[Evan Saltzberg]

Hi Liam,

I haven’t heard of any use cases here at PHI in regard to dead meters, but I’m going to ask around. My assumption is that if an AMI meter (Electric or Gas) were to go dark it would initiate a last gasp and we would also see the meter in a problematic state (Unreachable). I would also assume that if an AMI meter were unreachable during the meter reading window it would cause an estimation. With our installed meter population model, we are able proactively identify all installed meters that are in a problematic state and/or consecutively estimating at any time in a matter of seconds. I’d be happy to speak with you about our model if you think it would be helpful.

Take Care,

Evan Saltzberg
Senior Data Scientist
Evan.Saltzberg@exeloncorp.com

——————————
Evan Saltzberg
Sr Data Scientist
Exelon
NJ
6099703845
——————————
——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 04-25-2023 09:37
From: Liam Rosewell
Subject: Dead Meters

Hi all,
Has anyone any experience of a use case looking into identifying dead meters?
For electric meters we are looking at: registered zero consumption and meter is functional.
For gas meters we are yet to determine if there are attributes such as pulse rate that may be able to help us.

Any feedback would be welcome.

Thanks
Liam

——————————
Liam Rosewell
Sr. Program Manager
Entergy
——————————

[Evan Saltzberg]

Will do Aaron!

Evan Saltzberg
Senior Data Scientist
Evan.Saltzberg@exeloncorp.com

——————————
Evan Saltzberg
Sr Data Scientist
Exelon
NJ
6099703845
——————————
——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 04-25-2023 12:22
From: Aaron Arzaga
Subject: AMI- Power BI Workspace Structure

Hi Evan– We would love to schedule a discussion with you around this topic. Please send me an e-mail when you have a chance (aaron.arzaga@epelectric.com).

Thanks!
aaron

——————————
Aaron Arzaga
Sr. Data Scientist
El Paso Electric
——————————

Original Message:
Sent: 04-24-2023 15:46
From: Evan Saltzberg
Subject: AMI- Power BI Workspace Structure

Hello Aaron,

I’m a Senior Data Scientist at Pepco Holdings (PHI) a subsidiary of Exelon. I’m not aware of any dashboards designed specifically for AMI data here at PHI. However, I have designed, built, and deployed pipelines and dashboards in Power BI for our AMI deployment in ACE (Atlantic City Electric) which is currently taking place. Also, a Remote Connect/Disconnect dashboard to track and monitor the success rate of remote operations and a Work Managment System (WMS) to monitor and prioritize AMI billing data exceptions that failed the VEE process. I have also deployed a model/dashboard that provides a 360 degree view of our installed meter population at PHI (AMI and Non-AMI). I’m actually presenting on this use case for the UAI data science community on May 16th. These models were deployed on a workspace specific to Field & Meter Services however access was made available to groups across PHI to remove departmental silos and promote cross functional collaboration. I’d be happy to chat about any of your specific use cases and provide any feedback I can.

Take Care,

Evan Saltzberg

Senior Data Scientist
Pepco Holdings (Exelon)

——————————
Evan Saltzberg
Sr Data Scientist
Exelon
NJ
6099703845

Original Message:
Sent: 04-21-2023 13:22
From: Aaron Arzaga
Subject: AMI- Power BI Workspace Structure

Happy Friday!!!

We are going to be developing several dashboards in the next month for our initial use-cases for AMI (deployment starting soon). We’ve had a lengthy discussion regarding how to set up workspaces for these use-cases as well as trying to accommodate use-cases going forward. Currently, we have landed on creating workspaces by business function (ie: AMI Ops, Billing/Collections, Energy Efficiency, etc…) and grouping them together as “AMI Non-PII”  as well as creating another grouping of workspaces for use-cases that may contain PII data.

We are wondering if any of our peers are using PowerBI for AMI visualizations and how you may have structured your workspaces, or what lessons you may have learned from this process. Let us know!

Thank you all in advance and have a great weekend!

——————————
Aaron Arzaga
Sr. Data Scientist
El Paso Electric
——————————

[Sandi Joralemon (Adm)]

Hello Aaron and Evan,
Thank you for connecting and sharing ideas and experiences.  I encourage you to share those experiences with the community; I would love to publish your stories and lessons learned (separately or as a collaboration.)  That sentiment applies to all members.  Please reach out to me for content guidelines or discussion.  

