Bill Generation V2 (BX01US03)

1. Problem Statement

Pain Points:

For Billing Administrator:

• Lack of visibility into bill generation errors leading to confusion and a "black box" experience
• Inability to quickly fix data issues when errors are identified
• Fragmented workflow requiring switching between multiple screens to complete the billing process
• No clear view of consumer eligibility and data completeness before starting bill generation
• Difficulty tracking billing cycle status and completion rates

Core Problem:

The current bill generation process lacks transparency, error handling capabilities, and a cohesive workflow. This results in incomplete bill generation (e.g., only 600 of 1000 consumers receiving bills), no clear mechanism for resolving data issues, and fragmented information architecture across multiple screens. Users cannot effectively manage the end-to-end process or quickly resolve issues when they arise.

2. Who Are the Users Facing the Problem?

Billing Administrator

• Responsibilities: Day-to-day operation of the billing system including cycle setup, consumer data management, validation, bill generation, and error resolution
• Access Level: Full access to create, edit, and execute billing cycles

3. Jobs To Be Done

For Billing Administrator:

When I need to generate bills for the current billing cycle, But I lack visibility into data quality issues that could cause failed bills, Help me identify and resolve all data problems before starting bill generation, So that I can maximize billing success rates and minimize customer complaints.

For Billing Administrator:

When I need to review and approve bills before distribution, But I can't easily verify if all billing components have been correctly calculated, Help me validate billing data, consumer information, and meter readings in a structured checklist, So that I can confidently approve bills knowing they are accurate and complete.

For Billing Administrator:

When I need to monitor the progress of bill generation, But I have no visibility into the success rate or specific failures during processing, Help me track generation progress in real-time with detailed error reporting, So that I can quickly identify and address issues that prevent successful bill completion.

For Billing Administrator:

When I need to analyze billing performance across cycles, But I lack comprehensive metrics about billing success rates and issues, Help me visualize key metrics through intuitive dashboards and comparative reports, So that I can identify trends and address recurring problems that affect billing quality.

For Billing Administrator:

When I need to validate meter readings with anomalies before billing, But I can't easily identify problematic readings that might cause billing errors, Help me efficiently review and validate questionable consumption data, So that I can ensure billing accuracy and reduce customer disputes.

For Billing Administrator:

When I need to manage missing consumer data like plans or tariffs, But I don't have a streamlined way to identify and fix incomplete records, Help me quickly locate and update consumers with missing information, So that I can prevent billing failures due to incomplete consumer data.

4. Solution

The Bill Cycle Insight Nexus provides a comprehensive, step-by-step workflow that guides Billing Administrators through the entire billing cycle process from initial configuration to final bill approval. The solution addresses key pain points through the following capabilities:

Unified Billing Cycle Management

• Structured Workflow Process: Clear step-by-step navigation through the complete billing cycle
• Progress Tracking: Visual indicators showing completion status for each step
• Contextual Transitions: Intelligent navigation between related steps with data consistency

Proactive Data Quality Management

• Consumer Data Validation: Pre-validation of consumer records, plans, and tariffs
• Meter Reading Analysis: Comprehensive tools for identifying and resolving reading anomalies
• Missing Data Alerts: Early notification of data gaps that would cause billing failures

Real-time Bill Generation Monitoring

• Generation Progress Tracking: Live progress indicators during bill processing
• Detailed Error Reporting: Specific error codes and messages for failed bills
• Retry Capabilities: Targeted reprocessing of failed bills after corrections

Comprehensive Billing Analytics

• Cycle Comparison: Performance metrics compared to previous billing cycles
• Consumption Pattern Analysis: Distribution of consumption across customer segments
• Error Trend Identification: Analytics on recurring issues affecting billing quality

Verification and Approval Workflow

• Structured Verification Checklist: Guided process for verifying billing components
• Approval Documentation: Audit trail of verification and approval steps
• Final Review Summary: Comprehensive overview before bill distribution

Exception Management

• Failed Bill Handling: Tools for investigating and resolving generation failures
• Anomaly Resolution: Workflows for addressing consumption anomalies
• Missing Data Resolution: Streamlined processes for completing missing consumer information

