2017 QTD User Conference and Training Summit

Testing The
waters with a
new concept
from QTS:
The System
Operator
RODEO
From time to time, QTS likes to use User
Conference attendees as a focus group
to get their take on new concepts, product
enhancements, and more. In this conversation,
we talked about an emerging idea – the System
Operator Rodeo. The thinking behind this event
is simple:
Lineman can showcase skills important to their
craft and compete with each other, so why not
provide an opportunity for system operators to
do the same? No, system operators would not
climb poles, but they could compete against each
other to resolve a given system condition safely,
correctly, and in a timely fashion.
User Conference participants debated the pros
and cons to starting up a system operator rodeo.
On the pro side, such a competition fosters
critical thinking, system awareness, ability to read
and interpret system data independently of a
company’s specific system – skills that are a hot
commodity in a new reality that includes higher
turnover rates in the system operator ranks. On
the con side, participants would have to learn a
generic system to participate, which would take
away from training time on the company-specific
system. Logistics of such an event would also
have to be considered. One option discussed
was the use of the Mini Power System at the
EPTC.
Overall, a number of conference participants
were intrigued about this idea – so much so that
QTS will send out an invite in 2018 to further
explore possibilities with interested parties.
Could this be the industry’s next big thing? We’ll
find out…
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