Five Characteristics of a Successful Track and Trace Program

Depending on how it’s implemented, a Track and Trace program can complement construction and repair field operations – or it can get in the way. An effective program closely coordinates field operations crews and data collection crews and integrates work processes.

Construction and data collection activities are synchronized so that data collection doesn’t impede daily operations. Procedures must be developed to ensure that all the important work gets done in a timely fashion – both the work on the pipes and the data collection.

A well-designed Track and Trace program in fact improves overall process efficiencies – both for field operations and data collection. Traditional workflows treat data collection and work management processes separately, where both the construction team and the data collection team enter data on the installed assets in separate systems. Track and Trace allows you to capture the data once and use it in multiple systems, eliminating duplication and redundant processing.

A well-designed Track and Trace program also automates data collection and eliminates paper-based work processes. That may seem obvious, but some organizations implement a Track and Trace program without systematically eliminating the existing paper-based processes. That approach can result in decreased rather than improved productivity. Instead, the whole system should be considered so you can capture the multiple opportunities for process efficiency.

A well-designed Track and Trace program is an integral part of asset management. The foundation of an asset management program is based on high-quality asset data and integrated systems that support CIP planning, inspections, and renew / repair / replace decisions.

A robust Track and Trace program requires many of these same systems and processes. Specifically, it requires linkages between the new material review and approval process (engineering), the procurement process, the design process, and the construction process. Track and Trace needs these connections to be in place to support data validations and automatic data population, and they also support asset management best practices. Track and Trace is in fact an extension of asset management best practices.

Track and Trace is a quality system that improves not just data, but the construction process itself and ultimately the safety and reliability of the distribution and transmission networks.

Materials are validated against the utility’s approved materials list to ensure that they have been approved for use in the system. If the specific material assets are not approved, they are flagged during data collection so that they can be reviewed by a construction manager or engineer before they are incorporated into the system.

Likewise, the personnel performing the installations need to be trained and approved to perform the work at hand. Operator Qualification or OQ validation is therefore an important component of the Track and Trace process. During installation, the operator’s badge is scanned and compared to the utility’s OQ database. If the installing employee is not qualified for the specific task (welding, fusion, etc.) they are performing, they are flagged in real-time during field data collection to prevent them from performing that work.