5. Major Steps Involved

Step 1: Bill Cycle Configuration

1. User navigates to the Bill Generation.
2. User selects "Step 1: Bill Cycle" from the step navigation bar
3. User either selects an existing billing cycle from the dropdown or creates a new one
4. User configures cycle parameters including:
   • Service areas
   • Premises included
   • Consumer categories
   • Billing period start and end dates
5. System displays a summary of the selected cycle configuration
6. User reviews bill template selection
7. User saves configuration as draft or proceeds to next step

Step 2: Fetch Consumer Data

1. User navigates to "Step 2: Fetch Consumer Data"
2. System presents consumer overview statistics for the selected billing cycle
3. User reviews consumer breakdown by category (Residential, Commercial, Industrial)
4. User checks for consumers with missing plan or tariff details
5. User views and addresses missing consumer plans by:
   • Reviewing detailed list of consumers with missing plans
   • Assigning appropriate plans to consumers with missing data
6. User examines top outstanding accounts and payment metrics
7. User confirms data completeness before proceeding

Step 3: Meter Readings Analysis

1. User navigates to "Step 3: Meter Readings"
2. System displays meter reading collection summary:
   • Total meters in cycle
   • Readings collected percentage
   • Missing readings count
   • Readings pending validation
3. User toggles between Dashboard, Meter List, and Issues views
4. User reviews and validates readings with anomalies:
   • Reviews each reading with contextual information
5. User handles missing readings:
   • Reviews meters with no readings collected
   • Takes action to estimate readings or exclude from cycle
6. User examines reading collection and validation metrics compared to previous cycles
7. User confirms all critical reading issues are resolved before proceeding

Step 4: Bill Generation

1. User navigates to "Step 4: Bill Generation"
2. User reviews bill generation information and notification preferences
3. User initiates bill generation process by clicking "Start Bill Generation"
4. System displays real-time progress of generation process
5. User monitors generation log for processing status and errors
6. After completion, user reviews generation summary:
   • Total bills attempted
   • Successfully generated bills
   • Failed bills count
   • Processing time
7. User examines detailed list of failed bills with error codes and messages
8. User addresses failure reasons (missing tariffs, invalid reading data, missing consumer plans)
9. User has option to retry selected bills after fixing underlying issues

Step 5: Billing Summary

1. User navigates to "Step 5: Billing Summary"
2. User reviews comprehensive billing metrics:
   • Bills successfully generated
   • Bills not generated (with failure reasons)
   • Late payment accounts
3. User examines reading types distribution (actual vs. estimated)
4. User reviews consumption distribution patterns (high, normal, zero consumption)
5. User analyzes financial summary:
   • Total consumption
   • Total billed amount
   • Service charges
   • Outstanding amount
6. User reviews detailed list of consumer bills with consumption and amount details
7. User has option to download selected bills or export summary

Step 6: Bill Approval

1. User navigates to "Step 6: Approve"
2. User reviews the bill verification checklist with key verification items:
   • Billing data accuracy
   • Consumer data review
   • Bill distribution approval
   • Billing process completion
3. User confirms each verification item by checking the corresponding boxes
4. User adds any approval comments or special instructions
5. User enters approver name for audit trail
6. System validates all verification items are confirmed
7. User clicks "Approve & Finalize Bills" to complete the approval process
8. System locks the billing cycle and finalizes all bills for distribution

6. Flow Diagram

Main Billing Cycle Process Flow

7. Business Rules

General System Rules

1. A users must have appropriate permissions to access the Bill Generation
2. Each billing cycle must have a unique identifier and defined billing period
3. Each cycle should have at least one parameter different
4. The system must maintain a complete audit trail of all actions taken during the billing cycle
5. Approved bills cannot be modified after final approval is complete
6. Users must confirm all verification items before bill approval can be completed
7. The system must enforce data validation rules at each step of the process

Bill Generation Rules

1. Bill generation must process all eligible consumers in the billing cycle
2. Failed bills must have specific error codes and descriptions
3. Bills cannot be generated for consumers with missing critical data
4. Bill generation can be retried for specific failed accounts after error resolution
5. Generation logs must capture detailed processing information for audit purposes
6. System must prevent duplicate bill generation for the same consumer and period
7. Bill generation progress must be trackable in real-time
8. Maximum processing time for bill generation is determined by system capacity

