DRˣ Weather Guard© Project Plan & Team
High Level Implementation Process Overview:
DRˣ Weather Guard©
in this brief (3-minute) video.
DRˣ Weather Guard©: Project Implementation Approach and Plan
PHASE 1 - PILOT
The following phased approach represents our typical DRˣ Weather Guard implementation process, including pilot, assessment, and staged rollout phases with estimated timeframes.
• Task 1: Acquire and Validate Data for Pilot Divisions (4-6 weeks): InfraShield Labs (ISL) will work with client to secure the data needed to model the distribution network and tune the outage prediction model to the distribution assets and configuration of each Pilot Division.
– Data requests typically include historical outage information, restoration details, GIS/Asset Register, & available asset condition information. In parallel, we access historical weather data for relevant weather stations across your service territory (for the pilot divisions).
– Data validation will be performed on the requested information to assess data availability, granularity, quality, completeness, and consistency across various sources.
• Task 2: Train, Tune, & Validate Predictive Model and Configure System (8-10 weeks): Our data science and business intelligence teams will train and reconfigure the underlying predictive model(s) incorporating the data and information provided by the Company to accurately predict the number and associated locations of outages for each Division / Service Area based on the characteristics of approaching storms / extreme weather events such as wildfires.
• Task 3: Evaluate & Refine System Reporting and Alerting (2-4 weeks): After extensive ISL testing and satisfaction with the predicted model results, we will conduct a series of workshops with key personnel to review the model results and predictions, subsequently adjusting the model and application configuration for any feedback.
• Task 4: Conduct User Acceptance and End-to-End Testing (1-4 weeks): A select set of end users are given access to the fully configured “Test” version of the pilot application. Their added feedback and application load tend to identify issues which may not have surfaced during previous phases of testing. At the successful completion of this task, the application will be ready for evaluation and expansion to other divisions.
• Task 5: Provide End User Documentation & Training (1-2 weeks): Detailed end user documentation will be provided for the application, and ISL will also conduct onsite training sessions on how to access application screens and functionality and interpret the modeling results.
• Task 6: Pilot Evaluation Period (8-12 weeks): The Company will have the opportunity to utilize the application for the pilot divisions for an agreed upon period, identifying any further areas for improvement or additional needs, ultimately deciding whether and how to expand the application rollout.
PHASE 2 - PHASED / FULL ROLLOUT
The company may choose to roll out to additional divisions all at once or in phases. If a phased approach is selected, this process would be repeated for each phase.
• Task 7: Acquire and Validate Data for Expanded Divisions (4-6 weeks): ISL will work with Company personnel to secure the data (as used in the pilot) for each additional Division. Corresponding data validation activities will also take place, following a similar pattern to that of the pilot but gaining efficiencies based on lessons learned wherever possible.
• Task 8: Train, Tune, & Validate Predictive Model and Configure System (8-10 weeks): ISL’s teams will train and reconfigure the underlying predictive model(s), incorporating the data from the additional Divisions, accounting for any unique conditions not yet encountered in the previously analyzed data/locations based on Company input and our analyses.
• Task 9: Evaluate and Refine System Reporting and Alerting (2-4 weeks): After extensive ISL testing and satisfaction with the predicted model results, ISL will conduct a series of workshops with key personnel to review the model results and predictions, subsequently adjusting the model and application configuration for any feedback.
• Task 10: Conduct User Acceptance & End-to-End Testing (1-4 weeks): A select set of end users are given access to the fully configured “Test” version of the expanded application. At the successful completion of this task, the application will have passed UAT and will be ready for release into Production.
• Task 11: Finalize Delivery of DRˣ Weather Guard Application with Expanded Dataset (1-2 weeks): ISL will apply any final configuration adjustments to the production application. The application will then be “available for use” (via password protected controls) to all designated Company users. ISL will also provide detailed end user documentation and conduct onsite training on functionality and interpreting the modeling results. ISL representatives would also be available on an on-going, as-needed basis to further support user orientation efforts and interpretation of model results.
Project Management Plan Including Governance, Oversight, and Communication
With any project, we strive to deliver high quality deliverables within the agreed upon schedule and budgetary constraints. As with all major change initiatives, the ability of an organization to fully realize the total potential of the developed methodology/application and process is highly dependent on its receptiveness to change.
