These examples of excellence have been derived from the wealth of information and insight NERC has gained from its Readiness Evaluation Program.  This program, which was initiated in 2004, is a key NERC priority because it encourages the industry to look critically at its operations from a reliability standpoint.  

The readiness audit teams, each led by a NERC staff member and a regional co-leader, independently review the operations of reliability entities throughout North America. Through the evaluations, the teams note positive observations, make recommendations for improvement, and identify practices that could serve as examples of excellence for the industry.   

Team leaders meet routinely to review newly discovered findings and carefully consider each practice against the broad spectrum of experiences and practices within the many organizations that have been evaluated.  It is through this process that NERC develops these examples of excellence, which have been demonstrated to be effective, feasible, and capable of being implemented 

Not every example listed here will be appropriate for every organization in every circumstance, but more widespread implementation of these practices will help sustain and continuously improve interconnected network reliability.  Each organization will make its own decisions on whether or not to implement an example of excellence.  

The examples of excellence posted here are not “best practices”, which imply a singular best approach and require a more comprehensive review by technical experts within the industry.  Rather, the examples of excellence are examples of how organizations are accomplishing their reliability functions in a manner that approaches excellence.  Moreover, NERC does not endorse any commercial products or services that an example might discuss, but focuses on the practice itself and its usefulness in enhancing reliability. 

These examples of excellence provide a valuable resource for the electric industry.  NERC commends the organizations that have demonstrated their commitment to excellence in operations by implementing these practices.  These organizations have demonstrated a sincere effort to do what is in the best interest of the electric industry and its reliability.   

As NERC conducts additional readiness evaluations, it will expand this list.  In some cases, NERC may replace an existing example with a new one if another practice we encounter in the readiness evaluations “raises the bar.”  This will ensure that we continually move the industry forward to achieve excellence in reliability operations.