Who Should Attend:
All employees involved in the work order process.
Overview:
Behind every successful electric utility is a seamless connection between the field, the office, and the data that ties it all together. This eight-part series takes a practical, whole-utility look at the work order process—from the first stake in the ground to the last entry on the balance sheet.
Regardless of your role in the work order process, you’ll gain tools and insights that improve communication, accountability, and accuracy across your organization.
Register for one session or complete the full series for a comprehensive view of how the work you do every day supports reliability, rates, and long-term ratepayer value.
Understanding the Work Order Life Cycle, March 17, 2026
Learn how the entire work order process connects departments, data, and dollars. Gain a high-level view of how engineering, fieldwork, materials, and accounting fit together—and how decisions in one area ripple throughout the organization.
Maintenance and Capital Work, April 14, 2026
Discover the “why” behind capitalization rules and learn how to make consistent decisions that protect your utility’s integrity and rate stability. This session also explores planned versus unplanned project workflows—the differences between them, why each requires clear processes, and how having defined approaches for both creates operational and financial efficiency.
Simplifying Assemblies, Paperwork, and People, May 12, 2026
Each department plays a crucial role in the work order process, with specific steps that support the overall workflow. But when teams understand how all the pieces fit together, they can anticipate one another’s needs, reduce redundant tasks, and avoid costly rework. This session focuses on how to optimize collaboration and prevent work orders from “swimming back upstream” for corrections or missing information.
Smart Materials Management, June 9, 2026
Materials tell the story of your utility’s biggest investments. This session explores how smarter material tracking, charge-outs, and reconciliation directly affect rates and reliability—including how to reconcile a completed work order to the materials charged to the job. You will also learn about why material differences between warehouse counts and computer systems occur, and how to create a cleaner, clearer material process that enhances transparency and control.
Labor Accuracy and Workforce Efficiency, July 14, 2026
Time is your utility’s most valuable asset. In this session, you will learn how to manage internal and contract labor more effectively, explore the difference between capitalized and expensed time, and identify where small process improvements can yield major savings. The session also provides an overview of labor tasks and activities by utility role, clarifying where and how labor is recorded, reported, and reviewed within the work order process.
Special Equipment Decisions, Aug. 11, 2026
Not every utility handles special equipment (serialized equipment that is movable on the system) the same—and that’s okay. This session helps you determine whether special equipment should be inventoried at your utility, what that change entails, and how to manage the process if you decide to make the move. You’ll learn how to track, retire, and refurbish these assets while developing your understanding of the financial, operational, and system impacts of inventory status.
The Art of Assemblies, Sept. 15, 2026
Assemblies are the foundation of every construction project, but accuracy depends on much more than the design. This session covers the impact of stock and non-stock items on assembly units, how to maintain pick list accuracy, and how to manage design code specifications and material substitutions caused by supply chain or cost challenges. You will also explore how to determine appropriate inventory levels, identify how much inventory the utility should hold, and establish truck stock practices that support operational readiness and control.
How Work Orders Shape Your Rates, Oct. 13, 2026
In this session, explore how everyday decisions in the field, warehouse, and office directly affect your utility’s financial performance and ratepayer costs.
Recordings:
Recordings of each webinar are provided to registrants after the live webinar.
Instructor:
Teri Wallis, Terilyn Wallis Consulting
Schedule:
All webinars will be held from 10-11:30 a.m. Pacific Time. Attendees will be admitted 15 minutes before each webinar begins.
How to Participate:
Instructions will be emailed to attendees 24 hours before the webinar, and we recommend that you test the link to the meeting as soon as you get the instructions. The webinar is best viewed using Chrome as your browser. We recommend that you use a landline for your phone and internet connections.
This registration is for one person to attend. We manage our webinars on an honor-system basis; if more than one person from a utility wishes to attend, each is to register separately.
Fees:
Please visit the event pages for individual webinar pricing.
Utility Member Rate: $870
Associate Member Rate: $1,430
Non-Member Rate: $3,120
Canadian utility members, please contact registration@nwppa.org for pricing and to register.
Note: Organizations that register a group of employees will receive every fifth registration for free. For example, if you register five employees, you only pay for four; register 10 employees, you only pay for eight; and so on. There is nothing additional you need to do to receive this discount.
Cancellation Policy:
Cancellations are accepted with a full refund as follows:
For webinars, virtual classes, and section meetings, cancellations at least five days prior to the event will receive a full refund; within 1-4 days or no show, the charge will be 100% of the registration fee.
When possible, please send a substitute instead of canceling; NWPPA does not charge a fee for substitutions. To request a refund, please contact us at registration@nwppa.org or (360) 254-0109.
Credit:
These courses qualify for CPE credit. Please see individual webinars for credit amount.