——————————
Sincerely,

Sandi Joralemon
Sr. Research Analyst
Utility Analytics Institute
sjoralemon@utilityanalytics.com
830.832.5042
——————————
——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 04-24-2023 15:46
From: Evan Saltzberg
Subject: AMI- Power BI Workspace Structure

Hello Aaron,

I’m a Senior Data Scientist at Pepco Holdings (PHI) a subsidiary of Exelon. I’m not aware of any dashboards designed specifically for AMI data here at PHI. However, I have designed, built, and deployed pipelines and dashboards in Power BI for our AMI deployment in ACE (Atlantic City Electric) which is currently taking place. Also, a Remote Connect/Disconnect dashboard to track and monitor the success rate of remote operations and a Work Managment System (WMS) to monitor and prioritize AMI billing data exceptions that failed the VEE process. I have also deployed a model/dashboard that provides a 360 degree view of our installed meter population at PHI (AMI and Non-AMI). I’m actually presenting on this use case for the UAI data science community on May 16th. These models were deployed on a workspace specific to Field & Meter Services however access was made available to groups across PHI to remove departmental silos and promote cross functional collaboration. I’d be happy to chat about any of your specific use cases and provide any feedback I can.

Take Care,

Evan Saltzberg

Senior Data Scientist
Pepco Holdings (Exelon)

——————————
Evan Saltzberg
Sr Data Scientist
Exelon
NJ
6099703845
——————————

Original Message:
Sent: 04-21-2023 13:22
From: Aaron Arzaga
Subject: AMI- Power BI Workspace Structure

Happy Friday!!!

We are going to be developing several dashboards in the next month for our initial use-cases for AMI (deployment starting soon). We’ve had a lengthy discussion regarding how to set up workspaces for these use-cases as well as trying to accommodate use-cases going forward. Currently, we have landed on creating workspaces by business function (ie: AMI Ops, Billing/Collections, Energy Efficiency, etc…) and grouping them together as “AMI Non-PII”  as well as creating another grouping of workspaces for use-cases that may contain PII data.

We are wondering if any of our peers are using PowerBI for AMI visualizations and how you may have structured your workspaces, or what lessons you may have learned from this process. Let us know!

Thank you all in advance and have a great weekend!

——————————
Aaron Arzaga
Sr. Data Scientist
El Paso Electric
——————————

[Shawn Fountain]

Hi,  I have worked on many AMI dashboards. I have limited experience with BI for AMI data. I have always used non PII data,  except for meter/premise geo location. So we have not had a need to separate out the dashboards and access.

An exception of sorts is for revenue protection/ assurance/ theft. Those dashboards showed no PII. However,  separate views / extracts allowed access to PII to assess if the account/person had a suspect history to be aware of across premises.

I think it is safe, simplest, and best to design for no PII on AMI dashboards, and where PII is needed to treat PII access as special and very limited use cases. That would allow the most value to the most users at the lowest cost. 

Best regards, 

Shawn Fountain

(303) 880-9207

This e-mail, and any attachments are strictly confidential and intended for the addressee(s) only. The content may also contain legal, professional or other privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately and then delete the e-mail and any attachments. You should not disclose, copy or take any action in reliance on this transmission.

You may report the matter by contacting us via our UK Contacts Page or our US Contacts Page (accessed by clicking on the appropriate link)

Please ensure you have adequate virus protection before you open or detach any documents from this transmission. National Grid plc and its affiliates do not accept any liability for viruses. An e-mail reply to this address may be subject to monitoring for operational reasons or lawful business practices.

For the registered information on the UK operating companies within the National Grid group please use the attached link: https://www.nationalgrid.com/group/about-us/corporate-registrations

——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 4/24/2023 3:46:00 PM
From: Evan Saltzberg
Subject: RE: AMI- Power BI Workspace Structure

Hello Aaron,

I’m a Senior Data Scientist at Pepco Holdings (PHI) a subsidiary of Exelon. I’m not aware of any dashboards designed specifically for AMI data here at PHI. However, I have designed, built, and deployed pipelines and dashboards in Power BI for our AMI deployment in ACE (Atlantic City Electric) which is currently taking place. Also, a Remote Connect/Disconnect dashboard to track and monitor the success rate of remote operations and a Work Managment System (WMS) to monitor and prioritize AMI billing data exceptions that failed the VEE process. I have also deployed a model/dashboard that provides a 360 degree view of our installed meter population at PHI (AMI and Non-AMI). I’m actually presenting on this use case for the UAI data science community on May 16th. These models were deployed on a workspace specific to Field & Meter Services however access was made available to groups across PHI to remove departmental silos and promote cross functional collaboration. I’d be happy to chat about any of your specific use cases and provide any feedback I can.

