Driving Continuous Improvement Enabling Copperleaf through Process Maturity

Meet Your Speakers

MANAGER, CAPITAL PLANNING NISOURCE

CONNOR FRISS

Overview At A Glance

Investment Focus

Delivering safe, reliable energy that creates long-term value

supporting our customers’ needs, strengthening shareholder

confidence, empowering our employees, and positively impacting

the communities we serve.

Operating States Indiana - Kentucky - Maryland

Ohio - Pennsylvania - Virginia

Recognition

• Time World's Best Companies

• Dow Jones Sustainability Index

• MSCI AA ESG Rating

• Forbes' America's Best Large Employers

Process Maturity Wins

Learning Objectives

Apply governance and ownership models to reduce ambiguity and

improve cross-functional capital planning execution.

Explain why process maturity is a prerequisite for realizing value from

technical system solutions.

Identify practical process enhancements that improve consistency and

decision confidence.

Evaluate how disciplined inputs and validation processes increase trust in

optimization and scenario analysis outputs.

Design repeatable continuous improvement framework to sustain and

evolved capital planning capabilities over time.

The IFS Copperleaf Journey at NiSource Implementation to Current Day

Process Gaps Limits to Capital Planning

Unclear Ownership

Teams had shared responsibility without proper ownership

Inconsistent Requirements

Variable investment intake requirements drove scope, quality and rework

Underused Optimization

Copperleaf inputs lacked consistency and traceability

No standard Evaluation

Lacked consistent scoring procedures for portfolio investments.

Process-Enabled Decision Platform Capital Planning Maturity

We positioned Copperleaf as decision support enabled by disciplined business processes.

Process consistency comes first; clear ownership and accountability span the full planning

lifecycle.

Standardize inputs for comparability and efficiency, while allowing legitimate asset-class

differences.

Design for decision readiness so outputs are trusted, explainable, and actionable by

leadership.

Standardize Intake & Scoping Key Enhancement #1

Defined technical intake

standards for Copperleaf-

enabled investments, co-

developed with SMEs,

documented, and reinforced

through targeted training.

Minimum requirements by asset class

Clear risks and benefits in scope

Pulled upstream inputs (e.g.,

design request forms) into

capital planning to improve

completeness, relevance,

and consistency of scoping.

Higher-quality,

defensible scoring

Reduced clarification cycles

and enabled SMEs to apply

SOPs consistently, making

evaluations faster,

comparable, and portfolio-

ready.

Standardize Scoring Governance

SOPs, Workflows, and RACI Accountability

Key Enhancement #2

• Asset-class SOPs standardized risk types, mapping to Copperleaf value models, and scope-

driven inputs/outputs.

• Capital Planning documented end-to-end intake, scoring collection, calibration,

readiness checks, and outlier reporting.

• A built-in RACI clarified responsibility vs. accountability at each step.Result: fewer bottlenecks,

tighter coordination, and consistent execution across hundreds of investments.

Integrating Process Maturity with Copperleaf Trusted Inputs Unlock Optimization

SOPs expanded value-

scoring coverage across

risk drivers and reduced variability.

Standardized, repeatable scoring

Clear rationale links

eliminated unexplainable

results and strengthened governance.

Traceable, defensible rationales

With trusted inputs, teams

used scenarios confidently

and focused on strategic trade-offs.

Decision-ready optimization outputs

Impact & Alignment Outcome & Results

Continuous Improvement Model Repeatable Improvement Cycles

Annual plan, then improve

We institutionalized a yearly capital planning and continuous improvement calendar.

After each cycle, structured reviews, weekly office hours, and a Change Champion

Network capture performance, feedback, and gaps. Ideas are vetted and prioritized

during a dedicated enhancement season, with processes and documentation

finalized before the next cycle. Continuous improvement is now expected-

embedded in how we plan capital and evolve with organizational needs.

Lessons Learned Capital Planning in a Copperleaf-Enabled

Process Environment

Process maturity unlocks technology value

Process First, Tools Second

Documentation, standards, and

accountability are the core

enablers of system value.

Build Decision Confidence

Consistent evaluation and

continuous improvement sustain

leadership support over time.

Make Systems Trusted

Position platforms like Copperleaf

as decision support, not

transactional workflow.

Thank you

9 - 1.2 Breakout: NiSource: How to Elevate Asset Management: A Utility Perspective Slide 1 Slide 2: Meet Your Speakers Slide 3: Overview Slide 4: Process Maturity Wins Slide 5: Learning Objectives Slide 6: The IFS Copperleaf Journey at NiSource Slide 7: Process Gaps Slide 8: Process-Enabled Decision Platform Slide 9: Standardize Intake & Scoping Slide 10: Standardize Scoring Governance Slide 11: Integrating Process Maturity with Copperleaf Slide 12: Impact & Alignment Slide 13: Continuous Improvement Model Slide 14: Lessons Learned Slide 15: Thank you Slide 16