Inspiration

Agile working in the utility sector

October, 2023

News

How do utilities, built on stability and manageability, make the transition to flexibility and agility without sacrificing security and reliability? And that too in the top gear of the energy transition. Three agile ICE Consultants talk about how they deal with this challenge.

Colliding worlds

"It's about an agile way of thinking. Processes are always supportive," says Nathalie Tigchelaar. "I deal with shaping a strategic change process. We have to look at work and the world differently from strategic, tactical and operational levels. That requires a lot."

"We are talking about clashing worlds at the heart of the energy transition. That makes it very interesting," says agile coach Bjorn Grob. "With long preliminary work and a long construction phase without interim feedback, your plans are overtaken by time in the new energy world."

Geert Remmelink contributes to the agile transition as scrum master of three teams: "The focus is on the basic principles of agile working and how to apply them. That introduction starts to lead to focus on what delivers the most value."

The utility sector is not just any sector

"The energy market is moving extremely fast, we see all kinds of things happening," indicate Nathalie, Bjorn and Geert. "On the one hand, we work agile, on the other, projects have a waterfall structure. Some are traditional energy companies, some are customer-focused high-tech organisations. In some places the urgency to change is felt hard, in others hardly at all. In some parts, the customer is central, in others not. We do our work in that field of tension. What we bring in is a different way of looking at and tackling problems. We need to become comfortable with uncertainties and encourage people to learn from mistakes."

Engagement

Bjorn: "I became curious about agile thinking from my search for more meaning and intrinsic work motivation. Agile working is often about attitude and behaviour. About being present in the here and now and acting accordingly."

"At my previous company, everything went into top gear. The power of standing still and reflecting was the trigger for me," adds Geert. "Here I am at the start of a new way of working. Taking people along and making a difference on an individual level. That motivates me every day."

"Issues are getting more complex and solutions are needed faster and faster," says Nathalie. "The power lies in getting comfortable with those uncertainties rather than false security by closing everything down behind the comma. The traditionally technical environments built on security and stability that we are in have a hard time with that. That something can be quite vague at times, without that feeling like losing control."

Need to spar?

Do you recognise this and would like to exchange views with one of our consultants? Feel free to approach them. We are always open to meet and share knowledge.

The consultants:

LinkedIn: Nathalie Oughiri
LinkedIn: Bjorn Grob
LinkedIn: Geert Remmelink

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Process & Performance

In the midst of the energy transition, our clients are in a time of profound change. This transition not only includes technological shifts, but is often accompanied by changes in processes, systems, organisations and behaviour. The Process & Performance team, consisting of consultants with diverse backgrounds and expertise, uses a Lean/Agile approach to realise these changes. With our team of programme and project managers, Agile coaches, Process Improvers, Scrum Masters and change managers, we bring about the desired change. We take a positive-critical approach, putting the organisation's objectives first while keeping an eye on the people affected by the change. Our goal is to significantly improve the organisation, processes and teams from how we found them. This aim is at the heart of our commitment and is a proven formula for success.

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Operational expert

Our Operational Experts have the ability to quickly master new knowledge. Whether you need novice talent or seasoned experts with extensive expertise in areas such as Sourcing & Forecasting, Allocation & Reconciliation, Metering Data and Billing, they are there for you. Their main task is to perform tasks such as processing backlogs and ensuring accurate data processing in various aspects of the energy industry. With the support of our Operational Experts, you can strengthen your business processes and ensure that your data is always processed accurately.

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Data & Analytics

In the era of energy transition, the digital transition is also in full swing. Electrification of consumption and generation, regulatory changes and new technologies are leading to the availability of huge amounts of data in our industry. Therefore, now more than ever it is important to process and fully exploit this data efficiently, in a structured and correct way.


Our team of Data & Analytics consultants consists of both young professionals and experienced experts who have knowledge of these complex information flows and the latest analysis methods. We understand the origins of data and see opportunities to use it for existing and new applications. Whether it involves validation, modelling or visualisation: our consultants can transform your data into valuable insights. In doing so, we do not lose sight of you as a customer and we explain complicated matters in easy-to-understand terms, or are happy to go into more detail. That way, we create impact for you!

ICE-UP is ready to take on challenges in the energy industry by combining these areas of expertise. Together, we create a data landscape that enables your organisation to be successful.

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As a crucial link between your business operations and IT infrastructure, we offer highly qualified consultants with deep expertise in the energy industry and business processes. We also have the crucial skill to clearly translate your organisation's needs to developers. We facilitate direct communication between involved departments, with stakeholder management an integral part of our approach. With a keen understanding of the dynamic energy industry and seamless cooperation between business and IT, we identify optimisation opportunities, implement efficient systems and drive innovation.

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