Managing change with positive thinking to make the most of investments

BY JOHN MCDONALD, IEEE Senior Member, GE Energy Management - Digital Energy

The process of writing requirements for Smart Grid-related technology purchases may appear simple and straightforward. It is not. As the technology itself has changed, the process of purchasing and implementing it has changed as well. The adoption of new, digital technologies, in turn, can and should drive organizational and business process change within the utility. In addition, each investment should be exploited for multiple value streams useful to multiple beneficiaries within the utility to achieve the maximum return on investment.

Therefore, the writing of requirements is no longer the work of an isolated group within the utility, merely spelling out its need for a new box. Requirements today must reflect a forward-looking, holistic view of the utility’s technology roadmap and take into account the implications for business process and organizational change.