CQM enables grid operator TenneT to solve the planning puzzle smarter.
The energy transition is causing an explosive growth in the number of projects on the high-voltage grid. New wind and solar parks must be connected, while maintenance on the existing network also continues. For TenneT, this means an increasingly complex planning puzzle, in which scarce capacity must be deployed optimally.
Together with SST Software, CQM developed an intelligent work package planner. Using algorithms, planners can calculate various scenarios and determine more quickly which projects, resources, and priorities make the greatest contribution to TenneT's strategic goals.
300
ongoing projects
6.000
committed employees
Staff
calculate scenarios
An increasingly complex planning puzzle
‘You have to look at it this way: we have 300 percent of the work, of which we can execute 100 percent,’ says Pascal de Groot, a member of the Integrated Planning team at TenneT. ‘In fact: 80 percent, because we are not only working on new projects but also resolving faults in the existing high-voltage grid. We have to reserve time for that as well. So it is not just a matter of scheduling all that work, but also of setting priorities and making choices. Coordinating all those activities is a complex matter.’
In short: TenneT faces major planning challenges. Especially when you consider that the government-owned company executes these operations—no fewer than 300 ongoing projects in total—in the role of project manager with approximately 6,000 people. De Groot: ‘Our work used to be more manageable. Now it has increased explosively, and we are dealing with more vested interests. It can no longer be planned in the normal way.’
That normal way entails: manually entering data into software packages. ‘We noticed that we were running into limitations,’ says De Groot. ‘I graduated in knowledge technology and thought: couldn’t we automate the decisions that planners have to make even more?’
Software and algorithms combined
The search for a solution began. De Groot listened to the University of Twente and tech companies. One of them was SST Software. Kamiel Niezink works there; he was previously active in the field of TenneT, with whom he even collaborated. ‘So I was already familiar with TenneT’s challenges,’ Niezink explains. ‘At the time, I looked at the process of that complicated puzzle with amazement. I saw people toiling for long days to get the schedule sorted out. Based on my software knowledge, I thought: that process can be smarter, easier, and therefore more automated.’
Another tech company thought exactly the same way: CQM, a group of mathematically skilled professionals that helps organizations gain insight into complex processes. Niezink: ‘CQM thought and spoke with TenneT in the same way. That is why TenneT paired us up. Our worlds came together, and that turned out to be the ideal combination. I thought immediately: a good solution could emerge from this. CQM focuses more on the mathematical modeling behind it, while we build the software.’ In that sense, one plus one equaled three in this combination.
Specialists
De Groot from TenneT quickly realized this as well. ‘Our problem is so complex that you need specialists for it. SST and CQM are those specialists. Both of their worlds are interesting to us, so we asked them to combine their services into a total package. In hindsight, that turned out to be the best approach. An advantage was that Kamiel, as a project manager, has experience in our field. He knows what working on a high-voltage network entails and understands how important the periods are when the power needs to be switched off; that these are very difficult to plan because it has to be done in a very phased manner.’
SST colleague Menno van der Werff (consultancy and design) and Jacob Jan Paulus (algorithms, modeling) from CQM completed the project team that got underway. ‘I am responsible for the calculations, ensuring the results are correct,’ says Paulus. ‘SST is responsible for embedding it in the workflow, for the user-friendliness of the product.’ A strong point of our collaboration is that we have given each other space in the grey area.’
Niezink: ‘Our work focuses on how end users interact with the solution, but the smart logic is all handled in the part that CQM takes care of. We collect the data, submit it to CQM, and trust that it will be returned in the right way.’
The result is an intelligent work package planner that allows TenneT to calculate various planning scenarios and gain immediate insight into the consequences of strategic choices.
Specialists who reinforce each other
"SST and CQM are specialists. Both of their worlds are interesting to us, so we asked them to combine their services into one comprehensive package. In hindsight, that turned out to be the best approach."
Pascal de Groot Integrated Planning Team, TenneT
Scenario thinking
The question was clear, as was the division of roles to arrive at a solution, but the outcome of the collaboration was uncertain upon departure. Niezink and Paulus agree: ‘It is just like the development of the first hydrogen car: you have to figure it out. We certainly had a smart, software-based work package planner in mind, but we didn’t know what it would look like in concrete terms. We determined this during the process, in sessions where we consistently explored the client’s wishes. Very agile. What should the logic be? How can we collect data? What are the priorities? And what are the variables that matter?’
It was the time of COVID-19, so the sessions took place digitally. ‘I’ve never actually seen Pascal in person, but it doesn’t feel like it, by the way,’ says Niezink, laughing. Based on all those sessions, a proof of concept emerged outlining TenneT’s challenges. Paulus: ‘What makes TenneT’s puzzle complex are the many preconditions involved in every project. When do you start which project? TenneT’s planners need to be certain at the start that the necessary resources are available. And these are primarily critical, technical roles that are scarce. Moreover, every project has a specific importance. One is good for maintenance, the other for network stability. For instance, we have brought together a number of project criteria that are assessed in the work package planner when creating the schedule. This enables scenario thinking. Suppose you prioritize new customers, such as solar and wind farms, and turn that knob; the algorithm then rearranges the puzzle and generates a new schedule.’
Optimal work package
The intelligent tool developed by SST and CQM—a web application—calculates the optimal work package using a mathematical model. This is based on the requested and available resources. The tool enables users to include specific KPIs when calculating the work package. This allows them to immediately calculate the impact of strategic choices. The work package planner indicates, by means of a score, the extent to which projects have been scheduled as optimally as possible. As a result, TenneT can determine its optimal work package much faster and better based on its strategic choices.
"The planner's perspective is changing," says Van der Werff. "They can generate different schedules very quickly, depending on the variables you input into the work package planner. This yields results that you can then fine-tune by calculating them. That is impossible to do manually; it takes far too much time."
The main benefits that the new solution provides to TenneT are time savings and efficiency. De Groot: ‘The smarter the planning puzzle can be put together, the more projects TenneT can run. And the more efficiently TenneT can work, the more it can drive the energy transition.’ Another benefit: more transparency in the planning process. ‘Employees plan manually in their own way, resulting in different schedules. With the new tool, that is a thing of the past.’
Anticipate smartly
To govern is to look ahead. The new solution enables TenneT to better anticipate future scenarios. Paulus: ‘With the tool, you can analyze which technicians you will need over the next five years. If you know that now, you can start training them right away. There is more time to analyze, work smart, and plan ahead. Part one of the tool is ready. TenneT’s end users are learning how to work with it as efficiently as possible. ‘Absorbing the new way of working takes time. Less manual work, more analysis. You need to be especially patient with that. Once they have embraced the new way of working, iterations may follow that take the solution to the next level.’
De Groot: ‘A product like this is never completely finished. It remains an interactive process.’ But even now, he calls the smart work package planner an asset for TenneT. ‘It expands our capabilities. That is promising. It is the result of constructive collaboration with SST and CQM,’ he adds. ‘Good communication back and forth, good alignment of expectations.’ I look back on the project so far with a very satisfied feeling and look forward to a possible next chapter.
Want to tackle complex planning issues smarter as well?
CQM helps organizations with capacity planning, algorithms, and decision support for complex projects. Contact Jacob Jan and discover what optimization can mean for your organization.