Take Care,

Evan Saltzberg

Senior Data Scientist
Pepco Holdings (Exelon)

——————————
Evan Saltzberg
Sr Data Scientist
Exelon
NJ
6099703845
——————————
——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 04-21-2023 13:22
From: Aaron Arzaga
Subject: AMI- Power BI Workspace Structure

Happy Friday!!!

We are going to be developing several dashboards in the next month for our initial use-cases for AMI (deployment starting soon). We’ve had a lengthy discussion regarding how to set up workspaces for these use-cases as well as trying to accommodate use-cases going forward. Currently, we have landed on creating workspaces by business function (ie: AMI Ops, Billing/Collections, Energy Efficiency, etc…) and grouping them together as “AMI Non-PII”  as well as creating another grouping of workspaces for use-cases that may contain PII data.

We are wondering if any of our peers are using PowerBI for AMI visualizations and how you may have structured your workspaces, or what lessons you may have learned from this process. Let us know!

Thank you all in advance and have a great weekend!

——————————
Aaron Arzaga
Sr. Data Scientist
El Paso Electric
——————————

[Aaron Arzaga]

Hi Evan– We would love to schedule a discussion with you around this topic. Please send me an e-mail when you have a chance (aaron.arzaga@epelectric.com).

Thanks!
aaron

——————————
Aaron Arzaga
Sr. Data Scientist
El Paso Electric
——————————
——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 04-24-2023 15:46
From: Evan Saltzberg
Subject: AMI- Power BI Workspace Structure

Hello Aaron,

I’m a Senior Data Scientist at Pepco Holdings (PHI) a subsidiary of Exelon. I’m not aware of any dashboards designed specifically for AMI data here at PHI. However, I have designed, built, and deployed pipelines and dashboards in Power BI for our AMI deployment in ACE (Atlantic City Electric) which is currently taking place. Also, a Remote Connect/Disconnect dashboard to track and monitor the success rate of remote operations and a Work Managment System (WMS) to monitor and prioritize AMI billing data exceptions that failed the VEE process. I have also deployed a model/dashboard that provides a 360 degree view of our installed meter population at PHI (AMI and Non-AMI). I’m actually presenting on this use case for the UAI data science community on May 16th. These models were deployed on a workspace specific to Field & Meter Services however access was made available to groups across PHI to remove departmental silos and promote cross functional collaboration. I’d be happy to chat about any of your specific use cases and provide any feedback I can.

Take Care,

Evan Saltzberg

Senior Data Scientist
Pepco Holdings (Exelon)

——————————
Evan Saltzberg
Sr Data Scientist
Exelon
NJ
6099703845
——————————

Original Message:
Sent: 04-21-2023 13:22
From: Aaron Arzaga
Subject: AMI- Power BI Workspace Structure

Happy Friday!!!

We are going to be developing several dashboards in the next month for our initial use-cases for AMI (deployment starting soon). We’ve had a lengthy discussion regarding how to set up workspaces for these use-cases as well as trying to accommodate use-cases going forward. Currently, we have landed on creating workspaces by business function (ie: AMI Ops, Billing/Collections, Energy Efficiency, etc…) and grouping them together as “AMI Non-PII”  as well as creating another grouping of workspaces for use-cases that may contain PII data.

We are wondering if any of our peers are using PowerBI for AMI visualizations and how you may have structured your workspaces, or what lessons you may have learned from this process. Let us know!

Thank you all in advance and have a great weekend!

——————————
Aaron Arzaga
Sr. Data Scientist
El Paso Electric
——————————

[Eddie Fee]

For electric AMI meters, we’ve had success in leveraging the various meter events and alarms to identify failing or dead meters.  After years of refining and proving this out, we no longer have to analyze zero consumption patterns (and the numerous false positives that come along with that approach) to identify issues with electric meters.

 

I recommend working with your AMI meter provider to get a comprehensive listing of all ‘fatal’ errors and alarms that would indicate a failing or dead meter.  Or worst case, ‘reverse engineer’ examples to understand the event and alarm behavior of meters that have been verified to be dead. 

 

Water meters are a whole other animal where consumption analytics still are required to identify dead/dying meters.  We have no experience with gas meters.

 

Eddie Fee, Jr.

Director – Meter Services

Operations | Electric & Water Distribution

OUC – The Reliable One

o – 407.434.2262

e – efeejr@ouc.com

 

 

---

DISCLAIMER:
Florida has a very broad public records law. As a result, any written communication created or received by Orlando Utilities Commission officials and employees will be made available to the public and media, upon request, unless otherwise exempt. Under Florida law, email addresses are public records. If you do not want your email address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this office. Instead, contact our office by phone or in writing.

