Service Area (ONB02US08)
1. Problem Statement
Identified User Roles
- Utility Administrator: Responsible for configuring system settings to align with utility business processes
- Asset Manager: Manages infrastructure assets and tracks lifecycle costs and performance
Pain Points by Role
Utility Administrator
- Complex and lengthy hierarchy navigation from region > country > state > ... > premise
- Unable to add tags to service areas for easy categorization and searching
- No service area codes for quick reference and identification
- Cannot visualize the service area hierarchy in an intuitive way
Asset Manager
- Unable to see summary data (consumers, meters, etc.) for particular service areas
- Difficult to organize and manage assets by service area due to complex hierarchy
- Cannot efficiently track asset performance within specific service areas
Core Problem
The current service area management system has an overly complex hierarchy that hinders efficient navigation, lacks proper identification mechanisms (tags, codes), and fails to provide summary data, making it difficult for users to manage utility service areas effectively.
2. Who Are the Users Facing the Problem?
Utility Administrator
- Configures system settings to align with utility business processes
- Manages master data including service area definitions
- Serves as liaison between department heads and IT for system requirements
Asset Manager
- Develops and implements asset management strategies
- Tracks lifecycle costs and performance of infrastructure
- Coordinates condition assessments and maintenance planning
**Both roles require access to the Service Areas feature to effectively manage the utility's operational territories and related assets.
3. Jobs To Be Done
For Utility Administrator: When I need to configure and organize service areas in our utility system, But I struggle with navigating through an overly complex hierarchy and cannot easily identify or categorize service areas, Help me manage service areas with a simplified hierarchy and proper identification mechanisms, So that I can efficiently organize our utility's operational territories.
For Asset Manager: When I need to analyze asset performance across different service areas, But I cannot easily see summary data for specific service areas or organize assets effectively within the hierarchy, Help me access comprehensive summary data for each service area and navigate the hierarchy more intuitively, So that I can make informed decisions about asset management and resource allocation.
4. Solution
A redesigned Service Areas management interface with simplified hierarchy navigation, enhanced identification capabilities, and integrated summary data:
Key Capability Areas
- Simplified Hierarchy Navigation
- Streamlined hierarchy from City > Zone > Division > Area > Subarea > Premise
- Breadcrumb navigation showing current position in hierarchy
- Quick-jump capabilities to any level of the hierarchy
- Service Area Identification
- Unique service area codes for quick reference (e.g., SAV-C, SAV-W)
- Tagging system to categorize service areas (e.g., Priority 1)
- Creation and modification tracking with timestamps and user information
- Hierarchy Visualization
- Hierarchical tree view showing the structure of service areas
- Toggle between different view modes (grid, list, tree)
- Expandable/collapsible nodes for easier navigation
- Summary Data Integration
- Consumer count summaries for each service area
- Meter statistics integrated into service area information
- Performance metrics accessible from service area views
- Bulk Operations
- Bulk upload functionality for service areas
- Mass update capabilities for service area properties
- Batch assignment of tags and attributes
- Service Area Management
- Add new service areas (cities, zones, etc.) through intuitive interfaces
- Edit existing service area properties and relationships
- Delete or deactivate service areas when needed
- Export and Reporting
- Export service area data in various formats
- Generate hierarchy reports for planning
- Create custom views of service area data
5. Major Steps Involved
For Utility Administrator
- Accessing Service Area Management
- Navigate to the Service Areas section from the main menu
- View the "Service Area Hierarchy" panel displaying the streamlined hierarchy
- Navigating the Hierarchy
- Click on hierarchy levels (City > Zone > Division > Area > Subarea > Premise) to drill down
- Use breadcrumb navigation to track position in the hierarchy
- Jump directly to specific levels using the navigation buttons
- Viewing Service Areas
- See the list of service areas at the current hierarchy level (e.g., Cities)
- Toggle between different view modes (grid, list, tree) using the view buttons
- View important information at a glance: codes, tags, creation details
- Adding a New Service Area
- Click the "Add City" button to open the creation form
- Enter required details: name, code, parent relationship
- Add optional tags for categorization (e.g., Priority 1)
- Submit to create the new service area
- Editing Service Areas
- Click the edit icon next to a service area to modify its properties
- Update any relevant fields (name, code, tags, parent relationships)
- Save changes to update the service area
- Managing Tags
- Add tags to service areas for categorization (e.g., Priority 1)
- Use tags for filtering and searching service areas
- Manage tag categories and values through the admin interface
- Exporting Data
- Click the "Export" button to download service area data
- Select desired format and data fields
- Use exported data for reporting or integration with other systems
For Asset Manager
- Accessing Service Area Summary Data
- Navigate to the Service Areas section from the main menu
- View the list of service areas with summary indicators (e.g., 2 zones)
- Analyzing Service Area Details
- Click on a specific service area (e.g., Savaii Central)
- View detailed summary data: consumer counts, meter statistics, etc.
