Goodbye, paperwork... co Telecom AustraliaSpecial Services — The Direction Ahead Bt Ganon Desicated Nepwork Services Commercial Serices Deparment, Headquarers Meeting New Challenges The mid and late 1980's will provide many new challenges for Telecom as we face the prospect of real competition for many of our special services. Our customers are demanding that we provide services more Guickly and that we meet previously agreed commitment dates. RASS will give Telecom staff the tools to be in control of providing service to our customers, whether it be answering enquiries, arranging an indoor removal or providing a complex interstate service. RASS will provide on-line service record and service order information wherever required by Telecom staf. RASS will control and monitor the processes of providing and maintaining special services. Service order details will be automatically transmitted between work groups. Telecom’s skilled work force is its greatest asset. RASS will enhance the capabilities of our work force and allow us to improve service to customers. 1 am confident this will help us to meet the challenges and competition of the future. Navid Boron DJ. Gannon Sipetting yperneing Engine? Magerent & Stopor Stems Branch ‘Nemork Engineering Dept Headquarters A Joint Effort RASS supports all operational aspects of Telecom's special services business, and consequently is one of the largest most complex computer systems introduced by Telecom. Moreover, it provides flexibility to cater for differing practices between States. All stages will operate on the new generation of Honeywell ‘mainframe equipment, the DPS90. ‘We can be proud of the fact that the RASS system hhas been completely developed within Telecom, and it is fitting that we acknowledge the staff from many different areas that have contributed to its development. These include Engineering and Information Systems groups in HQ, VIC and NSW, each taking a separate stage of the system development. Management of the total system development has been with the MOSS Branch, HQ. ‘The user requirements and procedures are being developed by a RASS Co-ordinator and team in each State, supported by the Systems and Operations Section in Dedicated Network Services, HQ. ‘The data base and maintenance stages are now operating in all states. The major operations support stage, RASS-2,3,5, will be launched in NSW from June °86, to be followed by all States. Work on further enhancements to RASS and automated interfaces to other systems will commence in mid-1986. Acton Dommay ‘A. DowneyRASS —Record Automation for Special Services © A Computer System to Streamline Special Service Sales, Design, Installation, Maintenance, Billing Advice and Service Records, ‘= A system to eliminate most paper forms associated with special service oper Service Types ‘The Services to be supported by RASS include Datel, Austpac, DDS, Telex, Teletex, Private Lines, Broadcast, Wideband and the more complex outdoor extensions, Tie Lines and 008. To date, there are approximately 320,000 of these services nationally. Stages/timetable Implementation of the RASS System is being ed in stages. ‘The eatly stages of RASS, that is the data base (RASS-1) and the fault restoration control system (RASS-4), are now operating in all States. RASS2,3,5 is the next major stage of RASS and provides for on-line data entry, retrieval, transmission, ‘monitoring and control for service provisioning. It will replace RASS:I and is planned for capital city implementation on a State by State basis, commencing with NSW in June 1986. acl The Provision of Special Services With RASS-2,3,5 DESPATCH FROM SALES (DSAL) Receive Customer Application Check Vadty Enter Customer Details nla Service Order Enter Basie Service Onder Details Estimate Installation and Rental Costs Determine Project Milestones | DESPATCH FROM PLANT LAYOUT (DPLO) Allocate Lines, Junetions and Carriers ORDER ISSUE (01S) Commence Sequential ksue of Work Orders for Installation TRANSMISSION PATH BUILDING (TRPB) Provide and Connect Required Transmision Path Focililes and Inermediate Equipment OVERALL TEST (OTST) Test Transmission Path TERMINAL EQUIPMENT PROVISION (TEQP) Jstell Terminal Equipment DIGITAL SERVICE PACKET SWITCHING TEST (DSPS) Test and Commision Complete Installation | ‘SERVICE ORDER FINALISED (SFIN) Transfer Service Onder Detalls to Service Record Initiate Bing Action “Archive Serice Order ts reo puaa Eats (i q & — A f on RJ) aRASS - An Overview of Features Sales Operations Sales staff use RASS for customer enquiries, to create service applications and initiate billing. ‘When a customer applies for a service, a firm Telecom Commitment Date will be iven and the progress towards achieving the date will be continually monitored. If the date cannot be met, then staff will be informed in advance so that alternative arrangements can be made. On-line Special Service Enquiries Customer enquiries about existing services or service orders in progress will be handled quickly and informatively without extensive document searches. RASS provides a variety of on-line transactions to support enquiries, including details of: . Customer or technical service’ details Service order progress All of a customer's services Services of a network and network status Customer name to customer identification lists Uncompleted customer services Applications for Service Service applications are entered onto pre-formatted VDU screens. [New special services customers need a customer identification record to be created. This record includes details of the customer name, address, and other details for automatic reference by all subsequent service applications from that customer. For an existing special services customer, details to be entered on the service order would include the customer identification number, details of the service location, service description, product codes, comments, customer contacts, part of a network, transmission speed and billing details. RASS will enable orders to be created by copying a similar existing service order and changing only those details that are different from the original. This will improve productivity for multiple applications, such as for a multipoint network, ‘When an application is entered, the system enters target completion dates for ‘each stage of the service provision. These can be amended by the sales consultant and become the means of automatically controlling the priority of each service in