Case Study

Digital Transformation Planning For Business, People, and Process

This utility client of Xtensible is passionate about innovation, renewable energy, and efficiencies. They operate in several countries in South America with a customer base of over 1 million delivering:

• Generation
• Transmission
• Distribution

Partnering with Xtensible for consulting services:

• Business & Technology Consulting
• Strategy & Architecture

THE NEED

The Utility is deploying new systems, replacing aging ones, has a vision of connecting business, people, and things together and is executing a complete digital transformational change with added business capabilities

BUSINESS VALUE

• Alignment of Business Objectives
• Integrated Architecture for Future Digital Transformation

RESULTS

Identified and aligned key strategic business goals and objectives. Established an integration reference architecture and business processes and artifacts to support these goals and objectives.

OPPORTUNITY

Innovation is foundational for this utility. It is adopted in their daily work, aiming to be more competitive, to attract high quality talent and ultimately for a positive impact on all stakeholders. Innovation is also the vehicle for diversification and for the creation of new business models and capabilities. It leads to operational improvements.

The utility was in the process of definition and planning for the execution of a strategy in areas of smart grid and integrated systems for Generation, Transmission and Distribution. Their corporate and competitive strategy includes expanding markets in areas of Distribution, Asset Management, Wellness, and Productivity. The strategy requires the ability to Support multi-company, multi-tenancy, and multiple jurisdictions. The process of market expansion and support for new markets and customers must be scalable and repeatable.

They are continuing their effort to provide alternatives for growth to manage their risks and maintain competitiveness, through the development of business models based on cutting-edge technology and data science. They are therefore deploying multiple new systems, replacing old ones, and executing a complete a digital transformational change.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

The digital ecosystem at the utility is comprised of business, people, and things, with a vast number of integration points between them. There is a need to establish a consistent means for integration of all these systems which require an integration reference architecture. This reference architecture will provide guidance and direction for the utility as whole, for the project teams and their vendors and service providers who work with the utility to implement their digital ecosystem transformation.

To move forward the organization undergoes an assessment with recommendations which leads to establishing an integration center of excellence. This center of excellence, governs, oversees, and supports digital transformation initiatives, and executes according to action plans.

The reference architecture for the integration captures overall design and decision matrix, the principles and standards including message patterns. Associated software needs to be managed as well. The software development lifecycle for integration addressing items such as requirements gathering, design, implementation, testing and support and maintenance is created.

Similarly, the enterprise semantic model is defined with its processes. The utility can then fully understand what their data means and represents to be able to gain insights in its pursuit of innovation.

MODEL DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT

The utility wanted their semantic model to be built on the IEC CIM industry standard. Xtensible is deeply involved in several international standards committee and have developed and evolved a Model Driven Integration, Information and Intelligence (MD3i) methodology over a number of years to simplify standards deployment. The MD3i methodology allows for a semantically consistent analytics and integration model. Our approach also allows for the data model and data structure to support future business services and capabilities, and use cases, not even imagined today, through expansions.

RESULTS

Xtensible conducted alignment workshops with the utility which provided detail insights into their culture of innovation which led to our engagement framework.

In support of their goals Xtensible developed a “Modernization” Vision and Roadmap recognizing business and IT drivers, and the goal to modernize their processes and Information and Technical Architecture.

“The utility understands the importance of their digital advancement. Working with the team to establish an effective and optimized architecture, strategy and plan will help set them in achieving their future goals and objectives”

– Michael Covarrubias, VP of Strategy and Solutions Xtensible.

Integration reference architecture, integration center of excellence, and strategic alignment roadmap with identified business cases, project plans and estimated associated costs were some of the key deliverables.

WHAT IS HAPPENING NEXT?

Xtensible continues to provide professional services to the client for:

• Strategy and Roadmap for becoming a Distribution System Operator
• IEC CIM based training and support
• Network Model Management System and DER Implementation

Through working together in the continued implementation of the digital transformation the utility plans to act on its vision to engage its customers, to empower their employees, to optime their operations and transform their products.

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