- Analyze performance metrics for the selected service area
- Navigating Between Related Areas
- Use parent/child relationships to move between hierarchy levels
- View parent information (e.g., Parent: Savaii)
- Explore child entities (e.g., 2 zones under Savaii Central)
- Filtering and Searching
- Use tags and codes to quickly find specific service areas
- Filter service areas based on various criteria
- Search for service areas by name, code, or other attributes
- Exporting Analysis Data
- Generate reports on service area performance
- Export summary data for further analysis
- Share service area information with other stakeholders
6. Flow Diagram
7. Business Rules
General Rules
- Service area hierarchy must follow the structure: City > Zone > Division > Area > Subarea > Premise
- Each service area must have a unique name within its parent level
- Service area codes must be unique across the entire system
- All service areas must have a parent relationship (except for the top level)
- Creation and modification information must be tracked (user, timestamp)
- Service areas cannot be deleted if they have child elements or associated assets
- Service area names must be between 2-50 characters
- Service area codes must follow the pattern of uppercase letters and numbers (e.g., SAV-C)
Error Handling
- If a service area code already exists, the system must show an error message: "Service area code already in use"
- If mandatory fields are missing, highlight the fields and prevent submission
- If hierarchy relationships would be broken by an edit, warn the user and require confirmation
- If a bulk upload contains errors, provide a detailed error report without processing any records
- If export fails, retry automatically once before showing an error message
8. Sample Data
Cities
Name | Code | Parent | Tags | Created By | Created Date | Zones |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Savaii Central | SAV-C | Savaii | Priority 1 | John Doe | 04/25/2025 | 2 |
Savaii West | SAV-W | Savaii | - | John Doe | 04/25/2025 | 0 |
Upolu East | UPL-E | Upolu | Priority 2 | Jane Smith | 04/24/2025 | 3 |
Zones (for Savaii Central)
Name | Code | Parent | Tags | Created By | Created Date | Divisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coastal Zone | SAV-C-CZ | Savaii Central | Residential | John Doe | 04/25/2025 | 4 |
Inland Zone | SAV-C-IZ | Savaii Central | Commercial | John Doe | 04/25/2025 | 2 |
Summary Data
Service Area | Consumers | Meters | Active Meters | Water Quality Index | Maintenance Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Savaii Central | 15,428 | 12,356 | 11,982 | 96.3% | 47 |
Savaii West | 8,769 | 7,234 | 7,012 | 94.8% | 23 |
Upolu East | 22,145 | 18,732 | 18,145 | 97.1% | 38 |
9. Acceptance Criteria
- The system must display the service area hierarchy as City > Zone > Division > Area > Subarea > Premise
- The system must allow users to navigate the hierarchy by clicking on each level
- The system must provide breadcrumb navigation showing the current position in the hierarchy
- The system must display a list of service areas at the selected hierarchy level
- The system must show service area codes for all service areas
- The system must allow adding tags to service areas for categorization
- The system must track and display creation information (user, timestamp) for each service area
- The system must provide an "Add" button for creating new service areas at each level
- The system must validate that service area codes are unique
- The system must enforce parent-child relationships in the hierarchy
- The system must show summary data (consumers, meters) for each service area when available
- The system must provide multiple view options (grid, list, tree) for the service areas
- The system must include an export function for service area data
- The system must support bulk upload of service areas
- The system must prevent deletion of service areas with child elements
- The system must allow editing of service area properties (name, code, tags)
- The system must provide filtering capabilities based on service area properties
- The system must search across service areas by name, code, or tags
- The system must maintain data integrity when service areas are modified
- The system must generate appropriate error messages for validation failures
10. Process Changes
From (Current Process) | To (New Process) | Impact Analysis |
|---|---|---|
Navigate through excessive hierarchy levels (region > country > state > ... > premise) | Navigate simplified hierarchy (city > zone > division > area > subarea > premise) | 50% reduction in navigation steps for accessing lower-level service areas |
