UAS Program Enterprise Scaling Strategy

R&A served as a consulting partner for an Investor-Owned Utility to assess all aspects of its active UAS inspections program before scaling its capabilities to include >5x more assets than prior Distribution cycle efforts. R&A was also tasked with developing the executive quantitative and qualitative case for change to enable and sustain the cross functional aerial and digital program, plus recommend a viable future program models, which included people, process, and technology strategies.

Situation

A large utility company maintained an active UAS inspections program for Transmission assets conducting ~50k structure inspections per year for risk and compliance purposes. The client needed to scale the UAS inspections capability to include risk-based Distribution inspections of >200k structures in a single year, while building out an integrated program structure that could be sustained well into the future across required organizations.

Objective

Rapidly assess current state capabilities to assess maturity and preparedness and develop a new strategy to include governance and operating model, investment plan, operational capabilities, and technology across the data lifecycle.
In addition to the above, company executives sought to understand how they may more sustainably scale UAS capabilities across numerous use cases based on industry best practices and as supported by program performance data.

Solution

  • Assessed Current State and Identify Capability Gaps: Provided line-item report documenting gaps in current capabilities, field operations, data lifecycle technology and systems, program operating model and governance, and planned goals, objectives, and demand.

  • Conducted Robust Benchmarking Exercise: Identified viable best-in-class capabilities from PG&E’s industry peers and performed targeted aerial capability industry environmental scan to acquire understanding of best practices and pitfalls to avoid.

  • Developed Cost and Resource Forecasts: Identified right sized and cost-effective technologies to create budget forecasts and resourcing breakdowns for in scope use cases to enable planning and execution. Developed robust business case using historical and forecast data to model quantitative ROI and present qualitative recommendations. Identified and developed capitalization opportunity business cases to offset investments.

  • Provide Recommendations on Program CONOP and Operating Model: Laid out vision for the capabilities and functions needed to achieve the future state objectives across the data lifecycle based on industry benchmarking and known gaps.

  • Create Strategic Roadmap: Documented acquisition paths for capabilities, laid out against critical path, with milestones and activity owners added to enable focused stand-up of additional capabilities and program infrastructure that support program scaling targets.

Results

Client identified critical gaps in people, process, and technology that would inhibit operations execution at scale. Developed future state program model with detailed implementation guides across people, process, and technology.

Developed corresponding Aerial and AI/ML Technology Roadmaps, Campaign Management Playbooks, and Capitalization Business Cases, and Resource Models.

  • Client identified and established relationships with comparable programs at peer utilities for benchmarking and continued collaboration. Future state program model developed to enable workforce to integrate.

  • Client identified opportunity to utilize capital funds to execute aerial data collection and conduct a holistic inventory of utility assets. Revised governance and business processes to align to future state model.

  • Client has next steps to assess technology platforms capable of running E2E aerial workflow and centralizing data storage, plus an executable AI roadmap.

  • Client has implementable programmatic program model that can serve enterprise use cases and leverages a strengths-based delivery model across various organizations.

  • Client received executive sponsorship for multi-year transformation roadmap to enhance UAS capabilities and further scale inspection volume and use cases charting a path to new future.

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Full Operating Model Redesign

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Ground Transmission Inspection Optimization