——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 4/25/2023 9:37:00 AM
From: Liam Rosewell
Subject: Dead Meters

Hi all,
Has anyone any experience of a use case looking into identifying dead meters?
For electric meters we are looking at: registered zero consumption and meter is functional.
For gas meters we are yet to determine if there are attributes such as pulse rate that may be able to help us.

Any feedback would be welcome.

Thanks
Liam

——————————
Liam Rosewell
Sr. Program Manager
Entergy
——————————

[Kevin Praet (Adm)]

Thank you so much for sharing these lessons learned! @Michael and @Aaron I know these will resonate well with other members.

To continue our #WisdomWednesday post from last week, I’m hoping some other community members wouldn’t mind sharing some quick hits and lessons learned as well. Remember this doesn’t need to be anything lenthy or elaborate, just a quick post highlighting a current project and a lesson you learned while working on the project that you think would benefit others.

I look forward to seeing your responses! 

——————————
Kevin Praet
Membership Coordinator
Utility Analytics Institute (UAI)
Boulder CO
315-440-3033
——————————
——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 04-19-2023 10:00
From: Kevin Praet
Subject: Wisdom Wednesday – Working on an Exciting Project? We Want to Hear From You Below!

Good Morning UAI Members,

Happy hump day and I hope everyone’s had a great start to their week! Due to UA Summit, it’s been a little while since our last #WisdomWednesday post and I was hoping to get another thread started for us today.

Getting back to our original theme, I want today’s Wisdom Wednesday thread to surround current projects you’re working on at your utility or solution provider company. Think of this as a glorified show and tell! With all of us working on so many interesting projects, I’m hoping you wouldn’t mind replying to this thread below with the following:

1.) Quick (few sentence) description of a project you’re working on

2.) One thing you’ve learned while working on this project that you would like to pass on to others

The goal of Wisdom Wednesday is to create a forum of quick hits/wins that we can all share and learn from. We thank everyone who has taken time to get involved thus far and look forward to your input throughout the day today.

——————————
Kevin Praet
Membership Coordinator
Utility Analytics Institute (UAI)
Boulder CO
315-440-3033
——————————

[Catherine Izard]

Hi Liam,

Yes, we have been looking at this for non-AMI gas meters (monthly billing). Happy to set up a time to chat if you want.

 

Best,

 

Catherine Izard (she/her)

Manager, Data Science

(339) 368-9227

nationalgrid |170 Data Drive, Waltham, MA 02451                   

 

This e-mail, and any attachments are strictly confidential and intended for the addressee(s) only. The content may also contain legal, professional or other privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately and then delete the e-mail and any attachments. You should not disclose, copy or take any action in reliance on this transmission.

You may report the matter by contacting us via our UK Contacts Page or our US Contacts Page (accessed by clicking on the appropriate link)

Please ensure you have adequate virus protection before you open or detach any documents from this transmission. National Grid plc and its affiliates do not accept any liability for viruses. An e-mail reply to this address may be subject to monitoring for operational reasons or lawful business practices.

For the registered information on the UK operating companies within the National Grid group please use the attached link: https://www.nationalgrid.com/group/about-us/corporate-registrations

——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 4/25/2023 9:37:00 AM
From: Liam Rosewell
Subject: Dead Meters

Hi all,
Has anyone any experience of a use case looking into identifying dead meters?
For electric meters we are looking at: registered zero consumption and meter is functional.
For gas meters we are yet to determine if there are attributes such as pulse rate that may be able to help us.

Any feedback would be welcome.

Thanks
Liam

——————————
Liam Rosewell
Sr. Program Manager
Entergy
——————————

[Shawn Fountain]

Hi, I have experience with what may be considered a more broad categorization: meter health. I figure a dead meter could also be a meter that you cannot communicate with, assuming we are talking AMI or AMR meters. The checks I am most familiar with in rough order:

1. Missing reads
2. On-demand read (fails)
3. Suspect usage (zero, very low, high, extremely erratic)
4. Misc. AMI meter events, e.g.,

1. RAM error
2. ROM error
3. Other memory error
4. Configuration error
5. Time sync error

 

Data correlations and richer analytics could be used to identify event and usage pattern predictors of an existing or likely meter health issue. I am not aware of such analysis details being posted publicly. Hot socket may be considered a meter health issue. I have seen some details posted publicly for hot socket.

 

Best regards,

Shawn Fountain

(303) 880-9207

 

This e-mail, and any attachments are strictly confidential and intended for the addressee(s) only. The content may also contain legal, professional or other privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately and then delete the e-mail and any attachments. You should not disclose, copy or take any action in reliance on this transmission.

