Smart Meter Reads (MX02US05)

1. Problem Statement

Meter Reading Supervisor Pain Points:

• Cannot efficiently track the status and progress of multiple read cycles across different routes
• Lacks visibility into performance metrics for individual routes and specific meters
• No clear options to retry failed reads or resolve issues promptly
• Has limited ability to identify and address common failure patterns in the reading process
• Cannot easily monitor the distribution of successful, failed, and pending readings
• Struggles to meet cycle completion deadlines due to limited tracking capabilities

Core Problem: The current meter reading management system lacks comprehensive tracking and performance monitoring capabilities for smart meter readings, resulting in inefficient reading collections, delayed cycle completions, and quality control issues across the utility service areas. Without proper visibility into cycle performance and route status, the Meter Reading Supervisor cannot effectively manage the meter reading operation, leading to billing delays and potential revenue loss.

2. Who Are the Users Facing the Problem?

Meter Reading Supervisor:

• Responsible for overseeing meter reading operations across multiple routes
• Manages reading schedules aligned with billing cycles
• Monitors reading performance and coordinates exception handling
• Reports on reading completion rates and efficiency metrics
• Ensures timely data collection for billing processing

The Meter Reading Cycles feature should be accessible to the Meter Reading Supervisor role and potentially to other management roles that need visibility into meter reading operations.

3. Jobs To Be Done

For Meter Reading Supervisor: When I need to monitor the progress of multiple meter reading cycles across different routes, But I lack a consolidated view of cycle statuses and completion rates, Help me track all active and completed cycles with detailed performance metrics, So that I can ensure timely completion of readings for billing cycles.

For Meter Reading Supervisor: When I need to identify and resolve failed meter readings, But I cannot easily see which meters have failed and why, Help me view categorized failure reasons with options to retry failed readings, So that I can improve reading success rates and address systematic issues.

For Meter Reading Supervisor: When I need to report on meter reading performance, But I don't have access to comprehensive metrics and visualizations, Help me access detailed analytics on read success rates, completion percentages, and average read times, So that I can identify opportunities for improvement and report accurately to management.

For Meter Reading Supervisor: When I need to investigate specific meter issues within a cycle, But I cannot easily search for and access individual meter data, Help me search and filter meter records with detailed status information, So that I can quickly address customer inquiries and technical issues.

4. Solution

The Meter Reading Cycles feature provides a comprehensive dashboard and management system for tracking, analyzing, and improving the performance of smart meter reading operations. The solution includes:

Cycle Monitoring Capabilities

• Cycle Overview Dashboard: Real-time dashboard showing active cycles, completion rates, and key performance indicators
• Cycle Status Tracking: Visual indicators of cycle status (In Progress, Completed) with progress percentages
• Cycle Timeline Management: Clear display of cycle dates including last run, next run, and due dates

Route Management

• Route Performance Visualization: Graphical representation of route completion status across different areas
• Route Comparison: Ability to compare performance metrics across different routes

Reading Status Tracking

• Status Distribution Analytics: Visual breakdown of reading statuses (Success, Failed, Pending)
• Failure Analysis: Categorization and quantification of failure reasons (Timeout, Connection Error, Device Offline)

Meter-Level Management

• Detailed Meter Records: Comprehensive view of individual meter statuses and reading data
• Failure Resolution Tools: Options to retry failed readings directly from the interface
• Consumption Validation: Display of current and previous readings with consumption calculation

Search and Filter

• Advanced Search Functionality: Ability to search cycles by name and meters by ID, consumer, or account
• Multi-criteria Filtering: Filter meters by status (Success, Failed, Pending)
• Export Capabilities: Export filtered data for reporting and analysis

5. Major Steps Involved

Viewing Cycle Overview

1. Navigate to the "Meter Reading Cycles" dashboard
2. View the summary cards showing Active Cycles, Completion Rate, Completed Cycles, and Average Read Time
3. Observe the cycle list displaying all cycles with their key metrics
4. Use the search function to find specific cycles by name if needed
5. Review cycle details including status, month, number of meters, completion percentage, and relevant dates

