User Story: Condition Parameters Management (AX04US03)

1. Problem Statement

This user story focuses on establishing a standardized, weighted scoring system to assess the physical and operational condition of assets. The primary user for this feature is the Asset Manager, who needs a quantifiable and consistent method to evaluate asset health across the entire utility.

Primary User Role & Pain Points:

• Asset Manager:
  • Subjective and Inconsistent Assessments: Without a defined set of criteria, condition assessments are based on the individual judgment of field technicians, leading to inconsistent and unreliable data that cannot be compared across assets.
  • Inability to Prioritize Investments: Lacks a data-driven method to determine which assets are in the worst condition, making it difficult to prioritize maintenance spending and capital replacement projects effectively.
  • No Objective Basis for Decisions: Struggles to justify budget requests for asset renewal or replacement without a quantifiable, objective scoring system that clearly demonstrates an asset's deteriorating condition.
  • Difficulty in Lifecycle Modeling: Cannot accurately model the degradation curve of assets over time because the condition data is not based on consistent, measurable parameters.
  • One-Size-Fits-All Evaluation: All factors influencing an asset's health (e.g., age, physical wear, failure history) are treated equally, failing to recognize that some parameters are more critical than others.

Core Problem:
For the Asset Manager, the lack of a standardized and weighted condition assessment framework means that asset health data is unreliable and subjective. This prevents them from making objective, data-driven decisions about where to invest limited maintenance and capital funds, leading to inefficient resource allocation and an increased risk of critical asset failures.

2. Who Is the User Facing the Problem?

The Asset Manager is the most important user for this feature. Their fundamental responsibility is to manage the lifecycle and health of the utility's assets. Defining how condition is measured is a core strategic task that enables them to move from subjective guesswork to objective, risk-based asset management. While a Utility Administrator might assist in the setup, the Asset Manager owns the strategy behind the parameters and their respective weights.

Access Control:
The Asset Manager and Utility Administrator should have full create, read, update, and delete permissions for Condition Parameters. Other roles, such as the Assets Technician who performs the assessments, will be consumers of this framework but will not manage it.

3. Jobs To Be Done

• For the Asset Manager: When I need to prioritize capital spending on asset replacements, but my condition assessments are subjective and inconsistent across different assets and inspectors, help me by providing a tool to define and weight the specific criteria that make up our condition score, so that I can generate a reliable, objective, and comparable health index for every asset, and confidently justify my investment decisions.

4. Solution

The proposed solution is a Condition Parameters management module that allows the Asset Manager to define the complete set of criteria used for asset condition scoring. The feature enables the creation of multiple parameters, each with a specific description and a relative weight, ensuring that the final condition score is a comprehensive and accurately weighted reflection of an asset's true health.

Key Capability Areas:

1. Centralized Parameter Library:
   • A single screen to create, view, edit, and delete all parameters used in condition assessment.
   • Each parameter in the list clearly displays its name, description, and assigned weightage percentage.
2. Weighted Scoring System:
   • A user-friendly slider interface to assign a relative weight (from 1 to 5) to each parameter.
   • The system automatically converts these weights into percentages of the total, providing a clear view of each parameter's relative importance.
3. Total Weightage Validation:
   • A prominent display of the "Total Weightage," which must always sum to 100%.
   • The system prevents saving configurations where the total weight does not equal 100%, ensuring a valid scoring model.
4. Inline and Modal-Based Editing:
   • The ability to quickly edit a parameter's weight directly from the list view for rapid adjustments.
   • A dedicated modal for adding new parameters, ensuring all required information (name, description, weight) is captured.
5. Integrated Search:
   • A search bar to quickly find specific parameters in the list, which is useful as the library grows.

5. Major Steps Involved

User Role: Asset Manager

Flow 1: Defining and Adjusting the Condition Scoring Model

1. Navigate to Settings -> Condition Parameters.
2. Review the existing list of parameters: "External Surface Condition" (15.0%), "Age" (20.0%), and "Failure Frequency" (25.0%). Note that the Total Weightage is not yet 100%.
3. Click the "+ Add New Condition Parameter" button.
4. In the "Add New Condition Parameter" modal, enter the Parameter Name: "Operational Performance".
5. Enter a Description: "Assessment of efficiency, output, and adherence to operational standards."
6. Use the Weight Score slider to set a relative weight, for example, 4.
7. Click "Add Parameter". The new parameter is added to the list.
8. The system recalculates all percentages. The Asset Manager sees that the weights are still not balanced as desired.
9. Click the edit icon (pencil) next to "Failure Frequency". The view expands for inline editing.
10. Adjust the Weight Score slider for "Failure Frequency" from its current value to 5.
11. Click "Save". The system recalculates all percentages again.
12. The Asset Manager continues to adjust the weights of all parameters until the "Total Weightage" display shows 100.0% in green. The scoring model is now complete and active.