Bill Approval Rules

1. All verification checklist items must be confirmed before approval
2. Approver name must be recorded for audit purposes
3. Optional approval comments can be added for documentation
4. Approval cannot be completed if unresolved critical errors exist
5. Bill distribution channels must be configured before approval
6. Once approved, bills are locked for editing and ready for distribution
7. Approval can be revoked only by authorized users and before distribution begins

Error Handling Rules

1. Each error must have a unique error code and descriptive message
2. Critical errors must block process progression until resolved
3. Warning-level issues should be highlighted but not block progression
4. Resolution actions must be logged for audit purposes
5. Repeated errors of the same type must be grouped for efficient resolution
6. System must suggest resolution actions for common error types
7. Error notifications must be sent to appropriate users based on error type

Field Specific Rules

Cycle Selection Section

1. Select Billing Cycle

• Rule 1: If a billing cycle is selected from the dropdown, the form auto-populates based on the selected cycle’s saved parameters.
• Rule 2: If "Create New" is selected, all input fields must be manually filled.
• Rule 3: Only one cycle can be selected at a time.

2. Create New / Creating New Toggle

• Rule 5: Switching to “Create New” resets any selected cycle configuration.
• Rule 6: When toggled, the “Cycle Name” field becomes mandatory.

3. Cycle Name

• Rule 7: Must be unique and not duplicate an existing billing cycle name.
• Rule 8: Minimum 3 and maximum 50 characters
• Rule 9: Required field when creating a new cycle.

4. Previous Period (Derived)

• Rule 10: Auto-filled based on the last billing cycle's end date.
• Rule 11: Used to calculate “Days Since Last Billing.”

5. Days Since Last Billing (Derived)

• Rule 12: Calculated as the difference between today’s date and the previous billing period end date.

Cycle Parameters Section

6. Area

• Rule 16: Mandatory field.
• Rule 17: Selection filters the list of premises available in the Premises dropdown.

7. Premises

• Rule 19: At least one premise must be selected.
• Rule 20: Multi-select allowed; only premises from the selected Area are shown.
• Rule 22: Premises already included in another active or ongoing billing cycle should not be selectable.

8. Consumer Category

• Rule 26: Mandatory field.
• Rule 27: Filters consumer data for billing—e.g., Residential, Commercial, Industrial.

9. Consumer Subcategory

• Rule 28: Optional field unless system requires subcategory-level billing rules.
• Rule 29: Options dependent on the selected Consumer Category.
• Rule 30: If subcategory exists for the selected category, field becomes mandatory.

10. Billing Period Start / End

• Rule 31: Both fields are mandatory.
• Rule 32: End date must be later than Start date.
• Rule 34: Start date must be after the end date of the previous billing cycle for the same premises.

Billing Cycle Summary Section

13. Name

• Rule 37: Derived from the selected billing cycle or the manually entered name.

15. Areas

• Rule 39: Auto-filled from the Area field.

17. Consumer Categories

• Rule 41: Derived from selected categories and subcategories.

18. Premises

• Rule 42: Derived from selected premises in the Cycle Parameters section.

19. Last Billing Period

• Rule 43: Auto-filled from the last billing period for selected premises.
• NA if new cycle is created of if cycle is scheduled first time

21. Bill Template

• Rule 46: Mandatory before proceeding to the next step.
• Rule 48: If no bill template is selected, "Next" button should remain disabled.

Bill Template Preview Section

22. Preview for [Template Name]

• Rule 49: Template preview should render based on the selected bill template.
• Rule 50: Preview may be an image, PDF embed, or HTML view, depending on system design.

Other Functional Elements

23. Save as Draft

• Rule 51: Saves all filled values as a draft cycle without validation errors (except date format and required fields).
• Rule 52: Drafts are not considered active and can be resumed later.

24. Previous / Next Buttons

• Rule 53: “Previous” is disabled on Step 1.
• Rule 54: “Next” becomes active only when all mandatory fields are correctly filled and bill template is selected.
• Rule 55: "Next" validates the current step but does not trigger bill generation.

