It’s said that history doesn’t repeat, but it often rhymes. And in the energy sector, those rhymes are unmistakable.
Whether you’re managing infrastructure, optimising grids, or preparing for the next wave of decentralised generation, the fundamental challenges remain the same: how to improve reliability, reduce costs and respond to shifting demand and regulation.
While the core business drivers haven’t changed, the tools have. Today’s energy environment is more digitally connected, data-driven and decentralised than ever before. With that comes complexity, fragmentation, and risk – and that’s especially true for the teams tasked with enabling and maintaining these digital systems.
Enter operational innovation.
Unlike traditional digital transformation – which often focuses on deploying new technologies – operational innovation addresses the deeper, often overlooked changes needed to turn those technologies into outcomes.
It’s about aligning strategy, culture, and process to drive results – not just tick boxes.
Why good projects fail: a lesson in misalignment
Energy businesses juggle hundreds of projects at any given time – smart meter rollouts, SCADA upgrades, cybersecurity initiatives, and customer system overhauls to name just a few.
But many of these projects underdeliver.
Not because the tech fails, but because the outcomes were never clearly defined. It’s easy to mark a project as successful because it went live. But if that upgrade doesn’t cut truck rolls or improve accuracy, has it really delivered?
At Brennan, our benchmark is simple: a project isn’t complete until the benefits are visible in the data – whether that’s improved uptime, faster fault response, or better customer satisfaction.
A familiar story: the runaway project
Not long ago, Brennan took over a failing project that had spiralled out of control. Originally scoped as a $500,000 logistics platform upgrade over six months, it had stretched into a multi-million-dollar black hole, with no go-live date in sight.
The issue? Scope creep.
No one had pushed back on expanding requirements. Changes weren’t documented. And most critically, the project had lost sight of the original business objective: improving delivery scheduling.
When Brennan stepped in, we stopped the clock, redefined the scope, and introduced measurable success metrics. Within months, the platform went live and started delivering the operational improvements the customer had been waiting years for.
Project triage in actions: Picking the right battles
It’s tempting to try and do everything – especially when every corner of the organisation is pushing for digital investment. But strategic prioritisation is essential.
At Brennan, we’ve found that the most successful energy IT leaders keep their strategic plan front and centre, using it as a lens to evaluate their backlog. Which initiatives will move the dial on system reliability, customer experience, or decarbonisation goals? Those go to the top.
The exceptions? Any project that impacts safety, compliance, or customer trust – say, an outage reporting tool, or cyber risk remediation – these trump everything else. Once these are handled, teams can move to optimisation and innovation.
Micro innovation: fixing the friction points
Some of the biggest wins we’ve seen at Brennan come not from major projects, but from what we call micro innovation – systematic fixes to persistent pain points. But what does this look like? Here’s an example.
One of our customers, reliant on a standing army of rostered carers working staggered rosters, was experiencing huge productivity bottlenecks when 20 per cent of returning staff were forgetting their log-on credentials. Long call waiting times and multiple manual password resets followed, diverting the focus of this customers’ IT team.
Brennan developed predictive artificial intelligence (AI) tools to identify password errors in real-time, directing inbound calls to an AI operator. The upshot? An 80 per cent reduction in in-bound support calls and overall NPS scores lifting from 80 to 92.
In energy environments, similar opportunities are abound – from eliminating delays in field data syncing to improving log-in times for mobile workforce apps.
At Brennan, we grade these opportunities based on impact, number of users affected, and operational value. Then we tackle a handful each month, creating a consistent rhythm of improvement.
Beware of “dream selling”
Too many project proposals focus on the dream: predictive AI, decentralised orchestration, or real-time grid analytics. But what’s often missing is a clear, grounded plan for execution.
Before you invest, ask:
- Are we solving a real operational challenge?
- What’s the measurable benefit?
- Do we have the capabilities and resources to deliver and sustain the change?
Being ruthless with these questions can prevent years of detours and deliver better ROI on digital spend.
Culture: the final (and often forgotten) ingredient
Technology implementation is the easy part. Adoption is where most projects fail.
Brennan once rolled out a password automation tool to reduce call centre load – but usage dropped because it didn’t work properly for new user types. Staff reverted to manual processes, eroding the intended benefits.
In this case, the fix wasn’t more tech. It was communication, training, and a cultural reset. Change champions. Carrot-and-stick incentives. Clear articulation of the business outcome.
When people understand the “why”, they’re far more likely to support the “how”.
Too often, adoption phases are underfunded or scrapped altogether. In an industry like energy – where systems can last 10–15 years – getting this wrong creates inefficiencies that last for decades.
The road ahead: two priorities for energy IT leaders
As Brennan looks ahead, two key focus areas stand out for us:
1. Artificial intelligence
AI is already influencing forecasting, maintenance, and customer operations. But rushing into AI without a defined problem or clear path to value is a trap. Always ask: how will this improve outcomes, and how will we measure it?
2. Cybersecurity
The stakes in energy are uniquely high. Breaches don’t just impact data – they can affect supply, safety, and trust. Cyber risk mitigation must remain a board-level priority, with continuous investment in detection, training, and response capability.
Final thoughts: data is the driver
Once the obvious inefficiencies are gone, the real work begins – with data. Analysing customer complaints, incident logs, asset performance, and user behaviour reveals the insights that fuel true performance improvement.
Operational innovation isn’t about doing more projects. It’s about doing the right ones and making sure they stick. In a sector where reliability, safety, and transformation all converge, that kind of disciplined, outcome-driven approach is what turns complexity into advantage, and ambition into measurable progress.
Brennan believes that how technology is delivered is every bit as important as what the technology is.
We focus on creating real and relevant value for more than 1700 companies and their end users by designing, procuring, maintaining and delivering technology systems that fit their specific needs, and always reflect their true interests.
For more information, visit brennanit.com.au
