Progressive utilities are demanding fully integrated workforce management software solutions to support maintenance, construction and service. Requiring systems that support end-to-end processes linking front office (call center, sales) to mid-office (maintenance and construction) to back office (purchasing, billing, financials). Most utilities have constructed their own outage management solutions (OMS) by aligning a legacy mainframe with strategically selected and tailored software additions. T&D work management and IT professionals are constantly engaged in a process of new solution analysis, implementation and evaluation in order to meet reliability needs and therefore ensure greater market share and business profitability.

At the major company level, companies are more likely to adapt new technologies as well as these new software solutions because their financial position allows them to do so. For some companies, however, technologies – such as end-to-end integrated geospatial information systems, advanced, graphics-based and wireless SCADA systems, and wireless mobile workforce systems – are cost prohibitive in the short-term but are still part of the long-term (ie. 5-10 year) plan for acquisition and implementation. This is the ideal event for the T&D OMS / IT professionals at both these levels as it will demonstrate the value of affordable software and systems integration, as well as the business value of new technologies and  streamlined outage management practices.