Fetch Consumer Data

Consumer Overview

• Display count of total consumers fetched in this billing cycle based on the filters set on the first step
• % change should indicate the percentage change of consumers compared to last run of same cycle
• formula ( current count - previous count / previous count ) * 100 this formula will be same for all the percentage change in the complete flow

Missing Plan Details

• Should display the count of consumer without a plan attached
• NA is all consumers have a plan attached

Missing Tariff Details

• It should display the number of plans without a tariff attached to it and the plans should be the plans of the consumers fetched
• NA if all the plans have tariff attached
• A plan should definitely have usage tariff if the utility service is metered

Consumer Breakdown

Consumers by Category

• Display consumer count and distribution of consumer count by category of the consumers
• % change should be displayed beside all the count numbers
• Cycle comparison should include consumer count in the previous cycle and the number of consumers increased from the previous cycle

Consumer Status

• Should show the distribution of consumers by the status of the consumer
  • Active, Inactive, Pause and Temporary Disconnected
  • % Change should be displayed below every number

🔹Missing Data Table

Tabs:

• Missing Plan Details Tab
  • Rule: Shows consumers with no plan ID associated
• Missing Tariff Details Tab
  • Rule: Shows consumers whose plan is associated with a missing or inactive tariff

Fields in Table:

🔹Recent Changes Table

🔹Missing Data Tab: "Missing Tariff Details" View

Table Fields:

• Important:
  • Only active plans will be listed here
  • Tariff assignment is mandatory for metered billing

Payment Summary

Total Amount

• Sum of all billed amounts (Paid + Outstanding) of the previous run of selected cycle.
• NA if it is new cycle and same for all the fields.

Paid

• Sum of payments successfully received.
• Displayed in green with % of total amount.

Usage Charges

• Sum of amount charges based on the usage
• Displayed in Purple with % of total amount.

Outstanding

• Amount still unpaid as of current date.
• Displayed in orange, and excludes any future-dated payments.

Service Charges

• Subset of total amount that comes from non-tariff fees (e.g., connection charges, late fees).
• Displayed in blue with % of total.

Late Fees

• Amount received through late fee.
• Displayed in red with % of total.

Billing Period

• Shows the active billing period date range and duration (in days).
• Pulled from selected bill cycle metadata.

🔹Top Outstanding Accounts

• Sorted by descending outstanding amount
• Limited to top 5 entries

Meter Readings Analysis

Total Meters

• Count of all meters registered in the current billing cycle
• Displayed with percentage change from previous cycle in parentheses (green or red)
• Represents the total meter base for billing calculations

Readings Collected

• Percentage of total meters with successful readings in current cycle
• Shows the completion progress of meter data collection
• Displayed with a progress bar to visualize completion percentage

Missing Readings

• Count of meters with no readings submitted for the current cycle
• Displayed with percentage of total meters in parentheses (red)
• Critical metric for identifying collection gaps

Pending Validation

• Count of readings that have been collected but not yet validated
• Displayed with percentage of total readings collected in parentheses (amber)
• Readings requiring verification before billing processing

Reading Collection Status

• Current Cycle: Percentage of readings collected in the active billing period
• Previous Cycle: Percentage of readings collected in the last completed cycle
• Comparison: Difference between current and previous cycles (with percentage)
• Displayed with progress bars for visual performance tracking

Reading Validation Status

• Current Cycle: Percentage of collected readings validated in active period
• Previous Cycle: Percentage of validated readings in last completed cycle
• Comparison: Difference between current and previous cycles (with percentage)
• Displayed with progress bars for visual quality tracking

Meter Types Breakdown

• Distribution of meters by technology type:
  • Smart: Percentage of smart meters (automated digital readings)
  • Photo: Percentage of photo-based readings (image capture)
  • Manual: Percentage of manually read meters
• Displayed with horizontal bars showing proportion of each type

Reading Types Distribution

• Classification of readings by quality status:
  • Normal: Percentage of readings within expected parameters
  • RCNT: Percentage of readings requiring confirmation (unusual values)
  • Faulty: Percentage of readings identified as erroneous
• Helps identify data quality issues for resolution

Reading Methods Comparison

• Current: Actual: Percentage of readings based on actual consumption
• Current: Estimated: Percentage of readings based on estimation
• Previous: Actual: Historical percentage of actual readings
• Comparison to monitor estimation vs. actual reading trends
• Higher actual readings percentage indicates better data quality

Meter Reading List

Meter ID

• Unique identifier for each metering device in the system
• Format follows utility's standard naming convention (letter prefix followed by numeric digits)
• Primary key for meter identification across all systems

Consumer

• Name of the account holder associated with the meter
• Can be individual customer or business entity
• Used for identification and communication purposes

