Changing design workflows to be streamlined, scalable, and integrated.
Overview
Idaho Power, a utility serving over 630,000 customers in Idaho and Oregon, is undertaking a significant modernization of its electric distribution design workflows. Through a phased implementation of Automated Utility Design (AUD) from SBS, the company is moving away from decades of heavily customized legacy systems to a streamlined, scalable, and integrated design environment.
The Challenge
For years, Idaho Power relied on a highly customized software. While it served critical design functions, the environment became increasingly complex to maintain. Extensive custom code, redundant workflows, and outdated integrations created technical risk and inefficiencies across design, GIS, and asset systems.
“We have a ton of custom code that we’ve developed over the last 25-plus years that we need to eliminate,” said Melissa Peterson, AUD Technical Support Analyst at Idaho Power. “Our goal is to modernize and improve the timeliness and accuracy of design data, reduce redundancy, and remove dependencies on external applications.”
At the same time, Idaho Power launched a broader effort to upgrade core systems including GIS, OMS, and CIS, creating an opportunity to reimagine design processes as part of a unified enterprise approach.
The Solution
Idaho Power partnered with SBS and Power Engineers to implement AUD. Phase one, deployed in December 2024, integrates AUD with their existing GIS geometric network. Phase two, set for completion in late 2025, will align with Esri’s Utility Network.
“We’re replacing heavy customization with out-of-the-box configuration,” said Peterson. “This is a very brownfield implementation, and we’re trying to align all of our systems with minimal custom code so we can improve maintainability and scalability.”
“We’re in the build and configuration phase right now,” added Brian Graham, AUD System Administrator. “We support around 180 designers across the company. All of our distribution design teams will move to AUD.”
The updated system includes capabilities for automated material ordering, improved integration with enterprise asset management systems, and more intuitive user interfaces that reduce reliance on manual processes.
Benefits and Early Impact
Idaho Power anticipates significant operational improvements:
- Elimination of legacy technical debt
- Reduction in manual data entry and redundant workflows
- Improved accuracy and consistency across design and GIS systems
- Increased efficiency for designers and support teams
“A majority of the designers are excited. They’re not going to have to do as much manual stuff as they do today,” Peterson said. “But we do have a handful of designers struggling to get on board. That’s where strong change management comes in.”
A Ground-Up Change Management Approach
Recognizing the cultural shift that comes with new tools, Idaho Power prioritized user engagement from the outset. Designers, technical advisors, and the methods and materials team were all brought into the configuration process early to shape the system around operational needs.
“We’ve really made a concerted effort to focus on operational change management,” Graham explained. “It hasn’t been top-down, it’s been very ground-up.”
This strategy is helping the team transition from long-standing habits to modern digital workflows.
Next Steps
In phase two, Idaho Power will integrate with the Esri Utility Network, completing the transition to a fully modernized, model-based design environment. While legacy playback and as-built workflows remain, SBS’s integration tools provide a foundation for streamlining those processes in the future.
“We’re trying to figure out how to handle pre-build and as-built without a lot of manual rework,” Peterson said. “We’re confident the integration will help us get there.”