You may report the matter by contacting us via our UK Contacts Page or our US Contacts Page (accessed by clicking on the appropriate link)

Please ensure you have adequate virus protection before you open or detach any documents from this transmission. National Grid plc and its affiliates do not accept any liability for viruses. An e-mail reply to this address may be subject to monitoring for operational reasons or lawful business practices.

For the registered information on the UK operating companies within the National Grid group please use the attached link: https://www.nationalgrid.com/group/about-us/corporate-registrations

——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 4/25/2023 9:37:00 AM
From: Liam Rosewell
Subject: Dead Meters

Hi all,
Has anyone any experience of a use case looking into identifying dead meters?
For electric meters we are looking at: registered zero consumption and meter is functional.
For gas meters we are yet to determine if there are attributes such as pulse rate that may be able to help us.

Any feedback would be welcome.

Thanks
Liam

——————————
Liam Rosewell
Sr. Program Manager
Entergy
——————————

[Michael Fourman]

I’d like to add…

Please share even if you think it’s no big deal or it’s not very useful.  I guarantee it will be useful for someone. 

——————————
Michael Fourman
Director – Business Intelligence
Georgia Transmission
——————————
——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 04-26-2023 10:10
From: Kevin Praet
Subject: Wisdom Wednesday – Working on an Exciting Project? We Want to Hear From You Below!

Thank you so much for sharing these lessons learned! @Michael and @Aaron I know these will resonate well with other members.

To continue our #WisdomWednesday post from last week, I’m hoping some other community members wouldn’t mind sharing some quick hits and lessons learned as well. Remember this doesn’t need to be anything lenthy or elaborate, just a quick post highlighting a current project and a lesson you learned while working on the project that you think would benefit others.

I look forward to seeing your responses! 

——————————
Kevin Praet
Membership Coordinator
Utility Analytics Institute (UAI)
Boulder CO
315-440-3033
——————————

Original Message:
Sent: 04-19-2023 10:00
From: Kevin Praet
Subject: Wisdom Wednesday – Working on an Exciting Project? We Want to Hear From You Below!

Good Morning UAI Members,

Happy hump day and I hope everyone’s had a great start to their week! Due to UA Summit, it’s been a little while since our last #WisdomWednesday post and I was hoping to get another thread started for us today.

Getting back to our original theme, I want today’s Wisdom Wednesday thread to surround current projects you’re working on at your utility or solution provider company. Think of this as a glorified show and tell! With all of us working on so many interesting projects, I’m hoping you wouldn’t mind replying to this thread below with the following:

1.) Quick (few sentence) description of a project you’re working on

2.) One thing you’ve learned while working on this project that you would like to pass on to others

The goal of Wisdom Wednesday is to create a forum of quick hits/wins that we can all share and learn from. We thank everyone who has taken time to get involved thus far and look forward to your input throughout the day today.

——————————
Kevin Praet
Membership Coordinator
Utility Analytics Institute (UAI)
Boulder CO
315-440-3033
——————————

[Laurie Shrauger]

Hi Michael, 
I have to agree that not all use cases are created equal.  We have taken several months for some and have also turned several around in days/weeks.  Factors include where the directive is coming from, what our existing backlog is and the priority of the use case, how ready the data is (in a database, manually documented, accurate, etc.), and how committed the business area is to supporting the effort.  Our time differs for each use case.

——————————
Laurie Shrauger
Data & Analytics Manager
Fayetteville Public Works Commission
Fayetteville, NC 28301
laurie.shrauger@faypwc.com
http://www.faypwc.com
——————————
——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 04-15-2023 10:30
From: Michael Fourman
Subject: What is your lead time for use case delivery?

Not all use cases are created equal.  I realize the answer to my question is probabl, “it depends” but I’d like to understand, roughly, how long does it take you to get from idea to delivery?

——————————
Michael Fourman
Director – Business Intelligence
Georgia Transmission
——————————

[Michael Fourman]

Thanks, Laurie!  I greatly appreciate the response.  Our turnaround time seems to be in line with yours.  Can I ask if your program resides in IT or in another part of the business?

——————————
Michael Fourman
Director – Business Intelligence
Georgia Transmission
——————————
——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 05-01-2023 13:08
From: Laurie Shrauger
Subject: What is your lead time for use case delivery?

Hi Michael, 
I have to agree that not all use cases are created equal.  We have taken several months for some and have also turned several around in days/weeks.  Factors include where the directive is coming from, what our existing backlog is and the priority of the use case, how ready the data is (in a database, manually documented, accurate, etc.), and how committed the business area is to supporting the effort.  Our time differs for each use case.