Monitoring Cycle Progress

1. Identify cycles that require attention based on status, completion percentage, and due dates
2. Click "View" on a specific cycle to access detailed information
3. Review the cycle health overview showing read status distribution and route completion status
4. Analyze the top failure reasons to understand common issues
5. Monitor the progress bar indicating how many reads have been completed out of total reads

Managing Failed Readings

1. On the cycle detail page, click on the "Failed Reads" tab to see all failed meters
2. Review the list of failed meters with details on failure reasons
3. Select one or multiple failed meters
4. Click "Retry Failed" to attempt to read the selected meters again
5. Monitor the status change of retried meters

Investigating Individual Meters

1. Use the search function to find a specific meter by ID, consumer, or account
2. Apply status filters (All, Success, Failed, Pending) to narrow down results
3. Click on a meter record to view full details
4. Review the meter's reading history, current status, and consumption data
5. Take appropriate action based on the meter's status (e.g., retry failed readings)

Analyzing Route Performance

1. Navigate to the "By Route" tab on the cycle detail page
2. Review the comparative route completion status chart
3. Identify routes with lower completion rates
4. Investigate potential causes for underperforming routes
5. Plan interventions to improve performance on problematic routes

Exporting Data for Reporting

1. Apply desired filters to the meter list
2. Click the "Export" button
3. Select the export format and options
4. Download the exported file
5. Use the data for reporting or further analysis

6. Flow Diagram

7. Business Rules

Meter Reading Cycles Screen - Fields and Business Rules

Dashboard Fields (Top Section)

1. Active Cycles
   • Field Type: Numeric counter
   • Data Source: Count of cycles with status "In Progress"
   • Business Rules:
     • Must be less than or equal to the total cycles value
     • Calculated as: Total Cycles - Completed Cycles
2. Completion Rate
   • Field Type: Percentage
   • Data Source: Calculated field
   • Business Rules:
     • Formula: (Sum of (Completion Percentage × Number of Meters) for all cycles) ÷ (Total Meters across all cycles)
     • Weighted average that accounts for different meter counts per cycle
     • Displayed as percentage with % symbol
3. Completed Cycles
   • Field Type: Numeric counter
   • Data Source: Count of cycles with status "Completed"
   • Business Rules:
     • Cycles are counted as completed when Completion = 100%
     • Formula: Count of cycles where Status = "Completed"
4. Average Read Time
   • Field Type: Time measurement
   • Data Source: Calculated field from meter reading timestamps
   • Business Rules:
     • Formula: Sum of all individual meter reading durations ÷ Total number of meters read
     • Displayed in seconds with decimal precision
     • Calculated across all cycles

Search Field

5. Search Input
   • Field Type: Text input filter
   • Data Source: User input
   • Business Rules:
     • Filters the cycles table based on partial or full matches in the Cycle Name field
     • Case-insensitive matching

Table Features and Controls

Table Search Functionality

• The table should be searchable by:
  • Cycle Name (primary search field - already implemented via the search input)
  • Month
  • Status
  • Due Date

Table Sorting Functionality

• The table should be sortable by all columns, specifically:
  • Cycle Name (A-Z, Z-A)
  • Status (Completed first/last)
  • Month (chronological/reverse chronological)
  • Consumers (numeric high/low)
  • Meters (numeric high/low)
  • Completion (percentage high/low)
  • Last Run (date newest/oldest)
  • Next Run (date newest/oldest)
  • Due Date (date nearest/furthest)

Table Filtering Functionality

• The table should support filtering by:
  • Status (dropdown: All, In Progress, Completed)
  • Month (dropdown: All, January through December)
  • Completion Range (slider or min/max input: 0-100%)
  • Due Date Range (date picker: from/to)
  • Meters Range (numeric range: min/max)

Table Export Functionality

• The table should support exporting in multiple formats:
  • CSV (for data analysis)
  • PDF (for reporting)
  • Excel (for detailed analysis)
  • Export options should include:
    • All data or filtered data only
    • Selected columns or all columns
    • Include/exclude summary statistics

