Importance of Inter Discipline Check

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An engineering design and consulting firm engaged in providing consultancy services in the chemical process industry is a multi-disciplinary organization. Typically the engineering disciplines that exist in an engineering design and consulting firm are "Process Engineering", "HSE Engineering","Piping Engineering", "Instrumentation Engineering", Mechanical Engineeering","Electrical Engineering", "Civil Engineering" "Project Engineering" and "Quality Assurance (QA)". Some companies may have even more such as "Telecommunications Engineering", "Costing Engineering" etc.

All the aforementioned disciplines prepare engineering documents and deliverables during the execution of a project. However, it is important to remember that most projects are multi-disciplinary in nature, with a few exceptions. It means that drawings, documents, calculations are required from all disciplines for completion of the engineering activity. In a nutshell, the complete engineering package of any project comprises items from all disciplines.

When working for a project in a multi-disciplinary environment, drawings, documents and deliverable for all disciplines become to a great extent a joint or co-ordinated effort of all disciplines. Remember, the start point or initiation of any project is from the process engineering group. No wonder, good process engineers are prized possessions of any engineering consulting company.

The subject of "Inter Discipline Check", familiar to many experienced engineers working in the engineering design and consulting field by its acronym "IDC". This write-up on IDC is especially aimed at creating an awareness to all engineers (Experienced and Fresh Engineers) working in the engineering Design and Consulting Sector.

Let's get on with what IDC is all about.

An engineering design and consulting firm engaged in providing consultancy services in the chemical process industry is a multi-disciplinary organization. Typically, the engineering disciplines that exist in an engineering design and consulting firm are :

• Process Engineering
• HSE Engineering
• Piping Engineering
• Instrumentation Engineering
•  Telecommunications Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Civil & Structural Engineering
• Project Engineering
• Quality Assurance (QA)
• Costing Engineering

All the aforementioned disciplines prepare engineering documents and deliverables during the execution of a project. However, it is important to remember that most projects are multi-disciplinary in nature, with a few exceptions. It means that drawings, documents, calculations are required from all disciplines for completion of the engineering activity. In a nutshell, the complete engineering package of any project comprises items from all disciplines.

When working for a project in a multi-disciplinary environment, drawings, documents and deliverable for all disciplines become to a great extent, a joint or coordinated effort of all disciplines. The starting point or initiation of any project is from the process engineering group.

The process of IDC is basically an activity which ensures the following :

1)   Creating complete awareness about the project for the assigned multi-disciplinary team.

2)   Ensuring all critical documents / drawings / calculations are reviewed, marked and corrected as required by the multi-disciplinary team for –

a)   Correct inputs.

b)  Adherence to applicable Design Codes & Standards.

c)   Use of authorized design software for developing Drawings and carrying out design calculations.

d)  Following Client’s Guidelines / Procedures / Standards / Specifications, as applicable.

e)  Removal of errors, and

f)   Ensuring that the project quality plan is followed for producing Quality Deliverables.

 3)   Ensuring information flow periodically during the project execution phase, for example vendor data, design review(s) / HAZOP Recommendations are captured in the engineering deliverables, to bring these deliverables up to the level of being useful for the construction of the plant.

The process of IDC is basically an activity which ensures the following:

1. Creating complete awareness about the project for the assigned multi-disciplinary team

2. Ensuring all critical documents / drawings / calculations are reviewed, marked and corrected as required by the multi-disciplinary team for correct inputs, removal of errors and ensuring that the project quality plan is folllowed for producing first-class project deliverables

3. Ensuring information flowing periodically during the project execution phase, for example vendor data, design review(s) / HAZOP is captured in the engineering deliverables, to bring these deliverables up to the level of being useful for the construction of the plant.

Inter-Disciplinary Commenting - also referred as SQUAD Checks - During the Engineering of projects - there are certain documents on which there is a dependency of other documents. 

Example - a plant layout specifies the relative orientation of the various structures in the plant and if there is any change in the layout of the plant - the work of other disciplines will get affected, say if these structures are connected by pipes, then the length required to connect the pipes will change if the relative distances between the structures will change. The above implies that in the above case - if there is a change in the plant layout - which is controlled by the project team - then the said change should also be notified to the Piping team always. 

Normally, the discipline - which is custodian of the documents, will review the document and then will circulate the document to the respective disciplines for their comments. This process of circulating the document for the comments of the respective disciplines is referred as a Inter-Disciplinary Commenting or SQUAD CHECK. 

Usually, the originator discipline will select the disciplines to which this document needs to be circulated and usually these reviews are parallel reviews where all the people can review the documents parallel manner and not sequentially.

For Example: Lets take a Process Engineer's Delvierables

The engineering documents / drawings that a process engineering team prepares and that need an IDC from other disciplines are typically listed below:

a. PFDs (need IDC only from Instrumentation and QA and that too if PFD represents control logic)

b. Project Design Basis (Instrumentation, Piping, Mechanical, Electrical, HSE, Civil, Projects, QA)

c. P&IDs (IDC from Piping, Instrumentation, Mechanical, Electrical, HSE, Projects, QA, Civil)

d. Equipment Process Datasheets (Mechanical, Instrumentation, Electrical, Piping, QA)

e. Instrument Process Datasheets (Instrumentation, Piping, Electrical, QA)

f. Hazardous Area Classification Drawings prepared by Process / HSE (Electrical, Instrumentation, Mechanical, Piping. QA)

g. Operating, Control and Safeguarding Philosophy (Instrumentation, Mechanical, Piping, QA)

h. Pre-commissioning and Commissioning Procedures (Mechanical, Instrumentation, HSE, Piping, QA)

i. Plant Operating Manual (Instrumentation, Mechanical, HSE, Electrical, Piping, QA)

j. Design Review and Closeout Report (Instrumentation, Mechanical, HSE, Piping, Electrical, Projects, QA)

k. HAZOP Review and Closeout Report (HSE, Instrumentation, Mechanical, Piping, Electrical, Projects, QA)

The aforementioned deliverables are just a few of the important process/HSE deliverables that need an IDC. There can be many more and some of them could also be project specific.

Some of the deliverables from other disiplines that need IDC from process are:

1. Mechanical Material Requisitions or specifications

2. Instrument Material Requistions or specifications

3. Electrical Load List prepared by Electrical

4. Equipment (Static / Rotating / Package) Vendor Data

5. Instrument Vendor Data

6. Piping Material Requisitions or specifications

7. Pipe / Valve / special in-line fittings Vendor Data

A process engineer certainly does not need to do an IDC for a transformer or sub-station specification. A process engineer certainly does not require to do an IDC of civil foundation drawings and structural piles. Similarly, there is absolutely no sense of a process engineer reviewing an electrical single-line diagram or instrument loop drawings. It doesn't make sense for a process engineer to review cable schedules. What I am trying to say is that, there should be some analysis of what deliverable requires an IDC and from whom. Generally good engineering companies have an IDC matrix which specifies the discipline-wise individual deliverable which requires an IDC and from whom.

In a nut-shell, the objective of IDC is –

  “To provide error-free Engineering that paves way for a smooth Construction, Operation and Maintenance of the Plant or Processing Facility”

Possible Sources:-

https://instrumentationtools.com/inter-discipline-check/

https://www.cheresources.com/invision/blog/4/entry-286-inter-discipline-check-its-definition-description-and-importance/

https://whatispiping.com/importance-of-inter-discipline-check-for-a-process-engineer/

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