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Driving ADMS Success Through Operator Competency
Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) implementations frequently meet technical requirements but still struggle to deliver expected operational outcomes. One common gap is operator readiness. This panel brings together utility leaders from AES Ohio, Alabama Power, PG&E, and Xcel Energy to examine how operator competency directly affects ADMS performance in live control room and field operations.
Panelists will discuss how ADMS fundamentally changes operational workflows, including alarm management, switching, OMS and SCADA interactions, and decision-making under stress. The discussion will focus on how each utility aligned people and processes with new ADMS capabilities by defining clear expectations for operators and building role-based competency models tied to specific system functions.
The panel will also explore how utilities are evolving qualification and training programs to support ADMS readiness. Speakers will share how blended learning and simulation-based training are used to validate operator performance in both normal operations and abnormal conditions such as storm response, data and telecommunications issues, and model errors. The session will highlight practical lessons for reducing go-live risk and sustaining operational performance after ADMS deployment.
