ServiceNow makes CKW's work easier: Efficient management of grid and infrastructure projects
CKW has also been relying on the ServiceNow platform for project management for grid and infrastructure projects since July 2022 and has drawn a positive balance.
The solution facilitates the work of employees in project portfolio management and ensures that the electricity supply in the canton of Lucerne will continue to be secure in the future. Over 1800 projects have already been successfully managed and processed in the system since it went live.
Together with the Arctive development team, we were able to develop a solution that was very well accepted by the industry within a short space of time. The new, tailor-made solution has massively increased efficiency in the planning and construction of network infrastructure projects. The integration of specific approvals for authorities was optimally integrated into the tool, ensuring smooth processing. The collaboration with Arctive was extremely goal- and customer-oriented and the development quality was high, so that very little effort was required for tests and corrections.
Markus Huwiler & Patrick Wicki / CKW
KW is a key player in the supply of electricity in the canton of Lucerne and ensures that around 180,000 end customers in 75 municipalities are reliably supplied with electricity. With a network of around 7600 kilometers in length, almost 24 percent of which consists of overhead lines and a good 76 percent of underground cables, CKW's task is anything but simple. In order to ensure that the power supply can continue to run smoothly in the future, CKW has decided to implement a new application called «Projekteditor». This solution was developed in collaboration with the implementation partner Arctive AG on the ServiceNow platform and offers numerous advantages. It was based on the «Project Portfolio Management» (PPM) module of the ServiceNow platform and specifically expanded with the necessary functionalities.
The aim of the project was to manage grid and infrastructure projects such as the construction of power lines, transformer stations and facilities at all voltage levels in the ServiceNow platform already established at CKW. The focus was on project and portfolio management as well as other supporting processes, such as the creation of easement agreements and approval of planning templates. Thanks to automated workflows for the individual project steps, the user is guided through the individual project phases. This has a direct positive impact on the reliability, quality and efficiency of project management.
With the «Project Editor», it is now possible to plan, manage and process all network and infrastructure projects via one solution on the ServiceNow platform. Users have access to all relevant information such as task, schedule, resource, cost and contract management according to their role and access authorization. Thanks to various dashboards for different target groups, optimized project management and future-oriented resource planning is possible. Strategic projects that are to be implemented up to 5 years in the future can also be managed and administered in the system.
However, the "Project Editor" also offers numerous other functions that make the work of CKW employees easier. This includes cost planning on a fiscal year basis as well as seamless integration with the SAP business software for triggering internal and maintenance orders and using the actual costs recorded. The latter ensures a consistent target/actual comparison and enables various dashboards and reports for cost overviews at project, department and portfolio level. Contract management and the administration of landowners, including the generation of easement agreements and associated documents, are also integrated into the «Project Editor». Resource planning, the preparation of templates for submission to the Swiss Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations (ESTI) and integration with a document management system for the creation of files and the automated filing of approvals and contract documents using workflow-supported automation are further functions that make CKW's work easier.
Stakeholder management is also an indispensable element for successful projects. With the PPM functionality for project templates, cost planning and status reports already integrated by ServiceNow, projects can be planned and managed effectively. The handling of small and customer projects has been simplified and multi-level dynamic approvals depending on project type and size are possible. This ensures that the right people are involved in the decision-making process. The documents required for the easement contracts (powers of attorney, etc.) are automatically generated by the project editor on the basis of templates that can be administered by the person responsible. The contract data for the final contracts is transferred to the network information system (NIS) and the document management system d.3, which are also connected to the ServiceNow platform. This means that the parties involved have an overview of all important information and can access it quickly and easily. Improved user guidance through targeted notifications and status messages makes work even easier and more efficient.
We are proud that we were able to realize the project editor together with CKW and that we have created a sustainable business solution that makes working in the context of project portfolio management for grid and infrastructure projects even more efficient.
Philemon Antony; Mitarbeiter der Arctive AG
Overall, the «Project Editor» is a convincing solution for CKW, which facilitates the work of employees in the context of their project portfolio management and, in a broader sense, ensures the security of electricity supply in the canton of Lucerne in the future.
Since the solution went live, 1800 projects have been successfully processed and managed in the system. The project editor has now established itself as an indispensable tool for CKW employees. Over 2100 contract documents have been generated to date, 900 ESTI templates created and around 750 landowners created. The indispensable use of the «Project Editor» is also reflected in other figures: Over 1000 approvals have been carried out to date and over 500 line and transformer station objects have been successfully handled in the «Project Editor».
Thanks to the experience and industry expertise of Arctive AG and the close cooperation with the CKW specialists, the project was implemented quickly and successfully.