Technology gives companies an easy way to serve its customers better without incurring high costs. It is for this reason that you should be very careful when acquiring a SCADA system or upgrading to a better one so that you get value for money, as well as a competitive edge. This article discusses some tips that can help you achieve just that.
Involve Your Field Technical Team in the Process
It is very important for you to involve your field technical team for two reasons. First, they are constantly engaged with the current system, so they are very familiar with its strengths and weaknesses. They can therefore make very helpful contributions regarding what capabilities the new system should have in order for your company to become better at its work. Secondly, field teams are more likely to embrace a new system that they participated in designing its specifications. You will have no resistance among your staff if you involve them in the process of procuring a new system or an upgrade of the current one.
Put Someone In Charge of the Procurement Process
Some companies make the mistake of creating a project team to buy a SCADA system and then give each team member equal power. This is a recipe for disaster because the process will drag on for very long since no one has a decisive voice on any matter being considered. Put someone in charge and that responsibility you give that individual will drive him or her to "make things happen" so that his or her reputation remains intact. That person will also ensure that company business objectives (such as keeping the system acquisition affordable) are met.
Let the Project Team Study What is Available
Instead of asking your technical project team to write specifications once they are appointed, let them go out and study what is in the market. They can visit SCADA vendors in order to learn what each has to offer. In this way, the team will be educated on what is possible rather than being limited to what the previous system had or needed to have. This method of studying what is available will enable the team to design specifications that make your company truly competitive since it will take advantage of the latest SCADA capabilities available, such as cellular access to the system to ease decision-making and response times during crises. For instance, a field technician can send an alert to the main system by cellular phone to shut down a collapsed tank instead of travelling to the head office.
You will get a superior SCADA system if you use the tips above to guide your project team as they source for an appropriate vendor of SCADA systems for your company. For more information, contact a business such as KPSM Solutions Pty Ltd.
Share22 April 2015
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