No service area codes available | Each service area has a unique code (e.g., SAV-C) | 40% improvement in service area identification efficiency |
No tagging capability for service areas | Service areas can be tagged (e.g., Priority 1) | 35% faster categorization and searching of service areas |
Cannot see service area hierarchy visualization | Multiple view options (grid, list, tree) for hierarchy visualization | 45% better understanding of organizational structure |
No summary data available for service areas | Summary data (consumers, meters) integrated with service areas | 60% improvement in data-driven decision making |
Manual service area creation process | Streamlined creation with parent-child relationships | 30% faster service area setup and configuration |
Limited export capabilities | Enhanced export functionality with multiple formats | 40% reduction in time spent preparing reports |
No bulk operations for service areas | Bulk upload and modification capabilities | 70% time savings for large-scale service area management |
11. Impact from Solving This Problem
Metric | How It Improves |
|---|---|
Service Area Configuration Time | ✅ 45% reduction in time spent setting up and organizing service areas |
Navigation Efficiency | ✅ 50% fewer clicks to navigate between service areas |
Asset Management Effectiveness | ✅ 35% improvement in asset tracking and management by service area |
Reporting Accuracy | ✅ 40% more accurate reports due to proper service area organization |
Decision Making Speed | ✅ 30% faster operational decisions with integrated summary data |
User Satisfaction | ✅ Significant improvement in user experience with intuitive hierarchy |
Data Quality | ✅ 25% reduction in data errors through proper service area identification |
Operational Planning | ✅ 40% more effective resource allocation by service area |
12. User Behavior Tracking
Utility Administrator
Event | Properties | Insights | Questions Answered |
|---|---|---|---|
service_area_view | {level, view_type, filters_applied} | Understanding how administrators navigate the hierarchy | How do administrators typically navigate the service area hierarchy? |
service_area_create | {level, parent_id, time_to_complete} | Measuring the efficiency of service area creation | How long does it take to create new service areas? |
service_area_edit | {field_changed, original_value, new_value} | Tracking what properties are most commonly modified | What service area properties require the most maintenance? |
service_area_tag | {tag_name, service_area_level} | Understanding tagging patterns | How are tags being used to organize service areas? |
service_area_search | {search_term, filters_used, results_count} | Analyzing search behavior | What service area attributes are most commonly searched for? |
service_area_export | {format, fields_included, hierarchy_level} | Tracking export usage | What service area data is most valuable for external reporting? |
bulk_upload_attempt | {template_used, success_rate, error_count} | Measuring bulk operation efficiency | What are the common errors in bulk service area management? |
Asset Manager
Event | Properties | Insights | Questions Answered |
|---|---|---|---|
summary_data_view | {service_area_id, metrics_viewed, time_spent} | Understanding data consumption patterns | Which summary metrics are most valuable to asset managers? |
hierarchy_navigation | {start_level, end_level, path_taken} | Analyzing navigation patterns | How do asset managers move through the service area hierarchy? |
performance_metrics_view | {service_area_id, metric_type, comparison_made} | Tracking analytical behavior | What performance comparisons are most frequently made? |
filter_application | {filter_type, filter_value, result_count} | Understanding filtering preferences | How do asset managers narrow down service areas for analysis? |
export_summary_data | {metrics_included, format, frequency} | Measuring reporting needs | What summary data is most frequently exported for analysis? |
tag_based_search | {tag_used, service_areas_found, action_taken} | Analyzing tag effectiveness | How effective are tags in helping asset managers find relevant service areas? |
cross_area_comparison | {areas_compared, metrics_compared, time_spent} | Understanding comparative analysis | What types of cross-area comparisons are most valuable? |
This tracking plan will help understand how users interact with the service area management system, identify potential improvements, and measure the effectiveness of the new features in addressing the identified pain points.