——————————
Laurie Shrauger
Data & Analytics Manager
Fayetteville Public Works Commission
Fayetteville, NC 28301
laurie.shrauger@faypwc.com
http://www.faypwc.com
——————————

Original Message:
Sent: 04-15-2023 10:30
From: Michael Fourman
Subject: What is your lead time for use case delivery?

Not all use cases are created equal.  I realize the answer to my question is probabl, “it depends” but I’d like to understand, roughly, how long does it take you to get from idea to delivery?

——————————
Michael Fourman
Director – Business Intelligence
Georgia Transmission
——————————

[Laurie Shrauger]

Michael,

We reside in the business (Corporate Development Department) in the Administrative Division.  We work closely with IT who also resides in the Administrative Division. 

——————————
Laurie Shrauger
Data & Analytics Manager
Fayetteville Public Works Commission
Fayetteville, NC 28301
laurie.shrauger@faypwc.com
http://www.faypwc.com
——————————
——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 05-01-2023 13:26
From: Michael Fourman
Subject: What is your lead time for use case delivery?

Thanks, Laurie!  I greatly appreciate the response.  Our turnaround time seems to be in line with yours.  Can I ask if your program resides in IT or in another part of the business?

——————————
Michael Fourman
Director – Business Intelligence
Georgia Transmission
——————————

Original Message:
Sent: 05-01-2023 13:08
From: Laurie Shrauger
Subject: What is your lead time for use case delivery?

Hi Michael, 
I have to agree that not all use cases are created equal.  We have taken several months for some and have also turned several around in days/weeks.  Factors include where the directive is coming from, what our existing backlog is and the priority of the use case, how ready the data is (in a database, manually documented, accurate, etc.), and how committed the business area is to supporting the effort.  Our time differs for each use case.

——————————
Laurie Shrauger
Data & Analytics Manager
Fayetteville Public Works Commission
Fayetteville, NC 28301
laurie.shrauger@faypwc.com
http://www.faypwc.com

Original Message:
Sent: 04-15-2023 10:30
From: Michael Fourman
Subject: What is your lead time for use case delivery?

Not all use cases are created equal.  I realize the answer to my question is probabl, “it depends” but I’d like to understand, roughly, how long does it take you to get from idea to delivery?

——————————
Michael Fourman
Director – Business Intelligence
Georgia Transmission
——————————

[Nolan Steiner]

Hi all (I’m late weighing in on this).    I agree with all of the various factors that Laurie mentions that can influence the amount of time to deliver one use-case.   We’ve found that juggling the use-case priorities is more of an art than science. 

 

Our Data Science team used to reside within IT, but last year we moved to Finance.  The thinking was that business units within our company need to view us as an extension of their own business analysts, as opposed to being viewed as IT that is more focused on maintaining systems (hardware, software, security, etc.).   It’s not a perfect fit in either IT or Finance, so we’re trying to make it work wherever we are positioned.  At one point, there was discussion it would be housed within Strategy.   One other reason for being housed in Finance is that we wanted to distinguish ‘Analytics’ vs ‘Data’.   True, the two go hand in hand, but often times ‘Data’ (accessibility, quality, etc.) is more influenced by IT than by our Data Science team.  Admittedly, both groups need to work together to improve the Data experience to all business units, including to Data Science.  It needs to be closely coordinated, and that has been a challenge as we work thru use-cases that business units lob to our Analytics team.  

 

The deliverable timeline for each use-case is also influenced by whether there is a usable Analytics Platform or not.   Our team operated with an Analytics Platform several years ago, but it was not a well developed platform and therefore was cumbersome to use (only several people of the Data Science team used it, and it was still clunky).   We are reassessing which Analytics Platform may be best suited for our company now.  Our vision is to select a tool that can be used not only by the Data Science team or the IT Team (architects, etc), but also the business units themselves for more advanced Business Analysts.  Part of the reasoning is that if the Business Analysts had a tool that helped them “some of the time”, that the use-cases coming thru the Data Science team would be less backlogged and free up time for more complex use-cases.   That means selecting an Analytics Platform tool that is more intuitive to Senior Business Analysts, with ‘drag and drop’ capabilities (for statistical models, ML models, etc. to avoid any coding knowledge gaps in the Business Units…such as SQL, R, Python, etc.).   Currently, AWS platform is being used to some degree, and will continue to be used by certain groups, but it may not be as intuitive to the business units that can perform some of their own use-cases with data they already fully understand.  So we may end up with two different tools for Analytics Platform (AWS for sure, and one other we are selecting that would be more Business Unit friendly).