Account

• Unique billing account number linked to the consumer
• May differ from Meter ID when multiple meters exist for one account
• Used to associate meters with billing entities

Meter Type

• Classification of meter by technology:
  • Smart: Digital meters with automated reading capability
  • Photo: Meters read via image capture technology
  • Manual: Traditional meters requiring physical reading
• Determines reading method and data reliability

Service

• Type of utility service being measured:
  • Electricity
  • Water
  • Gas
• Determines tariff structure and billing calculations

Last Reading

• Previous meter reading value from the prior billing cycle
• Used as baseline for consumption calculation
• Displayed in service-specific units (kWh, gallons, cubic feet)

Current Reading

• Latest meter reading value for the current billing cycle
• Used to calculate consumption since last reading
• May be highlighted if anomalies detected

Consumption

• Calculated difference between current and last readings
• Represents usage for the billing period
• Used for bill calculation and consumption analysis

Status

• Current validation state of the meter reading:
  • Validated (green): Reading verified and approved for billing
  • Pending Validation (amber): Reading received but requires verification
• Determines whether reading can proceed to billing

Action

• Available operations for the specific meter reading
• Eye icon indicates "View Details" functionality

Missing Readings

Section Header

• Displays the title "Missing Readings" to identify the section
• Shows the total count of missing readings in parentheses (5)
• Provides a subtitle explaining these are "Meters with no reading collected in the current cycle"

Select All Checkbox

• Control to select all missing reading records at once
• Used for batch operations (estimate or exclude multiple readings)
• Unchecked by default

Meter ID

• Unique identifier for each meter without a reading
• Format follows standard naming convention (letter prefix followed by numeric digits)
• Used for precise meter identification

Consumer

• Name of the business entity associated with the meter
• No individual consumers shown in this view (focused on commercial accounts)
• Used for customer identification and communication

Account

• Unique billing account number linked to the consumer
• Used to associate meters with billing entities
• Numeric format following utility's account numbering system

Meter Type

• Classification of meter by technology:
  • Manual: Traditional meters requiring physical reading
  • Smart: Digital meters with automated reading capability
  • Photo: Meters read via image capture technology
• Determines reading method and helps diagnose missing reading causes

Service

• Type of utility service being measured:
  • Water
  • Gas
  • Electricity
• Determines tariff structure and consumption estimation factors

Last Reading

• Most recent valid reading value received from the meter
• Displayed in service-specific units (kWh, gallons, cubic feet)
• Used as baseline for estimation if needed

Last Reading Date

• Date when the previous reading was collected
• Formatted as Onboarding
• Used to calculate the duration since last valid reading
• Helps identify pattern of reading failures

Action

• Available operations for handling missing readings:
  • Exclude: Remove meter from current billing cycle
  • Estimate: Generate estimated reading based on historical data
• Controls for resolving missing readings before bill generation

Bulk Action Buttons

• Exclude Selected: Remove multiple selected meters from billing cycle
• Estimate Readings: Generate estimated readings for multiple selected meters
• Located at top-right of the table for batch processing

Pending Validation

Section Header

• Displays the title "Pending Validation" to identify the section
• Shows the total count of readings pending validation in parentheses (5)
• Provides a subtitle describing these as "Readings that require validation"

Select All Checkbox

• Control to select all pending validation records at once
• Used for batch operations (estimate or exclude multiple readings)
• Unchecked by default

Meter ID

• Unique identifier for each meter with a reading requiring validation
• Format follows standard naming convention (letter prefix followed by numeric digits)
• Used for precise meter identification

Consumer

• Name of the account holder associated with the meter
• Can be individual customer or business entity
• Used for customer identification and communication

Account

• Unique billing account number linked to the consumer
• Used to associate meters with billing entities
• Numeric format following utility's account numbering system

Meter Type

• Classification of meter by technology:
  • Smart: Digital meters with automated reading capability
  • Photo: Meters read via image capture technology
  • Manual: Traditional meters requiring physical reading
• Helps determine validation protocols based on meter technology

Service

• Type of utility service being measured:
  • Electricity
  • Gas
  • Water
• Determines tariff structure and validation parameters

Last Reading

• Previous meter reading value from the prior billing cycle
• Used as baseline for consumption calculation and validation
• Displayed in service-specific units (kWh, gallons, cubic feet)

Current Reading

• Latest meter reading value for the current billing cycle
• Reading that requires validation before bill generation
• Used to calculate consumption and evaluate for anomalies

Consumption

• Calculated difference between current and last readings
• Represents usage for the billing period
• May trigger validation flags if outside expected ranges

Validator

• Name of the validator that read cycle is assigned to.

