TAKING AN OBJECTIVE LOOK AT SCOPE SELECTION

Getting turnaround work scope right is essential to turnaround performance. Scope serves as the foundation for cost, schedule, and plant reliability. Minimizing the amount of scope and the level of scope growth during the turnaround execution window is the primary driver of competitiveness. Yet there has historically been a critical hole in our collective toolset: How do we effectively benchmark and evaluate turnaround scope?

Removing subjectivity from scope selection presents a challenge. Applying a Risk Based Scope Review or other scope challenge tools requires reliability and integrity data, as well as historical data on scope and outcome in order to forecast conditions and costs for equipment and assets. The Turnaround Scope Index (TSI) is the result of years of research on the part of AP-Networks and serves as the first tool of its kind. It allows us to look at scope objectively and to empirically benchmark turnaround scope relative to Industry norms.

HOW DO WE DETERMINE TSI?

To determine TSI, AP-Networks uses the Scope Index Model, which relates asset characteristics to maintenance scope in terms of number of pieces of equipment. Key asset characteristics in the Scope Index Model are:

• Unit Type
• Unit Capacity
• Turnaround Interval (i.e. time since last turnaround)

In addition to overall scope, equipment counts for specific equipment categories can be analyzed. We also use a Direct Field Labor (DFL) Model to determine Industry norms for specific process units, capacities, and maintenance scope. A DFL Index provides an objective comparison of the maintenance DFL hours of your turnaround with that of similar Industry turnarounds.

BENCHMARKING AND PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS

Using the TSI and DFL Index, we answer important questions regarding the risk and competitiveness of your event, such as:

• Does your turnaround have more or less scope than other turnarounds in industry that have the same process units in their scope?
• Are there types of equipment in the scope that we should challenge or review further? Do you have more rotating scope than Industry? Less electrical scope?
• Given your scope, what is the Industry average and range for direct field labor hours?
• Are you estimating more or less direct field labor hours than average given the types of process units involved?
• What is the Industry average cost and range given the types of process units involved?

CHANGE THE CONVERSATION

The Turnaround Scope Index fills a long-standing knowledge gap and puts a powerful tool in the hands of Industry. With the TSI, AP-Networks has developed a methodology to benchmark the scope of a turnaround relative to Industry norms. Our results demonstrate that companies can substantially improve turnaround performance and realize cost savings through efforts to optimize scope. Moreover, the TSI and DFL Index help teams empirically and quantitatively demonstrate these savings.