Table Header Fields

6. Cycle Name
   • Field Type: Text identifier
   • Data Source: System-generated or admin-defined name
   • Business Rules:
     • Primary identifier for each meter reading cycle
     • Naming convention: "[Month] Cycle - Route [Direction/Area]"
     • Unique identifier for each cycle
7. Status
   • Field Type: Status indicator
   • Data Source: Derived from Completion percentage
   • Business Rules:
     • "Completed" when Completion = 100%
     • "In Progress" when 0% < Completion < 100%
     • Visually distinguished by color coding
8. Month
   • Field Type: Text (month name)
   • Data Source: Administrative assignment or cycle creation date
   • Business Rules:
     • Represents the month when the cycle is scheduled
     • Used for organizing and categorizing cycles
9. Consumers
   • Field Type: Integer
   • Data Source: Count from customer database
   • Business Rules:
     • Count of unique consumer accounts associated with meters in the cycle
     • Formula: Count(distinct consumer_ids) where meter_id is in the cycle
10. Meters
    • Field Type: Integer
    • Data Source: Count from meter database
    • Business Rules:
      • Count of all meters assigned to the cycle
      • Formula: Count(meter_ids) in cycle
      • Must be a positive integer
11. Completion
    • Field Type: Percentage with visual progress bar
    • Data Source: Calculated field
    • Business Rules:
      • Formula: (Number of meters read in cycle ÷ Total meters in cycle) × 100
      • Displayed as percentage with % symbol
      • Progress bar visualization scales proportionally
12. Last Run
    • Field Type: Date
    • Data Source: System timestamp
    • Business Rules:
      • Records the most recent date when meter readings were collected for this cycle
      • Format follows standard date formatting
13. Next Run
    • Field Type: Date or status text
    • Data Source: Scheduling system
    • Business Rules:
      • Shows the next scheduled date for meter reading activities
      • Shows "Not scheduled" when no future date is assigned
      • Dependent on scheduling algorithms or manual assignment
14. Due Date
    • Field Type: Date
    • Data Source: Administrative assignment or calculation
    • Business Rules:
      • Deadline by which the cycle must be completed
      • May be calculated based on:
        • Formula: Last Run + predetermined cycle duration
        • OR Formula: Month End - buffer period
        • OR Manually assigned by administrators
15. Actions
    • Field Type: Interactive buttons
    • Data Source: System-defined functionality
    • Business Rules:
      • Contains action controls related to cycle management
      • "View" action provides detailed access to cycle information
      • May have conditional actions based on user permissions or cycle status
      • Not sortable or filterable as this is a control column

Meter Reading Cycle Detail Screen - Fields and Business Rules

Header Section

1. Cycle Name
   • Field Type: Text identifier
   • Data Source: System-generated or admin-defined name
   • Business Rules:
     • Displays the currently selected cycle with format "[Month] Cycle - Route [Direction/Area]"
     • Must match a valid cycle in the system
2. Status Badge
   • Field Type: Status indicator
   • Data Source: Derived from cycle progress
   • Business Rules:
     • Displays current cycle status (e.g., "In Progress")
     • Visual styling changes based on status (different background colors)
3. Scheduled Time
   • Field Type: Date and time
   • Data Source: Cycle scheduling system
   • Business Rules:
     • Format: "Scheduled: [Month] [Day], [Time]"
     • Represents when the cycle was originally scheduled to begin
4. Started Time
   • Field Type: Date and time
   • Data Source: System timestamp
   • Business Rules:
     • Format: "Started: [Month] [Day], [Time]"
     • Represents actual start time of the cycle execution
     • Must be same day or after the Scheduled time
5. Progress Bar
   • Field Type: Visual progress indicator
   • Data Source: Calculated field
   • Business Rules:
     • Color-coded sections showing success (green), failure (red), and pending (gray)
     • Progress calculation: (Completed reads ÷ Total reads) × 100%
     • Visual proportions match the actual read status distributions
6. Read Counter
   • Field Type: Numeric counter with fraction
   • Data Source: Meter reading database
   • Business Rules:
     • Format: "[Completed Reads] / [Total Reads] reads"
     • First number represents successfully processed meters
     • Second number represents total meters in cycle
7. Retry Failed Button
   • Field Type: Action button
   • Data Source: System functionality
   • Business Rules:
     • Initiates retry operation for all failed reads in the cycle
     • May include dropdown for additional options (indicated by ▼ symbol)
     • Enabled only when failed reads exist

