A journey of 10,000 miles begins with a single step.

Okay, fine, but what if the traveler refuses to budge from the starting line?

I submit there's something needed before the first step, something that gives travelers the confidence to begin. Grid modernization is clearly being held back because regulators and utilities lack of a simple, safe-and-sane map that charts the path to the Smart Grid.

Complex question / simple answer. I am NOT talking about 200-page reports with technical details. I'm talking instead about something that fits on one or two PowerPoint slides that provides regulators and utilities with course and direction. Something that a city council or utility professional can scan from beginning to end, so as to understand what is before them and where to start.

We need something to break past the natural, disturbing premonition that anyone starting a journey has – what lies beyond the first curve, the first hill, the first pothole? A simple chart, showing a clear direction, with each stop and an ultimate destination will jump-start the (overdue) first-step to what we all agree is a long journey – the Smart Grid. You can’t have goals, dates and milestones unless you have a chart upon which to draw them.

That's why I was thankful to come across a recent four-page IBM white paper that proposes a simple way to conceptualize the move to a Smart Grid. (Disclosure: IBM advertises in SGN.) When you click on the link at the bottom, you will see that the final page lays out an ultra-simple, four-step journey:

1.      Launch

2.      Pilot

3.      Align

4.      Execute

Each step has sub-components. For instance, the Launch phase consists of a: developing a strategy and b: building a roadmap.

If you find it hard to believe that something this basic is holding us back, I can assure you that we hear about it over and over from utilities and regulators. Both groups are asking for things such as "templates," "guidelines," "roadmaps" and "action plans."

Simple multi-media answer. These kinds of words are signs of "First Step Syndrome." Confronted by a complex new task, most people are unwilling to take the first step until they have a mental map of what they do first, what comes next, etc.  That's why IBM's white paper is a useful contribution. It also has valuable information on Smart Grid benefits, and the names of a few utilities that have started. And it is part of a larger electronic "book" that includes other helpful papers plus audio podcasts. (Links below.)

For vendors, the message is: Don't overwhelm prospects with a 3D terrain chart until you've oriented the map and them to north (the big picture) and marked clearly their destination on that map (a simple statement of benefits.)

For utilities, the advice is: Get started right now on a vision and a roadmap. IBM's "Information Is Power" white paper is both a good place to start and a good reminder that even a long journey can be conceptualized with a very simple map.

   Email Jesse Berst

   IBM "Information Is Power" white paper (PDF)

   IBM -- Innovation in Action: The Energy & Utilities Project

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