43%
Fewer Truck Rolls
CPS Energy: Streetlight Operations & SAP Field Integration
San Antonio's streetlight repair process was failing in public. Residents reported the same outages repeatedly, work orders disappeared between CPS Energy, SAP, and Dalkia field crews, and a repair could take three weeks. I led the product and program work that connected resident intake, SAP, dispatch, and field execution into one accountable service loop, cutting repair calls 73%, truck rolls 43%, and repair windows to 1-4 days across 225K+ streetlights. The program won a 2025 Global Smart 20 Award.
1-4D
Day Repair Window
225K
Streetlights
At-a-Glance
Smart City Operations
A $2M program across two organizations, 15 people, and 6 system integrations. I owned product direction, service design, and end-to-end delivery across the full product lifecycle, from the first resident report through SAP, field dispatch, repair, and closure.
- Role
- Program & Product Lead
- Client
- CPS Energy
- Industry
- Public Utilities • Smart City
- Timeline
- Aug 2024 – Apr 2025
- Team / Stakeholders
- 15+
- Budget / Scale
- $2M
- Systems / Technology
Figma
Azure
SAP
Smartsheet
Problem
A broken streetlight could sit unresolved for three weeks. Resident reports, SAP work orders, dispatch decisions, field activity, and closure updates were fragmented across CPS Energy and Dalkia with no single owner and no closed loop.
Mandate
Build one end-to-end service loop from the first resident report or sensor alert through dispatch, field repair, and closure, so work could no longer disappear between handoffs.
What I Changed
Mapped the full resident-to-repair journey. Defined the resident reporting experience. Aligned CPS Energy and Dalkia around one operating model. Drove SAP and field-workflow integration. Used a proof of concept to move the program from integration debates into deployment.
Outcome
Repair calls fell 73%. Truck rolls fell 43%. Repair windows dropped from three weeks to 1-4 days. The deployed service supports 1.5 million San Antonio residents. The program won the 2025 Global Smart 20 Award.
Problem Statement
Homes in Darkness
San Antonio residents were dealing with dark streets, slow repair timelines, and a support experience that gave them no confidence an outage would be resolved. The problem was bigger than maintenance. The service loop was fragmented across resident intake, 311 and call-center channels, IVR, SAP, dispatch, field crews, follow-up orders, and closure with no single thread connecting any of it.
Ownership was divided across CPS Energy and Dalkia, but nobody owned the complete journey. Residents reported the same outage repeatedly because they couldn't see status. Field crews arrived without current work-order information. Follow-up work disappeared between teams. Operations lacked one reliable view of the repair lifecycle.
Dark streets and delayed repairs became local-news material. That meant the program had to fix the service and restore public confidence at the same time: one intake path, one accountable workflow, and one closed loop from report to repair.
Local news documented the streetlight service failure before the modernization program delivered a connected repair loop.
“
Richard Medina
Chief Energy Delivery Officer, CPS Energy
What I Owned
Public Consequences, No Owner
Two organizations. 6 integrations. 15 people. A $2M program that was failing in public. I set the product direction, defined the service architecture, kept CPS Energy and Dalkia aligned, and drove delivery from discovery through deployment.
- 1
Mapped the Entire Resident-to-Repair Journey
Before anything could be fixed, the complete failure map had to exist. I traced the breakdown across reporting channels, IVR, SAP work-order creation, dispatch, simple and complex repair paths, field completion, system closure, and follow-up orders.
- 2
Defined the Resident Reporting Experience
I led the product and UX direction for a map-based resident reporting tool that let people identify the affected streetlight, submit the issue with location context, and move the request directly into the operating workflow without a phone call.
- 3
Aligned The Enterprise Around One Service Model
CPS Energy and Dalkia each owned part of the repair process but neither owned the complete journey. I established shared ownership, clarified handoffs, and kept both organizations working toward one resident-to-repair outcome instead of two parallel operating models.
