Strategic Roles Are Essential for Continuous Improvement

Background

How Can Organizations Add Efficiency and Grow Faster Than the Competition?

Any organization that wants to pursue operational excellence in asset management will need strategic roles in key places. However, not every organization can afford these roles when starting. As the business grows and the vision expands, they may want to add strategic roles.

Organizational growth is crucial to long-term success. Proper utilization of key business systems becomes even more important as the business model grows and the need for accurate decision-making expands – especially for asset-intensive organizations. The best-in-class organizations recognize the importance of having strategic roles.

All organizations start with leadership and tactical positions which are necessary to run the business. A manufacturing company might have a maintenance manager, supervisor, and six craft. A small organization however would not have a planner, reliability engineer, or asset manager. If the business started to grow and new roles were needed over time, which ones should they pursue first? They may hire more craft but at some point, more strategists will be required.

Tactical Organization Becomes a Strategic-Minded Organization

Precision Reporting Requires Precision Data

Most asset-intensive organizations have a CMMS. This software contains the asset and inventory registry. It also tracks work order costs associated with those assets. Ideally, there is a utilization plan that says what the endgame is, and what applications are mandatory to support that endgame. As good as the software may be, it will not prevent bad data, poor quality, and poor decision-making.

Advanced processes enable organizations to do more with less. One example is with planning and scheduling. The objective might be better efficiency, enhanced productivity, and improved job safety. Implementation of these new programs also means there are new responsibilities. Note that a new responsibility means a new hire but sometimes a current job position can have their role altered. Either way, this is where smaller organizations need to be wise about what type of improvement they are after and the role changes they need to support this process. A long-range plan would outline the shortest path to value.

What are the Advanced Processes?

Advanced processes include an automated weekly maintenance schedule, chronic failure analysis, RCFA, RSD/RCM analysis, defect elimination, outage management, and defect elimination. Advanced processes may be more complex as they require the interaction of software/data, process/procedure, and roles/responsibilities – but are easy to execute (once set up). They may take longer to implement, but once implemented, they offer the greatest potential improvement in the asset management spectrum in terms of efficiency and decision-making.

The automated weekly maintenance schedule makes use of a risk-based ranking of the backlog which takes the “worry” out of prioritizing work orders. The following picture shows how this matrix might be set up. A nightly cron task automatically updates the backlog.

Strategic Roles Support Advanced Processes

A strategic role in asset management assists with data accuracy [gatekeeper], asset policy and long-range capital planning [asset manager], merging engineering requirements with CMMS technology [CMMS professional], monitoring asset performance [reliability engineer], evaluating risk associated with O&M activities [HSE/Risk manager], identifying which technologies and assets are best for condition monitoring [CBM lead], prioritizing issues and enhancements [core team], leveraging data from CMMS to find bad actors and manage by exception [reliability team], and planning/scheduling the backlog [planner/scheduler].

Note: I would create the long-range plan as a collaboration of the asset manager, core team, reliability engineer, CMMS professional, CMMS administrator

What Roles Should be Pursued First in Support of Advanced Processes?

For me, I value failure reporting and analysis over planning and scheduling. I understand that others may disagree. This approach drives my “order of hire” thinking. Where others would pursue a planner role, I place this position last compared to the other key roles.

[1] The Role of a Gatekeeper

I would implement a gatekeeper role before any other role. Small-to-midsize organizations have no planner/scheduler staff, but they could have a gatekeeper role. Those organizations that complain about data accuracy inside the CMMS do not have a gatekeeper role.

A gatekeeper would be someone with extensive experience and familiarity with the plant. This role could most likely be found within existing staff. The greatest benefit is the application of a rough estimate to all incoming work meaning the entire backlog will have a craft estimate and management. This enables management to know the size of the backlog. As the organization grows, and when combined with a backlog ranking, an automated weekly maintenance schedule could be generated.

[2A] HSE/Risk Manager

When processing a new work request, the gatekeeper would (1) flag HSE concern which would then electronically route the work order to the HSE/Risk manager, where he would (2) grade the event using the (3) hazard matrix. Depending on the process, the work order would then be routed to the planner/scheduler for (4) the schedule date.

[2B] Reliability Engineer

The strategic task of a reliability engineer is to manage risk and prevent failures. Reliability engineering deals with the longevity and dependability of parts, products, and systems. It is about controlling risk. Reliability engineering and maintenance engineering are two distinct but related fields. While maintenance engineering focuses on keeping equipment running and minimizing downtime, reliability engineering is focused on designing and optimizing systems for maximum reliability and uptime. Reliability engineers will be familiar with process and predictive technology sensors. The RE will also be involved in refining maintenance strategies as new failure modes are discovered.

[3A] Core Team

A core team manages the CMMS in support of asset management. The core team consists of stakeholders from all user groups. They meet regularly to evaluate issues, problems, and enhancements. They also organize benchmarking and training activities. The core team will be involved in creating the CMMS utilization plan, data quality plan, business rules, KPIs, and proactive error checks.

[3B] Condition Monitoring Technician/Analyst

Skills include vibration analysis, lubrication, infrared thermology, and ultrasound. The goal of any condition monitoring analyst will be to identify impending defects and provide as much time to correct them as possible. A condition monitoring analyst will report findings by generating a machine condition report, an email, a work order request, and a telephone call. Monitoring equipment health and the status of your request for action is still required. Make sure that the equipment condition is not becoming worse and do not allow the health condition of the equipment to be forgotten or action to be delayed to the point of equipment failure.

[4A] Asset Manager

An asset manager is responsible for developing and executing asset management plans. Asset managers work with the CMMS core team, the reliability team, the inventory management team, planner/schedulers, and maintenance/reliability engineers. They also manage the capital renewal plan and long-range plan.

[4B] CMMS Professional

[5A] Reliability Team

1. Develop and manage reliability maintenance programs.
2. Develop key performance indicators (KPIs) for maintenance/reliability.
3. Review new equipment specifications and drawings with project engineers for reliability and maintainability.
4. Review major equipment purchases.
5. Manage/track equipment condition and performance monitoring.
6. Manage analysis of major equipment issues or problems.
7. Manage RCFA investigations and teams.
8. Make recommendations for stocking only superior spare parts.
9. Run bad actor reports directly from CMMS; analyze the worst offenders and drill down on the cause; suggest corrective action.
10. Facilitate benchmarking activities: consult with other departments, other refineries, professional associations, and corporate HQ engineering (if available) concerning equipment problems.
11. Evaluate work order feedback including asset condition, maintainability issues, design flaws, operability issues, PM-task improvements, and PM frequency.
12. Review new failure modes as discovered on work orders.
13. Investigate significant findings from the defect elimination program.
14. Support 5-year capital renewal plan for assets; repair/replace decisions.
15. Discuss significant findings by condition monitoring technicians.

[5B] Planner/Scheduler

This could be two roles (planner and scheduler) or just one. A planner could also be considered a tactical position instead of strategic but smaller organizations will not have this position.

Strategic Thinkers are Essential for Continuous Improvement

It does not matter where in the organization structure you are, whether you are a tradesperson, a manager, or a planner – you can influence others. Leadership describes a future state where all stakeholders can be active participants in the reliability journey. A long-range plan helps to communicate this future state by identifying the endgame and the prerequisites to get there. More importantly, it identifies the shortest path to value [once converted to a schedule].