The Problem
In 2001, a large cable operator's new build management process had degraded to chaos. Communication and cooperation among the various organizational units involved in the process was low. The process was ad hoc and responsibilities were unclear. Progress toward overall new build goals was almost impossible to assess, and the status of any single project was anybody's guess. Time-to-market was protracted and highly variable, resulting in high costs per plant mile and low customer penetration rates on new plant. With no way to consistently estimate and compare project costs and returns, prioritizing projects by value was difficult and subjective. Lacking formal review and approval processes, many projects were undertaken that did not meet pay-back criteria. New build budgets were routinely over spent.
The sales and marketing organizations relied primarily on the billing system as the source of information regarding new build marketing opportunities. However, many new-build addresses were provisioned on the billing systems with improper or inadequate serviceability and lot status information. Others never made it to the billing systems at all. With incomplete, untimely, and inaccurate information regarding the activation of new plant, the service capabilities of new plant, and the marketability of new homes passed, the sales and marketing organizations were severely hampered in their efforts to acquire new customers on new plant.
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