6. Flow Diagram

Flow: Asset Manager Defines Condition Model

7. Business Rules

This section provides a detailed breakdown of rules for every visible element on the screen.

A. Condition Parameters (Main View)

• Breadcrumb Navigation ("Dashboard > Settings > condition-parameters"): Must accurately reflect the user's location.
• Page Title ("Condition Parameters"): Static text.
• Page Subtitle ("Define the criteria and their relative importance..."): Static descriptive text.
• Section: "Search Parameters"
  • Search Bar: Must perform a live search on the Parameter Name and Description fields in the list below.
• Button: "+ Add New Condition Parameter":
  • Visible only to users with create permissions (Asset Manager).
  • Clicking must open the "Add New Condition Parameter" modal.
• Display: "Total Weightage"
  • Formula: SUM(Weightage Percentages) of all defined parameters.
  • Display Rule: The value must be displayed with one decimal place (e.g., 100.0%).
  • Color Rule: The text must be green (#00FF00 or similar) if the total is exactly 100.0%. It must be red (#FF0000 or similar) if the total is not 100.0%.
  • System Rule: The condition scoring model is only considered valid and active when this value is 100.0%.
• Section: "Condition Assessment Parameters"
  • This is the container for the list of all defined parameters.
• Condition Parameter Item:
  • Parameter Name (e.g., "External Surface Condition"): Displays the name of the parameter.
  • Weightage Percentage (e.g., "15.0%"): This is a calculated, read-only display tag.
    • Formula: (Individual Parameter Weight Score / SUM(All Parameter Weight Scores)) * 100.
    • The value must be displayed with one decimal place.
  • Description: Displays the user-defined description for the parameter.
  • Edit Icon (pencil): Must expand the item inline to reveal the editing interface (slider, Save/Cancel buttons).
  • Delete Icon (trash can):
    • Must prompt the user with a confirmation: "Are you sure you want to delete this parameter?"
    • Upon deletion, the Total Weightage and all other percentages must be immediately recalculated.

B. Add New Condition Parameter (Modal View)

• Modal Title ("Add New Condition Parameter"): Static text.
• Field: "Parameter Name":
  • Mandatory text field.
  • Uniqueness Rule: The name must be unique among all condition parameters.
• Field: "Description": Optional multi-line text area.
• Field: "Weight Score: X/5"
  • This is a slider control.
  • Range Rule: The user can select an integer value from 1 to 5.
  • The label must dynamically update to show the selected value (e.g., "Weight Score: 3/5").
• Button: "Add Parameter":
  • Saves the new parameter to the database.
  • Closes the modal and adds the new item to the list.
  • Triggers a recalculation of all weightage percentages.

C. Edit Condition Parameter (Inline Expanded View)

• Parameter Name & Description: These fields become editable text inputs, pre-filled with the existing values.
• Field: "Weight Score: X/5"
  • A slider control, identical to the one in the modal, showing the parameter's current weight.
  • The user can adjust the slider to change the weight.
• Button: "Save":
  • Saves any changes to the name, description, and weight score.
  • Collapses the inline edit view.
  • Triggers a recalculation of all weightage percentages.
• Button: "Cancel":
  • Discards any changes made.
  • Collapses the inline edit view.

8. Sample Data

Note: The sample data is reverse-engineered to match the percentages in the screenshot and completed to sum to 100%. The sum of weight scores is 20. For "External Surface Condition", the calculation is (3 / 20) * 100 = 15.0%.

9. Acceptance Criteria

1. The system must allow the Asset Manager to add a new condition parameter with a unique name, description, and a weight score from 1 to 5.
2. The system must display all defined parameters in a list.
3. The system must calculate and display the weightage percentage for each parameter.
4. The system must calculate and display the "Total Weightage" of all parameters.
5. The system must display the "Total Weightage" in green only when it is exactly 100.0%. Otherwise, it must be red.
6. The system must allow the Asset Manager to edit a parameter's details and weight score using an inline interface.
7. The system must allow the Asset Manager to delete a parameter after a confirmation prompt.
8. The system must immediately recalculate all percentages and the total weightage after any parameter is added, edited, or deleted.
9. The system must not consider the scoring model valid for use in assessments unless the "Total Weightage" is 100.0%.
10. The system must allow the user to search for parameters by name.
11. The system must require the "Parameter Name" field to be filled when adding a new parameter.
12. The system must ensure the "Weight Score" slider only allows integer values between 1 and 5.
13. The "Add Parameter" modal must close upon successful submission.
14. The inline "Save" button must collapse the edit view upon successful submission.
15. The inline "Cancel" button must discard changes and collapse the edit view.

10. Process Changes

11. Impact from Solving This Problem

12. User Behavior Tracking

Primary User Role: Asset Manager

Wireframe

Link