Bulk Action Buttons

• Exclude Selected: Remove multiple selected meters from billing cycle
• Estimate All: Estimate all selected readings at once
• Located at top-right of the table for batch processing

Bill Generation

Bill Generation Process

• Controls to initiate and monitor the bill generation workflow
• Shows current status of the generation process with visual progress indicator
• Three possible states:
  • Not Started: Displays information message and "Start Bill Generation" button
  • In Progress: Shows percentage complete with animated progress bar
  • Completed: Displays success message with option to restart generation

Generation Progress

• Visual progress bar showing percentage of bills processed
• Percentage displayed as numeric value (e.g., 24%, 96%)
• Color coded (blue) to indicate active processing
• Updates in real-time as bills are generated

Notification Toggle

• Option to receive alerts when bill generation completes
• Toggle switch for enabling/disabling notifications
• Available before starting the generation process
• Helps users monitor long-running processes without watching the screen

Bill Generation Information

• Informational message about the bill generation process
• Provides estimation of process duration based on billing cycle size
• Displayed before generation starts to set user expectations
• Contains relevant context about the selected billing cycle

Generation Summary

• Statistics for the current or completed generation process
• Three possible states:
  • Not Started: "No generation data available" message
  • In Progress: "Bill generation in progress..." message
  • Completed: Detailed statistics including:
    • Total Bills: Count of all bills attempted for generation
    • Generated: Successfully created bills (shown in green with percentage)
    • Failed: Bills that couldn't be generated (shown in red with percentage)
    • Processing Time: Duration taken to complete the process (MM
      format)

Generation Log

• Chronological record of processing events with timestamps
• Shows system messages in real-time during generation
• Format: [HH:MM
  ] Event description
• Color-coded entries:
  • Standard log entries (gray)
  • Success messages (green)
  • Error/failure messages (red)
• Provides detailed insight into processing steps and progress
• Empty state shows "No log entries yet" when no generation has occurred

Failed Bills

• Table of bills that could not be generated due to errors
• Only displayed after generation completes with failures
• Includes:
  • Select All: Checkbox to select all failed bills for bulk actions
  • Consumer: Name of the account holder
  • Account No: Unique account identifier
  • Error Code: System error code (e.g., ERR-4001) in blue background
  • Error Message: Human-readable description of the failure reason
  • Action: Controls for resolving individual failed bills (retry icon)
• Helps identify and fix specific bill generation issues

Action Buttons

• Start Bill Generation: Initiates the bill generation process (blue button)
• Restart Generation: Restarts the process after completion
• Retry Selected: Attempts to regenerate selected failed bills
• Export Failed List: Downloads list of failed bills for offline processing
• Next: Proceeds to the next step in the bill cycle workflow

Filter Logs

• Control to filter log entries based on specific criteria
• Helps focus on relevant information in large log files
• Located at the top-right of the Generation Log section
• Particularly useful for troubleshooting specific issues

Billing Summary

Bills Generated

• Count of successfully generated bills in the current billing cycle
• Displayed with percentage of total attempted bills (green)
• Shows cycle comparison with previous billing period:
  • This cycle: Number and percentage of total
  • Previous: Number and percentage for comparison
• Visual progress bar to illustrate generation completeness

Bills Not Generated

• Count of bills that failed to generate during processing
• Displayed with percentage of total attempted bills (red)
• Shows cycle comparison with previous billing period
• Includes primary failure reason for non-generated bills
• Critical metric for identifying billing process issues

Bill Types

• Breakdown of bills by generation method:
  • Actual Bills: Based on actual meter readings
    • Percentage of total bills (with progress bar)
    • Comparison with previous cycle
  • Estimated Bills: Based on estimated consumption
    • Percentage of total bills (with progress bar)
    • Comparison with previous cycle
• Helps track data quality and estimation reliance

