Optimizing Outage Schedules with Mobius

Intelligently Plan, Schedule, and Communicate Network Outages

Planned network outages are a routine requirement for most utilities. They enable undertaking of essential maintenance work and connection of new assets onto the network.

To minimize disruption to the end customer (corporate, industrial, domestic, or generation), network operators need to manage considerations such as:

^*SAIDI: System Average Interruption Duration Index
^#CML: Customer Minutes Lost

Can planned work be completed in parallel to minimize disruption?
Will there be an outage “clash” that needs to be considered?
What is the regulatory cost of the outage (SAIDI^*, CML^#)?
Will there be a customer impact and have they been informed?
Has the customer been engaged in the process to avoid a negative experience?

Cyient created Mobius, a SaaS-based Web portal designed to optimize the way network outages are planned, governed, and communicated to the customer, creating information flows between outage planners, customer experience teams, and the end customer to provide a smooth process for planning network disruptions.

Mobius creates internal efficiencies resulting in cost savings for planning such work, whilst creating real-time dynamic communication with the customer.

A good outage planning and scheduling system's overall goal is to minimize disruption to the customer and optimize the work done during the outage.

Creating an Effective Plan

Good Communication

Relevant parties, including customers and stakeholders, should be kept informed throughout the planning and restoration processes.

Transparent Approach

If there are many parties involved in requesting and approving an outage, a standard auditable process will help limit confusion.

Prioritization

When multiple requests are raised, it is important to understand when and why they are required, as well as their cost implications.

Scheduling an Outage

An outage planner often manages multiple outage requests from different parts of an organization. The following steps will help streamline the process and make it more effective:

Map outage request processes with predefined authorization stage gates.
Provide a common platform to your customer for requesting, planning, and viewing planned outages.
Make the platform user–friendly.
Remove internal silos within the planning process.
Make the plan visible to respective stakeholders throughout the organization.
Involve your customers and third parties throughout the planning process.
When needed, generate predefined reports and audits.

Benefits of Effective Outage Planning

Improve Customer Service

A robust outage planning and scheduling system offers a platform to securely interact with your customers and share relevant information

Reduce Outages

A well-planned outage planning process helps schedule long-term outages well in advance, and enables you to optimize the outages

Lower Costs

Outage costs can hit operational budgets and reduce regulatory service incentives. A structured outage planning system helps reduce such unprecedented costs

Optimizing Outages Through Effective Planning