Case USA32: Why a Power Utility Claimed SCADA Modernization as Enterprise Architecture Readiness
- Sunil Dutt Jha
- Aug 11
- 1 min read
Updated: Oct 22
Overview:
This case is part of a 100-diagnostic series revealing how US enterprises have mislabeled control system upgrades as “Enterprise Architecture progress.”
In the power sector, a recurring pattern is equating SCADA modernization with architectural maturity.
New control interfaces, faster telemetry, and improved uptime were delivered — yet the enterprise structure linking generation, grid operations, maintenance, and customer service was never modeled.
P1–P6 Insight Preview:
SCADA upgrades improved component resilience (P4) and operational monitoring (P6 tech), but lacked alignment to grid strategy (P1) and integrated process flows (P2).
System behavior (P3) stayed domain-specific; business ops (P6) still relied on manual coordination between field crews and service centers.
Role Disconnects:
CEO: “Our modernized SCADA proves we’re ready for the future” — but cross-functional operations remain unaligned.
CIO: “We have full real-time visibility” — yet critical processes are still isolated in separate domains.
Sales Head (Customer Solutions): “Outage management will improve” — but restoration workflows remain manual.
Chief EA: “We’ve upgraded controls, not the enterprise model”
VP of Grid Operations: “My team can see the grid instantly — but acting on that view still requires multiple calls”
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