We believe that effective project management, communication and knowledge transfer during the engagement is key in achieving this objective. InfraShield Labs will designate a highly experienced Project Manager and team to support this engagement and will follow a project management approach that coordinates simultaneous PM work streams, summarized as follows:
Project Deliverables Management
Client Communication and Training
Governance and Oversight
Project Team
InfraShield Labs is comprised of a team of experienced technology visionaries, distribution engineers and planners, product managers, consultants, data scientists and programmers specializing in advanced modeling and application development for utilities and other asset-intensive industries.
Through our founding partner, UMS Group, over the past 34 years, we have helped more than 300 utilities with key strategies and improvements to their grid. In The last 10 years, we have invested our IP into a new generation of AI and Machine Learning Software. Utilizing our deep expertise in data science and modelling, and our unique utility asset management and grid reliability expertise, we aim to use or predictive analytics products to drive optimal operational performance and safe and effective acceleration of the energy transition.
Team Resumes
Jack Shearman
John M. (Jack) Shearman is the Chief Executive of UMS Group. He has more than 35 years of consulting and management experience serving global electric and gas utility markets. His special focus is on Competitive Positioning, Asset and Performance Management, and the Leadership of Change. He also has extensive expertise in strategic planning, and organizational effectiveness. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and is well known for his perspectives on industry strategic directions.
Mr. Shearman holds a professional engineer’s license and an M.B.A. in finance from New York University.
Highlights of Experience:
- For numerous electric and multi-utility companies around the globe, Mr. Shearman has led large-scale asset management organization transformation projects. These efforts have typically followed significant shifts in strategy and been designed to implement rapid simultaneous change in organizational structure, culture and capabilities to align with the new strategy. Such projects have usually involved redefinition and redesign of core processes, adoption of new business models, redirection and new priorities for I/T, and establishment of new leadership practices and a more commercial organization culture.
- Mr. Shearman has conducted numerous organizational restructuring projects at utilities. He leads UMS Group's Organization Restructuring practice and is responsible for much of the firm's work in client business and competitive strategy development. His recent work in this area has included strategic analysis and organization design to implement responses to the Energy transition and associated business streaming of utility companies. Most of these projects have included in-depth assessment of markets and technology evolution, competitive positioning and sustainability potential of business strategies.
- Mr. Shearman has led many engagements around the world which were responsible for fundamental redirection of clients’ business strategy. He has worked with many CEOs and Boards to help frame a more robust understanding of industry drivers and directions, and clarify how shareholders view value in the business. These assignments have been structured around a more deliberate and informed approach to Strategic Choice and have often produced dramatic shifts in the strategic options considered.
- Mr. Shearman has prepared expert witness testimony for a number of US utility clients on the subjects of industry direction, regulatory incentives and appropriate use by regulators of performance benchmarking information.
Key Clients
Jack Shearman
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Larisa Malewski
Larisa Malewski is a Vice President with InfraShield Labs / UMS Group and has been with the company for over 24 years. She serves as the Managing Director of UMS Group’s Digital Solutions Practice, focusing on the development of new software, tools and data services and leads a team of twenty-five employees in the company’s Global Business Intelligence Center (GBIC) office located in the Philippines.
Over the years, she has focused much of her time on product development and advanced analytics, project and product management, asset, risk and performance management, client benchmarking & global best practice programs, process improvement, and quality assurance projects.
She has led numerous client engagements throughout the US and Canada and has spent a substantial amount of time working abroad with global utility clients in Europe, Asia and Australia. These projects have spanned many areas of the utility industry, including Electric and Gas Distribution, Transmission, Water, Generation, Transit, Customer Service, IT, Fleet, and Facilities.
Highlights of Experience:
Larisa’s lengthy tenure at UMS Group has resulted in a robust and varied resume of work experience. Highlights include:
- Digital Solutions – Responsible for the ongoing development and evolution of UMS Group’s flagship Spend Optimization Suite (SOS) for Asset Investment Planning and Distribution Reliability eXcellence (DRx) software products, as well as the entire portfolio of UMS Group digital solutions. Manages the in-house programming team in building new features, functionality and machine learning models, covering all stages in the product development lifecycle from design specifications through to testing and roll-out. Also supports all digital solution client configuration and implementation work.
