“Plans are worthless. Planning is essential.” ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Introduction: Defining the Project Requirements

Project requirements definition is a crucial step toward achieving project success. This step comes after establishing a project team, testing environment, and budget. Our next objective is to provide a framework that complies with FERC Order 881. We have allocated 30 days to complete this task for our hypothetical nine-month project. In this phase, we need to keep the following essential considerations in mind:

  • Analyses and Understanding Requirements
  • Define Facilities
  • Define MLSE Elements
  • Define the Facility Ratings Calculations

Responding to the FERC 881 Requirements:

Although the default project requirements are derived directly from FERC Order 881, each organization must decide how to respond. For example, a smaller utility with a limited budget may keep these calculations manually using a spreadsheet or an in-house designed database. However, depending on the size of the utility, staffing to manage the required data may be prohibitive. In this case, a solution like IPS®Advanced Facilities Ratings would help fulfill the requirements of FERC Order 881.

Understanding Weather Requirements of FERC 881:

Some facility ratings, such as base, seasonal, and emergency ratings, are currently calculated by most organizations.  Additionally, some organizations already use dynamic line ratings required by the FERC order. Expanding seasonal ratings and using accurate weather sources are needed for compliance. What are the considerations for applying that weather source to meet the project requirements?

We should consider questions such as:

  • Will this be by region or zip code?
  • Are there elevation concerns to address, making regions more complicated?
  • Is a weather service already in use, such as an in-house system?
  • Will additional costs be needed for an outside weather service?

Conclusion: Successful Project Definition and Understanding

Measuring the success of this step in the project for FERC 881 requirements compliance is ongoing and multifaceted. This step takes approximately six weeks to complete for our hypothetical nine-month project. If using a hybrid methodology, this process step can run until the end of the project. We should be finalizing some requirements while starting others. In this step, we still need to be aware of scope creep or, as some may refer to it, requirement creep.  The team’s responsibility will be to stay firmly within the defined project. Still, ultimately, we must have an approved list of requirements, and a High-Level System Architecture framework is a marker for success.

Next week, we will delve deeper into High-Level Architecture and Design. Stay tuned!

by Rebecca Day