Operations Control Center (OCC) Hub
Background
The Operations Control Center Hub (OCC Hub) was developed for one of the largest public transit system control centers in North America. The Control Center was having issues with their shift turnovers process where information was not being efficiently communicated across shifts and departments. Furthermore, the Control Center was mostly siloed where information was confined to outdated systems and paper forms making it harder for decision makers to access the necessary data and operators to effectively complete routine operational responsibilities.
The OCC Hub has provided operational staff with a single system to access the information that they need throughout their shift to effectively complete their duties, department leads with the tools they need to monitor and lead their team, room commands with access to the information they need to lead and effectively communicate with the Control Center, and business decision makers with access to reports and analytics to help guide important decisions.
The OCC hub allows operational staff to:
• Track residual service impacts, infrastructure anomalies, temporary orders, and IT tickets
• Reduce human errors through professional and accountable turnovers
• Centralize and digitize checklists/forms for steady state activities
• Support a common operating picture by generating room briefings, big board screen displays, and facilitation of information across the room
• Track and monitor key data, trends, and analytics captured in the application
By streamlining the rail activity inputs, turnovers materials, and paper forms into one single easy to use digital solution, controllers are better able to relay a comprehensive status to the next controller improving both safety and efficiency throughout the Metrorail system.
Our Role
The Control Center engaged Ignyte to replace its former existing electronic turnover solution and automate outdated paper forms and verbal processes with a new ServiceNow based Application that is a single cost-effective solution to improve the common operation picture of the control center.
Ignyte worked with operational staff, management teams, and key stakeholders in the Authority to understand the as-is state of the business, analyze the business process, identify process gaps and points of improvement, build requirements, identify target forms and processes for automation, develop and implement the solution, provide system documentation, and lead training and reinforcement initiatives with frontline staff.
Ignyte Group consultants and developers took extra care in developing relationships with controllers and managers, including in-person overnight sessions, to learn all details of the 24/7/365 control center to design the strongest system possible for the Authority.
Ignyte Group served as a trusted advisor to the OCC throughout the development cycle to ensure the OCC Hub was effective, accepted by end users, integrated with their currently used IT system, and supported both end users and leadership.
Key Accomplishments & Impact
The following are the key accomplishments and impact of our team’s solution and delivery:
- Single collaborative platform used by the entire Control Center – everyone has access to the same information
- Reduction of departmental silos allows key system information sharing down the chain of command and across Departments
- Leaders have the tools required to effectively communicate operational and incident information with the room
- 98% successful turnover rate, 300%+ of electronically recorded items, and improved collaboration on operations log and forms
- Turnover Process has full transparency and lead oversight
- All Shift Turnovers are now digitally recorded and certified
- Controllers have access to the information they need to provide an effective turnover
- Controllers have the ability to inform room leaders if they require additional information at a turnover
- Provides a single automated solution for quickly completing and sharing key checklists and forms
- Smart-collaborative forms have reduced phone calls and improved internal control center communication
- 40+ paper forms, PDFs, and outdate electronic forms permanently retired
- Customized reports and data analytics dashboards for leveraging key data
- On Demand reports. Quickly pull and review any form or incident
- Data can be instantly analyzed to drive training and reinforcement initiatives