- Asset Management – Has worked with over thirty clients helping them to improve their risk management and investment planning tools and processes. Ongoing involvement in refining UMS Group’s Asset Management Assessment methodology to align with ISO5500 specifications and has worked on many asset management gap assessment, transformation, and cost reduction projects.
Larisa holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, with a concentration in Multinational Management, from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, as well as minors in French and Spanish.
Key Clients
Larisa Malewski
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Patrick Heuer
Patrick Heuer is a Partner and Managing Director at UMS Group, having served in that capacity since 2021. He has led both the Global Learning Consortia and Consulting businesses at UMS Group. Prior to joining UMS Group, Patrick served as the global head of the energy business for GEP and led energy consulting businesses for PwC in the U.S. and Australia.
He has focused much of his career on understanding the leading trends in energy markets and translating that to strategic investments and operational improvements for energy companies. He has led numerous client engagements throughout the US and Canada and has spent a substantial amount of time previously working in Asia, Australia and Latin America.
Highlights of Experience
Patrick’s career has afforded him the opportunities to serve energy clients in a diverse set of contexts and problems, including:
- Leading a major group of 20 West Coast and Australian utilities to plan around mitigating wildfire risk and damage, including a $50m DOE grant for innovation and technology investment
- Directly advised new CEO of a Canadian utility on corporate and operational strategy, vision, and new operating model
- Saved over $10m in wind curtailment losses by highlighting improvements in coal and gas fired plant operations to allow for greater renewables consumption at a medium sized utility
- Discovered over 18% sustainable cost reduction for a large utility in Hong Kong through a mixture of improved asset management and operating norms, and reduced over $100m USD in wasteful spending on non-utilized assets by directly advising the COO on leading practices for AMI
- Led a major initiative to reduce operational cost for a large California utility with 4.5m customers by over $120m
- Led a strategic initiative for the board of a state-owned Canadian utility to improve retention at coal-fired power plants identifying over $30m in savings over ten years while improving retention by 22%
Patrick holds Bachelors of Economics and Russian and a Juris Doctorate and Masters of Law. He speaks English, Spanish, and Luxembourgish fluently.
Key Clients
Patrick Heuer
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Brett Shaw
Brett Shaw is a Principal at UMS Group and brings over 35 years of experience in and with the electric utility industry. He is responsible for the delivery of the firm’s diagnostic assessments, benchmarking, asset management process improvement and performance measurement and management systems, with specific emphasis on the Electric Distribution, Transmission, Customer Operations, and Demand Side Management business areas.
He is a key leader in UMS Group’s Asset Management ‘Endorsed Assessors’ team for PAS 55 and ISO 55000 assessments. As a Strategic Advisor for UMS Group’s Global Learning Consortia, ITOMS, Brett excels in leading International engagements all focused on assessments to successfully link performance improvement to organization strategy. In addition to specific client assessments, his international experience includes speaking at multiple industry conferences around the globe.
Highlights of Experience:
Prior to joining UMS Group, Mr. Shaw served as the Vice President of Engineering and Operations at CHELCO, an Electric Distribution company located in Florida. Mr. Shaw also served in various management capacities at Southern Company (Gulf Power) in Florida. During his 20 years there, he became astute in all areas of the Distribution and Customer Operations functional areas.
Brett is a graduate of the University of West Florida, with a B.S. degree in Industrial Technology, and has served in a variety of executive roles in the Florida’s business & civic community. He is also a graduate of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) MIP executive leadership program, as well as various Southern Company leadership training programs.
Key Clients
Brett Shaw
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Jenna Miller
Jenna Miller is a Director at InfraShield Labs / UMS Group, where she has had over nineteen years of experience including product development, project and product management, client facilitation and implementation, marketing, and analysis. Jenna is currently working in the Asset Optimization solution where she is integrally involved in the Spend Optimization Suite development and implementation as well as other UMS Group offerings.
Jenna has led and assisted in designing and building custom tools covering areas such as grid modernization, KPI dashboards, and financial optimization models. She has performed analysis on benchmarking projects for major companies throughout the world. This has involved single- and multi-client benchmarking studies in Electric Distribution, Customer Service, ITOMS (International Transmission Operation and Maintenance Benchmarking Study), and new/customized benchmarking programs.