Consumption Distribution

• Analysis of usage patterns across customer base
• Total Consumption: Aggregate usage across all meters
  • Displayed in appropriate units (kWh, m³)
  • Comparison with previous cycle (percentage change)
• Segmented into consumption categories:
  • High Consumption: Number of accounts with usage significantly above average
    • Shows this cycle count and comparison to last cycle
    • Percentage change from last cycle
  • Low Consumption: Number of accounts with minimal usage
    • Shows this cycle count and comparison to last cycle
    • Percentage change from last cycle
  • Zero Consumption: Number of accounts with no recorded usage
    • Shows this cycle count and comparison to last cycle
    • Percentage change from last cycle
• Helps identify unusual consumption patterns and potential issues

Financial Summary

• Overview of billing financial metrics for the cycle
• Total Consumption: Aggregate usage across all services
  • Displayed in appropriate units with comparison to last cycle
• Total Billed Amount: Sum of all generated bills
  • Monetary value with comparison to previous cycle
  • Percentage change from last cycle
• Usage Charges: Current usage charges across all accounts
  • Monetary value with comparison to previous cycle
  • Percentage change from last cycle
• Service Charges: Non-consumption charges included in bills
  • Monetary value with comparison to previous cycle
  • Percentage change from last cycle
• Outstanding Amount: Current unpaid balance across all accounts
  • Monetary value with comparison to previous cycle
  • Percentage change from last cycle
• Late Fee: Current late fees across all accounts
  • Monetary value with comparison to previous cycle
  • Percentage change from last cycle
• Critical for financial tracking and revenue management

Consumer Bills

• Detailed tabular listing of all generated bills
• Includes search functionality and filtering options
• Table columns:
  • Consumer: Name of account holder
  • Account No: Unique account identifier
  • Service: Utility service type (Electricity, Water, Gas)
  • Consumption: Usage amount with unit and status indicator
    • High: Orange tag for above-average usage
    • Low: Yellow tag for below-average usage
    • Zero: Red tag for no recorded usage
  • Bill Amount: Monetary value of the current bill
  • Outstanding: Previous unpaid balance, if any
  • Total Due: Combined amount (current bill + outstanding)
  • Actions: Controls for individual bill operations
    • View details icon
    • Download bill icon
• Supports bulk operations through "Select All" and "Download Selected"
• Comprehensive view of individual billing details

Export Summary

• Button to download complete billing summary report
• Generates exportable file with all billing metrics and details
• Useful for offline analysis and reporting

Bill Approval

Bill Verification Checklist

• Mandatory checklist of items requiring verification before bill cycle approval
• All items must be confirmed by checking the associated checkbox
• Sequential verification process with clear descriptions for each item
• Icons used to represent different verification categories

Data Verification Consent

• Confirmation that all meter and consumer data has been reviewed
• Verifies accuracy and completeness of all provided and modified information
• First step in the verification process
• Essential for data integrity assurance

Bill Calculation Consent

• Confirmation that calculation methodology has been verified
• Ensures all calculations align with applicable tariffs and regulations
• Verifies mathematical accuracy of billing amounts
• Critical for financial compliance

Communication Consent

• Authorization for bill distribution to consumers
• Confirms use of configured communication channels:
  • Email
  • SMS
  • In-app notifications
• Ensures proper customer notification processes

Auto-Pay Authorization

• Approval for automatic payment collection
• Applies only to consumers who have opted for auto-pay functionality
• Confirms understanding of financial transaction authorization
• Required for automated payment processing

Billing Data Accuracy

• Verification that all billing components have been checked:
  • Meter readings
  • Tariffs
  • Service charges
• Ensures comprehensive review of all financial elements
• Prevents billing errors and disputes

Consumer Data Reviewed

• Confirmation that all consumer information is correct
• Verifies that consumption anomalies have been investigated:
  • High consumption
  • Low consumption
  • Zero consumption
• Ensures unusual patterns have been validated

Approve Bill Distribution

• Final authorization for sending bills to consumers
• Confirms use of all configured communication channels
• Represents official approval for customer notification
• Required for external bill communication

Complete Billing Process

• Final authorization to finalize the billing cycle
• Acknowledgment that approved bills cannot be modified
• Represents point of no return in the billing workflow
• Confirms understanding of process completion implications

Approver Name

• Field for entering the full name of the authorizing individual
• Creates accountability record for the approval action
• Required for audit and compliance purposes
• Documents responsible party for the approval decision

