Mapping a Business System

Southern Company Services

Here at Southern Company there are many business systems that are in use. They intertwine and rotate to create this machine that provides electricity to millions of customers throughout the southeast. One of the smaller systems that I am involved in is the ordering, tracking, manufacturing, and delivering of our high voltage transformers. This is a very important part of our company because these machines are of high cost and a vital part of the electrical engineering process.

A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors. It is used to “step up” and “step down” the voltage of electricity as it moves between lines, substations, plants and buildings. These transformers can cost up to 8 million dollars per machine so it’s crucial that this system work to the best of its ability.

Not only are these machines of high cost, they also have very large leads times. By lead times I mean the time to manufacture them is very long. From start to finish the building of one of these machines can take up to a year. This doesn’t include the time it takes for budget approvals, analysis, and overall documentation of this equipment to be done. In other words the process to have transformers ordered, manufactured, and delivered on time of for installation takes well over a year. With that being said this process usually starts a year and a half in advance.

There are five separate components to this system. These components include engineers, analyst, supply chain, manufacturers, and construction. It’s vital that everyone involved properly plan and execute their responsibilities in a timely manner. These components also come into play multiple times throughout the system; tasks come back and forth from one component to another.

The system begins with the engineers, engineers decide if there is a need for the transformer, they determine quantity, frequency, voltage, and how they will be constructed. Once this is done the Analyst begins the ordering process, the analyst assign serial numbers, creates instructions for the manufacturer, and logs the transformers into the database. The system then turns to the supply chain group, there they negotiate place orders with the manufacturers, creating purchase orders and giving delivery instructions. Following that the manufacturers take over and begin the building f the transformer, after completion they generate test results and drawings of the transformers, the system then begins to revisit the aforementioned components.

The drawings and test are then sent to the analyst who log and enter them into the database. The analyst then sends them to the engineers who approve them and send them back to the manufacturer. Then the manufacturer delivers the transformer to the supply chain group who also pays them. From there the transformer is sent to the building site when the construction group takes over and the system ends.

A causal loop diagram is a diagram that helps to visualize how interconnected variables influence one another. This particular diagram shown above shows the cycle of communication and responsibility in the process of ordering a transformer and having it delivered in time for construction. Beginning with the engineer each component has a responsibility and must be done as efficiently as possible. All components besides the final component are looped trough twice. This system works very well as long as every component takes ownership and performs to the best of there ability.

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ANALYST
Analyzing /logging

MANUFACTURER
Building/Delivering

SUPPLY CHAIN
Creating PO/Stocking

2

ENGINEER
Designing/Approval

3

1

CONSTRUCTION
Constructing

4

5

6

7

8