Cycle Health Overview Section

8. Section Title: Cycle Health Overview
   • Field Type: Text header
   • Business Rules:
     • Serves as container for health metrics
     • Consistent visual styling for section headers
9. View All Cycles Link
   • Field Type: Navigation link
   • Data Source: System navigation
   • Business Rules:
     • Navigates back to main cycles listing page
     • Positioned at top-right of the Cycle Health Overview section

Read Status Distribution Subsection

10. Read Status Distribution Chart
    • Field Type: Donut chart visualization
    • Data Source: Calculated from meter reading statuses
    • Business Rules:
      • Shows distribution of Success, Failed, and Pending reads
      • Color-coded sections (Success = green, Failed = red, Pending = gray)
      • Percentages calculated as: (Category Count ÷ Total Meters) × 100%
      • Must include legend for all status types

Route Completion Status Subsection

11. Route Completion Status Chart
    • Field Type: Stacked bar chart
    • Data Source: Aggregated route completion data
    • Business Rules:
      • Shows completion status per route (North, South, East, West, Central)
      • Y-axis represents percentage (0-100%)
      • Stacked bars show proportion of success (green), failed (red), and pending (gray)
      • All routes must be represented

Top Failure Reasons Subsection

12. Top Failure Reasons List
    • Field Type: Ranked list with metrics
    • Data Source: Failure categorization system
    • Business Rules:
      • Shows ranked list of failure reasons (Timeout, Connection Error, Device Offline)
      • Each reason includes meter count affected
      • Includes horizontal bar visualization of proportion
      • Bars colored red to indicate failures
13. All Failed Meters Summary
    • Field Type: Summary text with count
    • Data Source: Calculated total
    • Business Rules:
      • Format: "Total: [Number] meters"
      • Must match sum of all failed meters across categories

Meter List Section

14. Tab Navigation
    • Field Type: Tab control
    • Data Source: System-defined categories
    • Business Rules:
      • Allows filtering between "All Meters", "Failed Reads", "Pending Reads", "Success Reads", "By Route"
      • Each tab shows count of meters in that category
      • Active tab is visually distinguished
      • Switching tabs filters the data table below
15. Search Field
    • Field Type: Text input
    • Data Source: User input
    • Business Rules:
      • Placeholder text: "Search by ID, consumer, account..."
      • Filters table data based on input text
      • Performs partial matching across multiple columns
16. Status Filter Dropdown
    • Field Type: Dropdown selector
    • Data Source: System-defined statuses
    • Business Rules:
      • Default option: "All Statuses"
      • Allows filtering by specific status values
      • Updates table data when selection changes
17. Advanced Filter Button
    • Field Type: Action button
    • Data Source: System functionality
    • Business Rules:
      • Opens advanced filtering options
      • Represented by funnel icon
18. Export Button
    • Field Type: Action button
    • Data Source: System functionality
    • Business Rules:
      • Allows exporting table data
      • Represented by download icon
      • Should support multiple export formats (CSV, PDF, Excel)
19. Status Quick Filters
    • Field Type: Button group
    • Data Source: System-defined statuses
    • Business Rules:
      • Shows buttons for "All", "Success", "Failed", "Pending"
      • Active filter is visually distinguished
      • Filters table data when selected
      • Provides quick access to common filters

Meter Table

20. Meter ID Column
    • Field Type: Text identifier with sortable header
    • Data Source: Meter database
    • Business Rules:
      • Format: Standardized ID format (e.g., "MTR" + numeric sequence)
      • Serves as primary identifier for each meter
      • Must be unique
21. Consumer Column
    • Field Type: Text with identifier
    • Data Source: Customer database
    • Business Rules:
      • Shows consumer name
      • Includes account number below name (smaller text)
      • Links to consumer account information
22. Premise Column
    • Field Type: Text identifier with sortable header
    • Data Source: Premise database
    • Business Rules:
      • Format: Text
      • Identifies physical location of meter
      • Must be valid premise ID
23. Location Column
    • Field Type: Hierarchical location
    • Data Source: Geographic database
    • Business Rules:
      • Format: "[Area] > [Type] > [Block]"
      • Represents hierarchical location information
      • Uses ">" as separator between hierarchy levels
24. Last Read Column
    • Field Type: Numeric with sortable header
    • Data Source: Previous meter reading
    • Business Rules:
      • Shows previous consumption value
      • Used for comparison with current reading
      • Format: Numeric with decimal precision
25. Current Read Column
    • Field Type: Numeric with sortable header
    • Data Source: Current meter reading
    • Business Rules:
      • Shows latest consumption value
      • Must be numeric with decimal precision
      • Used for consumption calculation
26. Consumption Column
    • Field Type: Calculated numeric field with sortable header
    • Data Source: Calculated field
    • Business Rules:
      • Formula: Current Read - Last Read
      • Shows difference between readings
      • Format: Numeric with decimal precision
27. Status Column
    • Field Type: Status indicator with sortable header
    • Data Source: Reading status
    • Business Rules:
      • Shows status with icon (clock for Pending, checkmark for Success)
      • Color-coded for visual identification
      • Statuses include: Pending, Success, Failed (not shown in this view)