Approval Requirements

• Warning message if any verification items remain unchecked
• Reminds user to complete all required verifications
• Prevents premature approval of incomplete verifications
• Important for compliance and process integrity

Action Buttons

• Back to Summary: Returns to billing summary screen
• Approve & Finalize Bills: Completes the approval process
  • Green button indicating positive completion action
  • Only enabled when all required items are verified
• Controls for workflow navigation and completion

8. Sample Data

Billing Cycle Configuration

Cycle ID: BC-2025-03
Name: March 2025 Downtown Billing Cycle
Billing Period: March 1-31, 2025
Areas: Downtown, Westside
Consumer Categories: Residential, Commercial
Meter Types: Smart, Photo, Manual
Utility Services: Electricity, Water, Gas
Total Consumers: 15,680
Total Meters: 15,300

Consumer Data Sample

Meter Reading Sample

Failed Bills Sample

Billing Summary Sample

Service Charges Sample

9. Acceptance Criteria

1. The system must display a clear step-by-step navigation bar showing all 6 stages of the billing cycle process
2. The system must visually indicate the current step and completion status of each step in the billing cycle
3. The system must allow users to configure billing cycle parameters including billing period, areas, and consumer categories
4. The system must display consumer data summary showing total consumers with breakdown by category
5. The system must identify and display consumers with missing plans or tariffs that would prevent successful billing
6. The system must provide functionality to assign missing plans to consumers directly from the interface
7. The system must display meter reading statistics including total meters, collection progress, and validation status
8. The system must identify readings requiring validation with clear indicators for the type of issue (low consumption, out of trend, etc.)
9. The system must allow users to view, validate, or correct readings with anomalies through a structured interface
10. The system must provide tools to handle missing readings through estimation or exclusion
11. The system must display real-time progress during bill generation with percentage completion and estimated time
12. The system must log all bill generation activities with timestamps and user information
13. The system must provide detailed error messages for failed bills with specific error codes and descriptions
14. The system must allow users to filter and review failed bills by error type
15. The system must enable retry functionality for failed bills after error resolution
16. The system must present a comprehensive billing summary with metrics on generated bills, amounts, and comparison to previous cycles
17. The system must provide consumption distribution insights (high, normal, zero consumption) with comparison to previous cycles
18. The system must implement a structured verification checklist before bill approval
19. The system must require confirmation of all verification items before allowing final approval
20. The system must record approver information and comments for audit purposes

10. Process Changes

11. Impact from Solving This Problem

12. User Behavior Tracking

Billing Cycle Configuration Events

Questions Answered:

• How often are new billing cycles created? Who creates them?
• What parameters are most frequently modified? Are changes made mid-cycle?
• Which bill templates are most popular? Should we consolidate rarely used templates?

Consumer Data Management Events

Questions Answered:

• How many consumers typically lack plans at cycle start? Is this improving over time?
• How many plans are assigned during the billing process? Who is doing the assignments?
• How often are tariffs updated during the billing cycle? Are certain tariffs problematic?
• Which service charges require most review? Are there regulatory charges that need attention?

Meter Reading Events

Questions Answered:

• How much time is spent on reading validation? What are the most common validation tasks?
• What percentage of readings require manual validation? Who is performing validations?
• How often are readings estimated? Which estimation methods are most effective?
• How many readings are excluded from billing? What are the main reasons?

Bill Generation Events

Questions Answered:

• When do users typically start generation? Is it consistent across cycles?
• How long does bill generation take? Is performance improving over time?
• What are the most common bill generation errors? Are they decreasing over time?
• How successful are retry attempts? Which errors are hardest to resolve?

Bill Approval Events

Questions Answered:

• When in the cycle is verification typically performed?
• Which verification items take longest? Are any items frequently unchecked?
• How detailed are approval comments? Do they indicate process issues?
• How long does the entire cycle take from start to approval? Is this improving?

System Usage Patterns

Questions Answered:

• Which pages are most frequently used? Where do users spend most time?
• Which features are most/least used? Are new features being adopted?
• How do users filter and sort data? Which filters are most valuable?
• What data is frequently exported? Should we create new report templates?
• What system errors do users encounter? How quickly are they resolved?

Wireframe

Wireframe: Link

Reference: Link