work queues. Design Support For a service order, RASS provides a number of preformatted screens so that comprehensive service design details may be entered. These include cable, bearers, miscellaneous design aspects, intermediate equipment, ‘RATES’ access points and terminal equipment. "There will be reduced delays in providing services as the order will be passed instantly (electronically) between work groups until all required service design details are entered, It will not be necessary to wait for routine clearances as at present. RASS permits each State to assign an arrangement of work function queues and associated work stations to suit the required local processes for each service and work typeOrder Issue After all required design details of a service are entered, the service orders are issued. This process consists of sending work information to staff for providing, in turn, the transmission path, end-to-end test, terminal equipment and final Commissioning tests. Work groups receive the information from SPAN via an automated RASSISPAN interface or from RASS terminals. Installation Co-ordination Completion advice for each part of the installation activity is entered on RASS directly by the work group, or relayed to a central point for ent There are four general installation stages, each being monitored and controlled as appropriate: + Transmission Path Building Gumpering, intermediate equipment) * End-to-end transmission path test * Terminal equipment provisioning and commissioning ‘+ DDN/Austpac Final Commissioning (for DDN and Austpac only) Reports are provided where any service has missed its target date at any stage, ranging from application to completion. Reports are also provided to monitor the status of services, networks, projects and work queues. With the same system and record structures in all States, there will be less confusion and effort involved with the co-ordination of interstate services, Billing When a service order is completed, the order is returned to Sales for action to tate billing, TT Reports and Statistics RASS produces routine reports on the overall performance of the provisioning processes and on the total data base of service records. These reports are in print-out and microfiche form, In addition, magnetic tape files of data are routinely provided giving pertinent details of all active service orders (updated weekly) and all existing service records ify (updated every four weekly period). Other Telecom systems may extract required data from these files in order to present a range of statistics and reports. In particular, a separate system called RASSSTATS will provide for versatile, on- line reports from the above mentioned Data Extract Files, Maintenance RASS automates the handling of special service fault dockets and monitors progress from receipt to final clearance. RASS provides computer support for: * Fault acceptance and enquiry + Examination of service details and fault history + Testing and analysis to identify fault location + Assignment and despatch to restore service * Fault clearance ‘© Supervision Status reports and alarms are automatically produced as a result of preset or user adjustable parameters. Batch interfaces to FASS provide fault analysis information, aAllan Gamble, National Training Co-ordinator, and Training Teams from NSW and Vie. A training programme for around 2,000 staff is being organised to provide comprehensive training for all users, prior to the implementation of RASS-2,3,5 in each State. ‘Training will be provided by teams from Victoria, NSW and Queensland. The Victorian Training team will train users in Victoria, South Australia (including Northern Territory), Western Australia and Tasmania, Each Team will consist of 6 Senior Training Officers. ‘A range of courses is being conducted to ensure that each work area receives appropriate training, All courses (excepting Management Introduction) will aim to give maximum ‘hands on’ experience with the system. Currently planned courses and duration are: 1. Introductory Course I day 2. Management Introduction 1 day 3. Sales Course 4 days 4. Tech Appraisal and Design Course 3 days 5. Cable Allocation Course 3 days 6. Coordination Course 3 days 7. Installation/DDN/Austpac Course 2 days Local procedures will also be covered separately by each State, All courses are being developed in conjunction with the RASS Project Group HQ and the State Implementation Teams. To help users retain their knowledge of RASS, a small number of familiarization terminals will be provided in selected work areas for use after completing the training courses. Post Implementation Training will be organised separately by each State as required Environment For maximum user comfort and safety, the implementation of RASS-2,3,5 will be accompanied by ergonomic chairs and non-glare lighting. New tables with adjustable table (ops or adjustable keyboard shelves will also be provided. Each State will select from a variety of table shapes (boomerang, L-shape, rectangular) as considered to be most suitable for the ‘work functional groups involved. ‘All training courses include a segment on the correct adjustment of this furniture for individual needs, RASS —4 Maintenance System RASS-4 is the maintenance stage which performs the automation and monitoring of the flow of fault reports from reception until final clearance. It has now been launched in Telegraphs and Data Maintenance Centres in all States and staff acceptance is high. ‘This stage of the RASS system was designed and developed by a project team in NSW. The system has enabled maintenance staff to improve response to business customers and to achieve an improvement in fault clearance rates. John Hanley. (02)'265 1934 RASS-4 National Production Support (Coordinator 1Gour RASS Co-ordinators For Further Information . En ee (any835 7079" 13) 605 6952 Ser He : HID Seer or ? eye ae ae The RASS-2,35 System Development Teams from: RASS Project Team — HO: ISD — HQ; RASS Team — Vie; ISB, Vie Enhancements The launch version of RASS-2,3,5 in 1986/7 will be who become familiar with RASS, either after the followed by an ongoing program of improvements and launch or from pre-launch training, are invited to enhancements to improve the existing facilities, provide submit suggestions for improvements to the system at new features and automate the interaction of RASS any time, through their RASS Co-ordinators. with other Telecom computer systems, Telecom staff