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City of Palo Alto
City Manager's Report ------_._"------_._-...
HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: UTILITIES
O<:toMr 3, 1994 C1I1R:448:94
Update ad UtiUti .. Customer InformatioD System Project
Thi::. 1'5 an infl"m13tional re-pvrt and no Coundl a-:tion is req:.lired .
. 1';: Xf,CL'TJ \'1:Slfll)f A R Y
[n Jar~uary 199\ the City Council 1!J1proYcd crea1tOfl of a tluec ye-ar $700,000 Capital
[rnl'r,.)'.',:'rr:~nt Pr'J}t'..:.'t fCIl" n U!ilitks Billing Sy)[cm th!;:reafier referred to as L'1c Cuslomer
JnformatiL',n System or CIS). 1hc role of the CIS goes b;;:)'ond solei): billing utility
r<Hepayas, and is a strategic and r;eces5ary tex1] to achieve higher levels of customer
satisfaction and improve staff productivity. The project involves the purchase of neVi
"open system" hard.,,,are and development of new ~ofu.\.'are ~o expand and integrate
cm,1crner hilling information avaiti:!.bte to L'le st1ff on a lvidespread bas,is. In tern1$ of cost,
approxImately S225,000 O~ one-third of the cs.timafed project ('ost has been c)'''pcnded tc)
date,
Since 19'93~ 8 number of project milestones have been compieted with others planned over
the next two years, First,. an HP9000 computer 'o'l"as installed after several months of delay
in ,..,Iivery. Also, the Orade Relational Data Base Management System delayed reieas.
nftheir product but it is "OW iusuJled on the HP9000. Oracle training has been completed
b)' three Information Resources Department (lRD) programmers, An outside consultant,
Solutions For Government (SFG) has completed a viable review of the project plan. In
summary. SFG's fmdings indicate that to implement a system conversion of the scope
intended, the IRD staff wHi need to focus on the new system and minimize interruptions
related to enhand.ng or maintaining the current billing system. SFG furtllcr noted that any
increase in the scope of the project may dell1Y the projec~ whi<:h they estimate for
"Qmpletion by the late fall of 1996. Finally, SFG concludes that this is a high risk project,
due to the spar. of the project and becau..;e it is a Ilre·implernentation of an entire) complex
system invot.,.ing difficult code and ne",' development languages. n .
i-""Ilge 1 or 2
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Because ofth(' impo:1.3lh ... and diffic-uity of this project, Cil)' ~ .. fT is committed to the CIS
project; and nint focus grol.>ps. have been form-ed 1.) address {Efferent funct,onat areas of
the project. During the upcoming year, the focus groups will continue to meet with
outside consultants a..,d fRO to implement th~ project scope, wbicb consists of more than
160 features. Considerable work remains to be d(me to dc\el(1p and maintain the data base
and to \\-Tile th~ softv.·are. SirKe t"!)e IRD staff is sliil in tl-Jr learning curve on llSing new
sofu\-arC' tools, staff plans l:OJ us.:' (I'.iGiJe ~,oitware com;ut'ants, whkr. will account for most
of the projec[ cost. Tm: COUT'.cil packet this week cO:1tains a report requesting approval
of a $54.~50 business process recngineering C"onsutta."1t study tC~ffi:4-49:94), and other
consultant cr)ntracts may bCl::on".c necessary within the next two years.
The CIS project is. i.."'\ progress an'; wU! e\'ot\"~ through an orderly and staged process.
A!though the CIS project I.'> nov. cslimated for completi'')!l in the late fall, rather than
s.pring of 19%. staff rt:i05 to introduce hH.I key mileston(.""$ he fore the end of 1995. The
fi~t ml1est011c \\111 b.:-statT a.:t.:es.$ 10 11\ e )e<!TS of c't.btoma billing history, on-lfne j in
oreer to resrx.md to cuslom:::-r ilH.jlllrie"S ;'l!"lJ to perfNm staff analysis and query. The
se('ond i:. .1 new 1\~')-,rJ~e r::~ ..;{,'::k'r.1::.'nt rro\ iJ!r.§ mon.' Jt·!3il of utility charges in a
progr.:;,-..;[Yt' fr:lr:1;': (.(·.;i§:n f,)~~; .. rh,l,-, .a.1tht.1Ugh th;:-CIS rr'Jjtd ""iii not ht;; completed
until Rpproximo.~r:ly th;: fall (d' tl)'h" th~' ;;.t~l\T ami the Chy'~ ClJ~(.0mer::i \\\\1: rccl!ivt
!Mi.~ibk t ... .:-ndits fTii,,!-) tr,t:.· [;~".'. :',~ ~!O:lIi ,\hik it i::; undci" dc;\\.'lopmcnf
In SU[lHI1;.t;y, d~:,pilt' ::;1.'n1~ d·:-1.;,y~. If.;.: Ci~ rIu1,..:t :-s rraning fom·aId wil_h a numb~! of
tl1ill':,[(tntS a':-:("lmplbhed. Tiit:fl' is sliti cnli.:ar work to b<: dorle To imple-ment this
importa..rlt proj-.'c.-:, S13ff \-'i·ill piioritln· ai"ld focus on it thl! ne\i H-'o"O YCilrs. In the meantime,
the puhllc will experience crs impuweme!1t.s in lern:::. of a new bill stJtemcnt and more
timely staff re:SpDnsc:s to quc-;li('l"]; rt::g_1rjin~ th.:-ir w.5a~r: hhtury.
PREPARED BY: Rm,dy BIl:d~,h'JJl. AS:iistant Dirc,:tor of Utililies, Adm. Ser.-ric.,;:s
Department Head Approval: EotL~ Di'C':~f Utilities
City Manager Approval: ~~~~
Assistant Cit) Manager
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