Smith, Fause & McDonald, Inc.

Network Reliability MegaCenter, Littleton, Colorado

Service Assurance Center, Plymouth, Minnesota

Demand Forecast Center, Plymouth, Minnesota

Project Description

Three related Command Centers on two geographically diverse sites to control the operation and staffing of the entire 14 State U S WEST Communications Network.

Each Center includes a Command Room with multiple large screen display systems operation at workstation scanning rates in full room lighting.

Adjacent to each Command Room is a Conference Room for management coordination and disaster recovery.  Each includes multiple large screen display systems operating at workstation scanning rates, full time (24 hour), voice operated full motion video teleconferencing and "meet-me" tie-in audio teleconferencing

SFMI Scope of Services

As part of a companywide business process reengineering, U S WEST Communications, Inc. defined a need to close approximately 500 local Centers, and replace them with 21 regional centers, all on an ultra-fast track schedule. U S WEST defined a goal of implementing high resolution workstation-rate displays for task groups to be working as teams in normal office lighting conditions.

SFMI performed conceptual, functional, ergonomic and life cycle cost studies for the Command Room display systems for the three largest Centers, providing a range of technologies, task layouts, and cost tradeoff options to Management.

Upon U S WEST's definition of the intended task group business process, SFMI prepared a single guaranteed-maximum-price competitive bid procurement package for the display systems for all three sites within 28 days of receiving direction to proceed.  The Demand Forecast Center, accommodating up to 60 managers, was placed on-line in revenue service approximately 90 days later.

To support coordination of daily network operations and disaster recovery, SFMI designed a unique full time, voice operated, full motion video teleconference system supporting up to 32 managers with coordinated voice, video, data and graphics connectivity.

Client: U S WEST Business Resources, Inc.