UTILITIES/Computer system energizes power company
In 1998, the Omaha (Neb.) Public Power District (OPPD) put away its paper-based, labor-intensive project management system and installed computer software to schedule its transmission and distribution construction services. After more than two years of increased productivity with the system, the district has upgraded the software, further improving OPPD’s scheduling process.
“The number one factor that drove us towards improving this process was the fact that each of our center’s schedules operated essentially in isolation from the others,” says Tom Larsen, supervisor of transmission and distribution construction services for OPPD. “That often made it difficult to move jobs and resources from one center to another.”
After installing the software (from Bala Cynwyd, Pa.-based Primavera Systems), OPPD developed an interface that would automatically transfer all work orders to the planning and scheduling system once a day. Each work order includes the job description, location, size and deadline, and a list of skills required to complete the order. The interface also calculates personnel availability that accounts for sick leave, vacation time, union business and interruptions due to inclement weather.
An e-mail feature in the software generates daily automated messages prompting supervisors to record the status of each of their projects. When the e-mails are returned, the schedulers review the messages, and, if they accept the results, automatically enter them into the project report.
When questions arise, supervisors at the construction centers are contacted to ensure that the scheduling system accurately reflects the current status of the project.
The system upgrade was completed in March, and supervisors now can write project status reports independently of the e-mail system. In addition, the new program allows schedulers to open multiple projects at the same time.
Every week, schedulers meet with the small-customer sales staff and construction crews to evaluate progress on all active jobs. Additionally, schedulers meet periodically with project managers and the engineering department to ensure that tasks related to survey, design and construction are on track to meet project deadlines. After those meetings have been completed, schedulers set the agenda for the next week.
OPPD’s scheduling process is normally completed by noon every Friday. The software then is used to generate Web pages on the district’s intranet that provide the schedules for the next week.