 

Our deliverables can be as little as a week (if it is just delivering data, which our team can do but we generally relegate to a ‘Data Delivery’ team that still resides in IT), sometimes it takes longer if it is just delivering a dashboard (depends on the data sources/quality), and often can take several months if it is a complex analytics use-case (again, dependent upon the data and input from SME’s).     We’ve found that the business units may not fully scope their needs when making their initial asks for use-cases, so that intake process is always being improved so that we can more quickly start working on those advanced use-cases.   For the complex use-cases, the scoping itself can take several weeks – to refine the requests, understand what is needed, be sure resources are available when needed, etc.   If there are resource requirements that are outside of our core Data Science team, such as our GIS team that are experts in certain pieces of the use-case, then that can delay the use-case as well if they are tied up on their own use-cases that have been prioritized outside of our Data Science team.  It’s a tricky wicket sometimes to corral all the right folks, if resources are needed outside of the core analytics team.    And then there is the CapEx vs OpEx issue that sometimes influences whether we take on a use-case or not, or if it needs to be postponed until funding sources are identified. 

 

Sorry for the rambling, didn’t mean to go deep on this.  But just felt I wanted to do it today!  Feel free to follow-up with questions or advice you may have from your learnings. 

 

 

Nolan Steiner
Data Science

(at Mission Campus on Tuesdays, or as planned)

1411 E MISSION AVE  |  SPOKANE, WA 99202
PHONE 509-495-4479  |  CELL 509-279-5190  
http://www.myavista.com

 

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The contents of this email message and any attachments are intended solely for the addressee(s) and may contain confidential and/or privileged information and may be legally protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient of this message or an agent of the intended recipient, or if this message has been addressed to you in error, please immediately alert the sender by reply email and then delete this message and any attachments.

——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 5/1/2023 1:27:00 PM
From: Michael Fourman
Subject: RE: What is your lead time for use case delivery?

Thanks, Laurie!  I greatly appreciate the response.  Our turnaround time seems to be in line with yours.  Can I ask if your program resides in IT or in another part of the business?

——————————
Michael Fourman
Director – Business Intelligence
Georgia Transmission
——————————
——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 05-01-2023 13:08
From: Laurie Shrauger
Subject: What is your lead time for use case delivery?

Hi Michael, 
I have to agree that not all use cases are created equal.  We have taken several months for some and have also turned several around in days/weeks.  Factors include where the directive is coming from, what our existing backlog is and the priority of the use case, how ready the data is (in a database, manually documented, accurate, etc.), and how committed the business area is to supporting the effort.  Our time differs for each use case.

——————————
Laurie Shrauger
Data & Analytics Manager
Fayetteville Public Works Commission
Fayetteville, NC 28301
laurie.shrauger@faypwc.com
http://www.faypwc.com
——————————

Original Message:
Sent: 04-15-2023 10:30
From: Michael Fourman
Subject: What is your lead time for use case delivery?

Not all use cases are created equal.  I realize the answer to my question is probabl, “it depends” but I’d like to understand, roughly, how long does it take you to get from idea to delivery?

——————————
Michael Fourman
Director – Business Intelligence
Georgia Transmission
——————————

[Michael Fourman]

Thank you, Nolan.  The more information I can gather the better.  Our department reside within the business.  When I attended my first UA Summit last year I took an informal poll about where the program resided at those utilities I asked and it seemed to be fairly even between in the business or in IT.  Maybe its less about where it resides and more about the mindset of the programs leadership that impacts the turnaround time for products.  Keep seizing the data, Nolan!

——————————
Michael Fourman
Director – Business Intelligence
Georgia Transmission
——————————
——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 05-01-2023 14:15
From: Nolan Steiner
Subject: What is your lead time for use case delivery?

Hi all (I’m late weighing in on this).    I agree with all of the various factors that Laurie mentions that can influence the amount of time to deliver one use-case.   We’ve found that juggling the use-case priorities is more of an art than science. 

 

Our Data Science team used to reside within IT, but last year we moved to Finance.  The thinking was that business units within our company need to view us as an extension of their own business analysts, as opposed to being viewed as IT that is more focused on maintaining systems (hardware, software, security, etc.).   It’s not a perfect fit in either IT or Finance, so we’re trying to make it work wherever we are positioned.  At one point, there was discussion it would be housed within Strategy.   One other reason for being housed in Finance is that we wanted to distinguish ‘Analytics’ vs ‘Data’.   True, the two go hand in hand, but often times ‘Data’ (accessibility, quality, etc.) is more influenced by IT than by our Data Science team.  Admittedly, both groups need to work together to improve the Data experience to all business units, including to Data Science.  It needs to be closely coordinated, and that has been a challenge as we work thru use-cases that business units lob to our Analytics team.  