- 4
Connected Field Work to SAP
I drove alignment around the field iPad workflow and SAP integration so crews could receive work orders, complete repairs, trigger follow-up work orders, and close the loop in the system of record without manual handoffs between field and operations.
- 5
Used Proof of Concept as a Forcing Function
Abstract integration debates were stalling progress. I partnered with engineering to turn contested system behavior into observable, testable output, moving the program from debate into deployment.
Solution
One Service Loop From Report to Repair
One front door for residents. One operational flow across CPS Energy and Dalkia. One accountable path through intake, SAP, dispatch, field work, closure, and follow-up.
Resident Experience
Find the Exact Streetlight
Residents could select the affected light on an interactive map and move directly into issue reporting.
- Streetlight identified by location
- Digital issue submission
- Less dependence on repeat calls
Resident Experience
Capture the Right Context
The reporting tool carried location and problem details into the service workflow so the request could be acted on.
- Resident and outage details
- Clear path into operations
- Connected to the repair lifecycle
Resident Experience
Close the Resident Loop
A structured issue form connected the resident-facing experience to the operational work required to resolve the outage.
- Relevant issue information captured
- Field work could follow the report
- Repair status could return to the service path
Operating Model
The Exact Workflow That Closed the Repair Loop
The resident interface, system workflow, dispatch process, field execution, closure, and follow-up were designed as one accountable service loop.
311 & Call Center
Customer Report Online
Streetlight Alert
Resource Mgmt. Call
IVR
SAP W/O Created
Create SAP Work Order
Order Dispatch to
Crew
Decision: Simple Repair
Follow Order Created
Order Sent to Tech Crew
Field Work
Completed
Field Work
Completed
Outage Order
Closed (MDS)
Outage Order
Closed (MDS)
Outage Order
Closed (SAP)
Outage Order
Closed (SAP)
Automation
People
The value didn't come from adding another isolated tool. It came from creating one operating model that CPS Energy and Dalkia could run from the first report through the completed repair.
Impact
From Public Failure to Smart-City Recognition
A streetlight program that was making local news for all the wrong reasons delivered 73% fewer repair calls, 43% fewer truck rolls, and repair windows that dropped from three weeks to 1-4 days across 225K+ streetlights serving 1.5 million residents.
73%
Fewer Repair CallsReduction after digital intake and closed-loop operations
43%
Fewer Truck RollsReduction through better dispatch and field coordination
1-4
Day Repair WindowReduced from approximately three weeks
1.5M
Residents ServedSan Antonio residents supported
Problem
Residents reported the same outages repeatedly with no visibility into whether anything would be fixed.
01
Decision
A map-based resident reporting experience connected intake directly to the operating workflow, replacing repeat phone calls with one digital path into the repair system.
Outcome
Repair calls fell 73% after digital intake and closed-loop operations went live.
Problem
Field crews arrived without current work-order information and follow-up repairs disappeared between teams.
02
Decision
The field iPad workflow and SAP integration gave crews live work orders, completion tracking, and automatic follow-up order creation without manual handoffs.
Outcome
Repair windows fell from three weeks to 1-4 days. Truck rolls fell 43%.
Problem
CPS Energy and Dalkia each owned part of the repair process but nobody owned the complete journey.
03
Decision
One shared operating model across both organizations, with clear handoffs, shared visibility into the repair lifecycle, and one accountable service loop from report to closure.
Outcome
The solution launched and deployed successfully, serving 1.5 million San Antonio residents and winning the 2025 Global Smart 20 Award.
“
Ron Nirenberg
Mayor, San Antonio, Texas
Recognition
Press & Accolades
The program went from local-news failure to a 2025 Smart 20 Award. The press coverage, board records, and project documentation below trace the full arc.
San Antonio New Low-Carbon Streetlights
August 20, 2025
PressABC News
New solar streetlights set to go up across San Antonio as CPS Energy partners to modernize the city's streetlight network
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