Modern Network Management Part 2

I thank Tom DeWitte for the article embedded here that inspired part 2 of Modern Network Management. Please read the post and accompanying article from Tom Dewitte and Tom Coolidge. While they cover gas networks the application to all other utilities and businesses carries through.

Tom emphasizes the importance of ensuring accuracy in geometry, location, attributes, connectivity, and flow. He highlights that mappers, the individuals within the organization, are responsible for creating and maintaining this information. Depending on your organization's size and structure, this may vary. Typically, designers handle new inputs and major updates using design software, while mappers incorporate those changes. By utilizing the tools and techniques Tom discusses, you can reduce input errors. This is the first step in Modern Network Management (MNM for the remainder of this article), but it's just the beginning.

MNM involves much more than just accurate data entry. It requires a thorough examination of your processes, workflows, and information sources. MNM encompasses all these elements. Tom's article focuses on mappers and the software they use, which is usually one of the final links in the chain of data management. Once mappers complete their work, the data goes "into production" and begins to inform operations, reports, and other critical decisions.

The primary role of a mapper revolves around connectivity. Mappers are responsible for maintaining the overall health of your system from a connectivity or "flow" perspective. To perform this role effectively, a mapper should understand basic design principles and possess skills akin to a field technician, planner, and engineer. While it’s possible to do the job without these skills, it won't be as effective. A solid understanding of these roles helps mappers keep the network running smoothly and identify incorrect information when it arises.

For instance, the article mentions the issue of connecting plastic pipes to metal pipes, which is incorrect. While you can configure software to prevent such connections, a mapper should understand the reason behind this rule. Some rules have exceptions, and in those cases, automated rules may not suffice, requiring the mapper to make informed decisions.

Referring back to my first article on Modern Network Management (MNM) (link at the bottom), it's clear that successful implementation is as much about your people and processes as it is about your technology. MNM represents a holistic change in thinking, processes, and workflows, leveraging technology to its fullest potential.

Sound impossible? Daunting? Too much to take on? Where do you even start?

Step 1 - Desire.... do you want to? Do you want to get the most from your network? From your people? Do you want to bring you, your organization, and your NETWORK into the MODERN era? To manage that network in ways you never imagined?

Imagination starts now. The tools are here now. All you need is the desire to make the changes and a little help. stay tuned for MNM part 3.

Modern Network Management Part 1

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