but deadlines stayed on track. For one particular annual gas deployment milestone, the gas deployment schedule needed to be compressed in half, from 12 to 6 months, yet the total quantity of meters remained the same. Project visibility and cross communication between the project management office, meter manufacturer, utility, and installation teams enabled SGS to staff-up to 50 employees in only 30 days to keep the project on track. ProField offered the utility flexibility of scale for planning and a high-level project view, but also clear visibility of work being performed at every moment of the day.

ProField gave all partners in the project the flexibility to collaborate and create new resource plans and schedules. Results SGS has hit every milestone in the deployment project despite any inventory or schedule challenges. SGS has met and continues to meet all SLAs including customer satisfaction, safety, and data quality. SGS exceeded the project install targets by 50% for both electric and gas in one of the most rural states in the country. ProField has strengthened the project team as a whole, providing real-time data to all project participants, and eliminating delays due to cross party resource planning.

Learn more about the ProField suite of products at smartgridsolutions.us

Exceeded targets by

50%

Smart Grid Solutions About Smart Grid Solutions Smart Grid Solutions is the developer of ProField, the award-winning mobile workforce management technology used for smart metering deployments. ProField is the industry’s only integrated solution for mobile workforce management, easing the road to the smart grid for utilities by effectively managing AMI rollouts — ensuring safety, reliability, on-time completion, and enhancing customer engagement. Smart Grid Solutions licenses ProField around the world and also utilizes the technology for its own meter replacement and network equipment installation services for electric, water, and gas utilities. +1.703.709.3000 [email protected]

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