CoVid-19. Coronavirus. Pandemic. Shelter-in-place. Stay at Home. It can seem overwhelming. As I take some time to reflect, there are things I know and things I clearly don’t.
What I don’t know, when (and I do mean – when!) this pandemic will be over, and we will return to a sense of normalcy.
What I do know, this global pandemic is changing us, personally and professionally. As I reflect on the state of the world, I do know that we, as a global people, are pulling together to protect one another. You can see it at home and on the odd chance when we make a run to the grocery!
I recently read the article “Coronavirus Could Disrupt Normal Refueling Practices for Nuclear Facilities as Staffing Concerns Grow” (Lulia Gheorghiu, March 26, 2020) in the Utility Dive Newsletter. The article describes in excellent detail how nuclear power plants will struggle with deploying staff and contractors for refueling procedures during normally planned outages.
This got me thinking. In my nearly 34 years of working for and with utilities in the US, I have seen the financial, regulatory, and EH&S risks associated with comprehensive plant maintenance in “normal” conditions and times. The risks can easily account for millions of dollars per day in delayed outage time, the threat of delayed or denied regulatory approvals, and diminished confidence and employee/contractor personnel safety.
As we rethink the business at hand, the new normal places a keen focus on the “how.” We will need to focus on protecting people, reducing the time of engagements, and increasing productive work efficiencies. Arming team members with accurate and complete information (master data) provides real, measurable value to companies, their customers, and their employees. In visiting with a customer today, the question was asked: “how can we undertake the Asset Master Data Quality project now?” The answer was quite simple. We change the model of work to fit these times. The construct of delivery is changing, albeit remotely, still mandates operational excellence. We can find success in our work with imaginative, thoughtful delivery.
Yes, there is a change ahead. What we do now is execute our businesses with the purposeful intent that we have always done. I work forward to standing with all our customers, colleagues, and partners as we deliver operational excellence. We’ll talk soon!
For more information about how Utopia is helping asset-intensive companies ensure critical part availability, deliver necessary data services remotely and maximize operational efficiencies contact our EAM subject matter expert teams at info@utopiainc.com
Written by Todd Hall, National Client Partner, Utopia