 

The deliverable timeline for each use-case is also influenced by whether there is a usable Analytics Platform or not.   Our team operated with an Analytics Platform several years ago, but it was not a well developed platform and therefore was cumbersome to use (only several people of the Data Science team used it, and it was still clunky).   We are reassessing which Analytics Platform may be best suited for our company now.  Our vision is to select a tool that can be used not only by the Data Science team or the IT Team (architects, etc), but also the business units themselves for more advanced Business Analysts.  Part of the reasoning is that if the Business Analysts had a tool that helped them “some of the time”, that the use-cases coming thru the Data Science team would be less backlogged and free up time for more complex use-cases.   That means selecting an Analytics Platform tool that is more intuitive to Senior Business Analysts, with ‘drag and drop’ capabilities (for statistical models, ML models, etc. to avoid any coding knowledge gaps in the Business Units…such as SQL, R, Python, etc.).   Currently, AWS platform is being used to some degree, and will continue to be used by certain groups, but it may not be as intuitive to the business units that can perform some of their own use-cases with data they already fully understand.  So we may end up with two different tools for Analytics Platform (AWS for sure, and one other we are selecting that would be more Business Unit friendly).

 

Our deliverables can be as little as a week (if it is just delivering data, which our team can do but we generally relegate to a ‘Data Delivery’ team that still resides in IT), sometimes it takes longer if it is just delivering a dashboard (depends on the data sources/quality), and often can take several months if it is a complex analytics use-case (again, dependent upon the data and input from SME’s).     We’ve found that the business units may not fully scope their needs when making their initial asks for use-cases, so that intake process is always being improved so that we can more quickly start working on those advanced use-cases.   For the complex use-cases, the scoping itself can take several weeks – to refine the requests, understand what is needed, be sure resources are available when needed, etc.   If there are resource requirements that are outside of our core Data Science team, such as our GIS team that are experts in certain pieces of the use-case, then that can delay the use-case as well if they are tied up on their own use-cases that have been prioritized outside of our Data Science team.  It’s a tricky wicket sometimes to corral all the right folks, if resources are needed outside of the core analytics team.    And then there is the CapEx vs OpEx issue that sometimes influences whether we take on a use-case or not, or if it needs to be postponed until funding sources are identified. 

 

Sorry for the rambling, didn’t mean to go deep on this.  But just felt I wanted to do it today!  Feel free to follow-up with questions or advice you may have from your learnings. 

 

 

Nolan Steiner
Data Science

(at Mission Campus on Tuesdays, or as planned)

1411 E MISSION AVE  |  SPOKANE, WA 99202
PHONE 509-495-4479  |  CELL 509-279-5190  
http://www.myavista.com

 

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The contents of this email message and any attachments are intended solely for the addressee(s) and may contain confidential and/or privileged information and may be legally protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient of this message or an agent of the intended recipient, or if this message has been addressed to you in error, please immediately alert the sender by reply email and then delete this message and any attachments.

Original Message:
Sent: 5/1/2023 1:27:00 PM
From: Michael Fourman
Subject: RE: What is your lead time for use case delivery?

Thanks, Laurie!  I greatly appreciate the response.  Our turnaround time seems to be in line with yours.  Can I ask if your program resides in IT or in another part of the business?

——————————
Michael Fourman
Director – Business Intelligence
Georgia Transmission
——————————

Original Message:
Sent: 05-01-2023 13:08
From: Laurie Shrauger
Subject: What is your lead time for use case delivery?

Hi Michael, 
I have to agree that not all use cases are created equal.  We have taken several months for some and have also turned several around in days/weeks.  Factors include where the directive is coming from, what our existing backlog is and the priority of the use case, how ready the data is (in a database, manually documented, accurate, etc.), and how committed the business area is to supporting the effort.  Our time differs for each use case.

——————————
Laurie Shrauger
Data & Analytics Manager
Fayetteville Public Works Commission
Fayetteville, NC 28301
laurie.shrauger@faypwc.com
http://www.faypwc.com

Original Message:
Sent: 04-15-2023 10:30
From: Michael Fourman
Subject: What is your lead time for use case delivery?

Not all use cases are created equal.  I realize the answer to my question is probabl, “it depends” but I’d like to understand, roughly, how long does it take you to get from idea to delivery?

——————————
Michael Fourman
Director – Business Intelligence
Georgia Transmission
——————————