Enterprise Geographic Information Systems Launch

To Sell the Vision, Show the Value

Herding hundreds of cats isn’t so hard if you give them a reason to go your way. But it has to be a darn good reason – or a mighty strong vision that they all buy into.
Here’s a true tale along those lines.

A large federal utility was using multiple applications to maintain information about all their assets (lines, towers, land). Because this data was being stored in various locations, and not all employees were familiar with every application, information was not easily accessible and not relatable.

What the utility needed was system to connect all of the information. The one thing the assets all had in common was that they were located somewhere in the world. Their locations in the world could be used to connect the data and present it in one location where it would be accessible to the average employee.

ACME was brought in to design and implement an enterprise Geographic Information Systems (eGIS).

Piece of cake (or catnip)? Hardly.

The utility has more than 1,500 users and pulls data from many sources. Much of the eGIS project required identifying objects’ data, locating and defining the most reliable data sources, identifying redundancies, and coding custom applications to support the interface with the GIS map.

Managing the priorities and requirements of so many stakeholders was extremely complicated. Many requirements were in direct conflict. People were protective of their turf. Information was hoarded. Hackles could easily be raised.

How to corral so many competing interests?

Show the value. Harness the energy.

Since it was difficult for everyone at the utility to visualize what the eGIS was, a first-phase proof of concept pilot was designed that would show people the vision and value of the project.

To continually refine the product and increase awareness, agile development methodologies were used to build each of the components. This allowed the team to adapt to various group needs as the vision became realized.

Seeing that their own needs were well met, individuals became energized and the fences (and defenses) that prevented communication were removed. Key information started flowing from all parts of the utility, which enabled the team to design a system that worked for everyone. In unforeseen ways.

Seeing is believing. Believing is succeeding.

Once users saw the pilot, their eyes lit up. They were amazed at how they could access and join so much data so easily. The value was obvious. People began joining the herd.
By the end of the project, the system was pulling data from every part of the business, with 80 to 100 users daily. Many of the users began saving at least 1.5 hours of work a day, equaling well over $1 million in savings annually.

By demonstrating a strong vision for what the eGIS could become – and helping employees (and management) buy into that vision – the project achieved great results.

Utility data management is now much more efficient, and communication has improved. All the cats are cool with the eGIS now being implemented.