Highlights of Experience:
- Digital Solutions – Jenna has been involved in many Spend Optimization Suite engagements, configuring and delivering the SOS to meet each client’s Asset Investment Planning needs. She has worked closely with clients to determine their specific business value requirements and implement the SOS accordingly. She manages the in-house programming team in implementations and building new functionality, including functional design, creating specifications, and designing/carrying out quality assurance plans. These projects have encompassed many areas of the business, including Electric and Gas Distribution, Transmission, Electric Generation, IT, Fleet, and Facilities.
Jenna is a graduate of Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in Operations Research & Industrial Engineering.
Key Clients
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Ian Schmidt
Ian Schmidt is a Director at UMS Group with over 16 years of experience in the utility industry. Mr. Schmidt works across all areas within UMS including Global Learning Consortia, Asset Optimization, Performance Optimization, and Business Intelligence applications/tools where over the past few years has assumed a key role in both the performance diagnostics capabilities of UMS Group as well as the implementation of the UMS Spend Optimization Suite for utilities across the globe. Over these 16 years, Mr. Schmidt has extensive experience working with all of UMS benchmarking programs including generation, transmission, distribution and customer service as well as substantial experience in strategic business planning, asset management, process and productivity improvement, and work and outage management and improvement.
Highlights of Experience
- AM Digital Solutions – Mr. Schmidt is currently Lead Project Manager for delivery/implementation of the Spend Optimization Suite (SOS) application, an asset investment optimization tool. Through his role as Lead Project Manager, Mr. Schmidt plays a pivotal role in not only the strategic business value framework scoring development and application implementation but also in the development of new features/functionality to improve the capability of the application and keep it current in the industry.
- Asset Management - Part of a team delivering a multi-year asset management transformation for an electric utility in southeast Asia with the ultimate goal of achieving ISO 55000 certification. Involved in many aspects of the transformation including creation of an asset management organizational model, performance management structure, and risk management framework, with a specific focus on transforming the capital budget planning process through implementation of a value- and risk-based analysis approach.
- ITOMS – He is also the Program Director for the International Transmission Operations and Maintenance Study (ITOMS) global learning consortium. He is responsible for working with the Steering Group to determine interesting and insightful analysis, help the Steering Group identify the direction of the industry and develop analysis to keep the program current, and manage the analyst group tasked with building the required analysis and reporting.
Ian is a graduate from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he received a Bachelor of Science in Management.
Key Clients
Ian Schmidt
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Joseph Lake
Joe Lake is a Principal at UMS Group with over 15 years of international consulting, management, and analytical experience serving the energy and utility sector, and has significant familiarity with the US, Canadian, and Australia-New Zealand markets. Joe serves as Managing Director for UMS Group’s Global Learning Consortia – a variety of programs designed to facilitate the open sharing of best practices and technological solutions among the world’s leading utilities.
In 2020, Joe coordinated the formalization and global expansion of the International Wildfire Risk Mitigation Consortium (IWRMC), a collaborative program for utilities and other parties dedicated to addressing wildfire issues around the world. He currently serves as Program Director. Other programs he oversees include the International Transmission Operations & Maintenance Study (ITOMS), the Substation Best Practices Consortium (SBPC), and the International Transmission Asset Management Study (ITAMS).
Highlights of Experience
Joe has worked as an Asset, Risk, and Performance Management consultant across multiple UMS Group product lines. His cross-functional experience supports a diversity of projects, including the development of Asset Lifecycle Strategies, Asset Health and Condition Monitoring Tools, Work & Project Management Process Improvements, and Grid Modernization Decision Support Tools. As a data analyst, he has developed numerous performance management tools and approaches for clients struggling with the management of performance indicators and associated data challenges.
Key Clients
Joe Lake
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Paul John L. Julongbayan
PJ Julongbayan is the Senior Manager of Data Science and Advanced Analytics at UMS Group. In his 8+ years with the company, he has been a lead contributor in creating analytics products to develop data-driven solutions for utility business problems. He is responsible for growing the company’s data science team and identifying new opportunities for integrated analytics in our products and services. He also manages the support of various global learning consortia and benchmarking projects.
