DSO Readiness Benchmark

What is the DSO Readiness Benchmark?

The DSO Readiness Benchmark is a structured assessment designed to measure how Distribution System Operators are evolving towards a future-ready operating model.

As electricity systems become more decentralised, volatile and customer-driven, DSOs must develop capabilities that go beyond traditional grid management, enabling real-time operation, flexibility markets and system-wide optimisation.

The survey is based on the Magnus Energy DSO Capability Model, which defines eight core capabilities across people, processes, data and technology. To ensure depth and relevance, these capabilities are assessed through three focused benchmarks to respect the intricate details between the roles and responsibilities of respondents.

Why are there three separate benchmarks?

It is not realistic for a single respondent to assess the full scope of a DSO organisation. Capabilities are distributed across specialised teams, from control rooms and asset management to strategy and external coordination.

Each benchmark takes 10–12 minutes and give you your initial score after finishing. We will then follow up with you to go through the results.

Which benchmark should you take?

Select the benchmark that best matches your role and expertise:

1. Grid & Customer Insights

Understand the system

This cluster of capabilities deal with gaining grid visibility and anticipation. Without monitoring and forecasting, decision making remains reactive. Early customer products provide immediate value and lay the groundwork for market engagement.

Best suited for:

• System operations, control room and grid monitoring teams
• Forecasting, outage planning and grid analytics specialists
• Customer, metering and flexibility product teams
• Data, digital and platform roles supporting grid visibility and customer insights

→ Choose this if you work on understanding, monitoring and anticipating grid and customer behaviour.

Start Benchmark: Grid & Customer Insights

2. Grid Reliability & Capacity

Act on the system

This cluster deals with to ‘acting upon’ your insights by applying risk-based maintenance, orchestrating capacity dynamically and leveraging technology to optimise network utilization.​

Best suited for:

• Asset management, maintenance and field operations teams
• Reliability, condition monitoring and asset performance specialists
• Capacity planning, congestion management and flexibility professionals
• Technology and OT/IT roles focused on improving grid utilisation

→ Choose this if you work on maintaining reliability, managing assets and optimising network capacity.

Start Benchmark: Grid Reliability & Capacity

3. Larger-scale System Optimisation

Shape the system

This cluster focusses on the extent to which DSOs actively collaborate with their environment to optimize the system as a whole. For example: exchanging expertise and data with TSOs or collaborating with governments to plan grid development congruent with societal demands.​

Best suited for:

• Network planning, system development and strategy teams
• TSO-DSO coordination and market integration professionals
• Regulatory, policy and stakeholder management functions
• Energy transition, investment planning and ecosystem development roles

Start Benchmark: System Optimisation

What happens next?

Your input contributes to a structured maturity assessment, identifying strengths, gaps and improvement opportunities across your organisation.

Where relevant, we follow up with a targeted discussion to translate insights into concrete actions, ensuring your organisation is well positioned for the energy transition.