Technology areas to look out for in an ADMS implementation
There are many factors that contribute to the complexity of an operational technology system implementation (DMS, OMS, SCADA, ADMS, etc.) that are unique to every organization. This includes the current state of the system, the organization structure and the business processes that are defined around the system at the utility. On any given ADMS program, along with the above-mentioned factors, there are some overarching ones that are applicable across the board that fall under the people, process and technology buckets. In this blog we will cover some of the technology factors during the various phases of the implementation.
1. Comprehensive technical requirements:
One of the major issues that any of these implementations have been the lack of completeness with the requirements as well as usage of ambiguous language when articulating a requirement. As part of your SOW (statement of work) which usually ends up being leveraged as an input to build out the RTM (Requirements traceability matrix) document, the business and the technology teams end up grouping multiple requirements into a single requirement. The lack of clarity and details in the non-functional requirements (performance, cybersecurity, hardware, testing methodology, documentation standards, etc.) results in them being ironed out in the middle or later part of the program by the utility and the software vendor. Finally, the organization leverages specific technical terms that are relevant to them but not the software vendor which require further explanation to clarify the meaning and intent. Having detailed discussions with the software vendor on requirements at the onset of the program will ensure that there are fewer delays as we move along the various phases of the program.
2. Data Quality and Availability:
One of the core components of an ADMS platform is its network model. The network model in the context of an ADMS would be synonymous with the central nervous system in the human body, i.e., it contains information regarding all components of the grid that the system itself requires to make critical operational decisions or provide input to the grid operator to make said decisions. All the applications that are part of the ADMS (OMS, SCADA, Advanced applications) leverage both extensive and accurate data in the network model to ensure the accuracy of the results that the system generates. Hence, it is extremely important that the data that is fed into the ADMS from the various data sources (GIS, CIS, MDM, AMI, Engineering Databases, etc.) has been designed, built and tested extensively prior to deploying the platform to production and releasing to the end users. During the build out of the network model, there will be gaps identified that will be required to be addressed in any of the external systems that feed the ADMS. Some of these data gaps can be large enough that it results in additional initiatives by those external system organizations to collect, document and publish the missing data. Due to these factors, the design and build out of a fully functional network model is usually the longest tent in the pole on any ADMS program.
3. Extensive Test Planning and Management:
Once the platform is fully designed and built out, the testing phase requires thorough planning and coordination between all parties involved in the various testing phases which includes adequate representation from business units, IT teams, software vendor and the SI at the very least. The Factory acceptance testing (FAT) and Site acceptance testing (SAT) phases are primarily an exercise in testing the out of the box product leveraging the test scripts provided by the product vendor at the factory and on premise with the appropriate hardware installed. These two phases ensure that the business and the utility is getting all the core features and functions from the ADMS product that they had defined in their SOW document. Apart from these two phases, it is critical to plan and execute a Site integration test (SIT) where the platform is fully tested with the external integrations to other enterprise-wide platforms in a holistic manner with end-to-end scenarios defined by the business to exercise the ADMS platform in its entirety. Ensuring that all the interfaces have been properly, designed, built and unit tested by the business on the ADMS program as well as the business folks on the edge systems prior to entering the SIT phase is one of the key entry criteria that will need to be closely monitored. Finally, one of the big factors in the testing phase for a successful implementation is the planning and execution of performance testing of the product on all system load parameters that are defined in the SOW. Ensuring the load parameters are measurable and the appropriate tools to measure them are available for use at the utility prior to executing the performance test will ensure that the team is able to evaluate the test results appropriately.
In Summary, throughout the journey of the implementation, it is critical that the technical aspects of the implementation are kept front and center with both the business and IT playing a hands-on role in defining, building and testing the product in collaboration to ensure that they receive the ADMS platform that the utility had envisioned they would receive when embarking on this transformation.
If you have read this far and are interested in connecting with me on how I can help you in your journey, then feel free to reach out to me via email – abhinav@grid-transformation.com or via cell - +1-437-427-5155
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