Highlights of Experience
PJ’s particular areas of expertise include Data Wrangling, Probabilistic and Predictive Modeling, Simulation, Machine Learning, Network Optimization Algorithms, Business Intelligence, and Benchmarking. Sample accomplishments at UMS Group include (1) using ensemble machine learning algorithms to develop a Weather Vulnerability model to forecast the probability of outage in distribution grid by service center using predictors such as sustained wind speed and wind gust, temperature, precipitation levels, and thunderstorm/lightning activities; and (2) designing an optimal preventive repair and replacement schedule of a transmission asset for an Asian utility utilizing a modified Weibull hazard function.
Prior to joining UMS Group, PJ taught the following courses in the Industrial Engineering (IE) Department at the University of the Philippines: Statistics and Probability, Statistical Quality Control, Discrete Systems Simulation, and Engineering Economy. Notable projects included (1) Applying Lean Six Sigma methodology to reduce procurement lead time of infrastructure projects of the University of the Philippines System by 20%; and (2) developing a robust prediction model for college students’ Statistics grades based on prerequisite Math grades, which is now used in IE admission policies.
PJ holds a Professional Master’s Degree in Data Science and a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of the Philippines. Key skills include Machine Learning, Probabilistic and Predictive Modeling, Simulation, R, and Python.
Key Clients
Paul John L. Julongbayan
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Abegail Iriberri
Abegail Iriberri is the Tools Development Team Lead in the UMS Group – Philippines office. In her current role, she is greatly involved in the product development and project management aspects of the various software solutions offered by the company - Spend Optimization Suite (SOS), DRx, and TRx. On the product development-side, she assists the Product team in the creation of functional design documents, is responsible for the creation of several test plans and the carrying out of testing activities and is the point person in the development of user guidance materials. On the project management-side, she oversees and coordinates the day-to-day operations of the Infrastructure, Business Intelligence (BI), and .NET Development teams.
Highlights of Experience
Prior to taking on a leadership role within the company, Abegail has strongly contributed to the successful runs of the International Transmission Asset Management Study (ITAMS) and the International Distribution Benchmark Consortium (IDBC), having supported the programs through several cycles between 2013 and 2020. She has collaborated closely with the program managers located in the Europe office to improve the study designs resulting to an improved workflow for each program. Aside from process improvements, she was also responsible for the data analysis, data requirement clarification, and preparation of the final reports.
Abegail has also been involved in several distribution, transmission, and customer service benchmarking projects for major utilities within the North American and Australian regions, assisting in the identification of performance improvement opportunities and recommending actions to close performance gaps. She has also been a member of the Bid Support Team to a number of due diligence projects participated in by the Europe office. She was responsible for the collection, validation, analysis, and presentation of benchmarked metrics to support the efforts of the technical group to provide actionable insights for the clients.
Abegail holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Master’s degree in Development Economics, both from the University of the Philippines. Prior to joining UMS, she worked for the Advisory Services group of the Manila Operational Hub of Thomson Reuters as a Senior Associate. Earlier than this, she served as a Marketing Assistant for the Small and Medium Enterprise Department of BPI Family Savings Bank, the consumer banking arm of one of the largest banks in the Philippines, the Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI).
Key Clients
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Rommel Dulatas
Rommel Dulatas is a seasoned Software Developer with over a decade of experience in designing, developing and implementing application solutions using a range of technologies and programming languages. His extensive experience allows him to implement industry proven standards and emerging technologies. He is highly creative, reliable, and always willing to go the extra mile to get the job done. Well versed with best practices, he always considers the broader impact of changes and new features on the system and user experience as a whole.
Highlights of Experience
As Software Development Manager at UMS Group, Rommel leads the development and maintenance of the Spend Optimization Suite (SOS), an application that optimizes spending for utility and asset-intensive clients. He is also a lead developer for other applications, such as Distribution Reliability eXcellence (DRx) EV Prophet and Weather Guard, Operational eXcellence (OPx), and others. In addition, he plays a key role in supporting clients with installation and maintenance activities.
Prior joining UMS Group in 2016, Rommel worked as a senior software developer in a leading Contact Center Solution company. He created internal applications that integrated with different client systems, such as airlines, energy distribution, cruise lines, and video relay telecommunications. He also worked with the business analytics team to automate reports using Microsoft Analysis Services, which improved the efficiency and accuracy of data analysis. He engaged with different lines of businesses and delivered high-quality solutions that met their needs.
He graduated from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines with Bachelor of Science in Information Technology.
Key Clients
Rommel Dulatas
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