Table Features and Controls

Table Search Functionality

• The table should be searchable by:
  • Meter ID
  • Consumer name
  • Account number
  • Premise ID
  • Location

Table Sorting Functionality

• The table should be sortable by all columns, specifically:
  • Meter ID (ascending/descending)
  • Consumer (alphabetical)
  • Premise ID (ascending/descending)
  • Location (alphabetical)
  • Last Read (numeric high/low)
  • Current Read (numeric high/low)
  • Consumption (numeric high/low)
  • Status (by status type)

Table Filtering Functionality

• The table should support filtering by:
  • Status (via tabs and dropdown)
  • Route (via "By Route" tab)
  • Location components (Area, Type, Block)
  • Consumption range
  • Read status (Success, Failed, Pending)

Table Export Functionality

• The table should support exporting in multiple formats:
  • CSV (for data analysis)

8. Sample Data

Meter Reading Cycles

Meter Data

Failure Reasons

9. Acceptance Criteria

1. The system must display a dashboard showing key cycle metrics including active cycles, completion rate, completed cycles, and average read time
2. The system must list all meter reading cycles with their status, month, meter count, completion percentage, last run date, and due date
3. The system must provide a search function that allows users to find cycles by name
4. The system must allow users to view detailed information for a specific cycle by clicking on the "View" action
5. The cycle detail page must show a progress bar indicating the number of completed reads versus total reads
6. The system must display a read status distribution chart showing the percentage of successful, failed, and pending readings
7. The system must show a route completion status visualization comparing performance across different routes
8. The system must list top failure reasons with the number of affected meters for each reason
9. The system must provide tabs to filter meters by status (All, Success, Failed, Pending)
10. The system must include a search function to find specific meters by ID, consumer, or account
11. The system must display detailed meter information including meter ID, consumer, premise ID, location, last read, current read, consumption, and status
12. The system must provide a "Retry Failed" button that allows users to retry readings for selected failed meters
13. The system must include an export function that allows users to download meter data in various formats
14. The system must update reading statuses in real-time when retry actions are performed
15. The system must calculate and display consumption values based on the difference between current and last readings
16. The system must clearly indicate cycle due dates and highlight cycles that are at risk of missing deadlines
17. The system must provide navigation to view all cycles from any cycle detail page
18. The system must display the scheduled and actual start times for each cycle
19. The system must allow filtering and sorting of meters based on multiple criteria
20. The system must highlight unusual consumption patterns for further investigation

10. Process Changes

11. Impact from Solving This Problem

12. User Behavior Tracking

Events to Track

Metrics to Monitor

1. Cycle Completion Rate Over Time
   • Measures: Percentage improvement in cycle completion rates
   • Question: Is the new system improving overall completion performance?
2. Average Time to Resolve Failed Readings
   • Measures: Time between failure detection and successful retry
   • Question: Is the system enabling faster problem resolution?
3. User Efficiency Metrics
   • Measures: Number of actions per resolved issue
   • Question: Is the system making users more efficient?
4. Feature Adoption Rate
   • Measures: Percentage of available features being regularly used
   • Question: Are users taking advantage of all system capabilities?
5. Reading Success Rate Trends
   • Measures: Percentage of successful readings over time
   • Question: Is the system improving the overall success rate?

Wireframe

Wireframe: :Link

Reference: Link