Patent Application
20230214743
The present invention relates to reliability engineering and to technical procedures.
Reliability engineering refers to the systematic application of best engineering practices and techniques to operate a plant safely and efficiently such as to improve the overall equipment effectiveness by increasing the equipment availability, production rate, and product quality.
Technical procedures, and in some fields called Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), represent important tools for consistently implementing best engineering practices and techniques. For example, written technical procedures are used extensively in the nuclear and general power generation industries, pharmaceutical and medical industries, food supply industries and chemical industries, to name a few, and some of these it is a regulatory requirement.
The Department of Energy standard DOE-STD-1029-92, Writers Guide for Technical Procedures, which is incorporated herein by reference, provides excellent background on the purpose, format and writing mechanics of preparing technical procedures. As discussed therein, a principal objective for technical procedures is that operations be conducted in a safe, deliberate, and controlled manner. In addition to training and day-to-day supervision, providing sound technical procedures and requiring workers to use them is among the most formal, direct, and effective methods available to facility managers to ensure that their operations meet designated objectives. Proper technical procedures provide managers with a critical management tool to communicate detailed expectations for how individual workers are to perform specific tasks.
When best implemented, technical procedures address how all operations and processes are to be performed, from the administrative to the technical, thus several broad types of technical procedures must be part of a facility's program including:
1. Management control procedures which define the communication and coordination activities necessary to carry out the facility's technical programs, management control programs, and design control programs. These procedures describe the processes to be followed to ensure that all of the various programs' functions are effectively integrated and that the programs' requirements are applied appropriately throughout the facility's lifetime.
2. Operational procedures which prescribe precisely how to accomplish the various technical tasks associated with starting up, testing, operating, and maintaining the facility's equipment and systems. These procedures specify fixed tasks and define activities in a way that ensures operations are safe, effective and standardized. It is noted that operational procedures are sometimes referenced as technical procedures in the art, but that would be confused with the broader use of the term technical procedure within the meaning of this application and is avoided herein.
3. Emergency and alarm response procedures which define the action steps to take when an abnormal condition exists. Emergency procedures address conditions that require immediate and absolute attention to mitigate problems, reestablish safety boundaries, and bring operations and equipment back within established operating parameters. Alarm response procedures address the actions to be performed in response to annunciators and other types of facility displays that indicate an abnormal condition. Each of these technical procedure types is slightly different owing to the intended purpose and use of the technical procedures; the considerations in effect at the time of use; the level of detail required to allow the task to be accomplished; the typical user of the procedure; and the degree to which compliance with the procedure must be documented.
The technical procedures that workers use, in order to be effective management tools, must present the best knowledge available of how to integrate the policies, principles, rules, parameters, processes, controls, products, culture, physical facilities, equipment, material, and people necessary to operate a facility safely. In addition, technical procedures must be technically and operationally accurate, up-to-date, and easy to follow, or workers will lack confidence in them and may not use them.
The background or supporting information, generally called basis documentation, must be organized and applied appropriately in developing a procedure for a specific process or technical procedure. Further, the resulting procedure must be accurate and easy to follow. Meeting these objectives requires the implementation of procedure programs that include, among others, the following program elements: The cooperation of management, technical, and administrative personnel in ensuring that sufficient staff time, information, and other resources are available to those individuals responsible for the procedures program. Further, procedures must be updated as required by operational activities: upgrades or modifications to equipment or systems may trigger procedural changes; adjustments in training requirements or certification levels may require reassessment of procedures; and changes in the safety requirements or management philosophy may also result in review of procedures to ensure that the procedures reflect the current configurations, philosophy, and safety criteria. Additionally, procedure revisions also result from growing operational sophistication; continued use of a procedure or the system or equipment it addresses may identify a better or more appropriate method for completing the task. Any change to the basis for facility operations will be likely to require procedure revisions.
Ensuring that a facility has adequate technical procedures that are maintained and updated, has been a complex job. In the food and drug industries inadequate technical procedures or standard operating procedures (SOPs) are one of the most frequently cited causes of many deficiencies and observations found in FDA initiated “Forms 483” and “Warning Letters”. While specific technical procedure issues can often be traced back to poor communication, monitoring, and/or enforcement, a poorly written technical procedure can quietly grow into a host of other major compliance problems. A well-crafted technical procedure offers clear direction and instruction specifically designed to avoid deviations—an absolute necessity for maintaining compliance and delivering quality products.
Depending on the size and scope of a company, a single organization may manage hundreds or even thousands of technical procedures. Any change in regulation, corporate policy, or production process can affect hundreds or thousands of personnel. This is where technical procedure “versioning” becomes critically important. For example, the FDA requires companies to distribute technical procedures in a timely manner and that each employee validate the receipt and understanding of it. In larger organizations, this often requires an expensive Electronic Data Management System (EDMS) that must comply with regulatory requirements, provide secure access for program monitoring and management, and store data in an audit-ready format that is quickly available for regulators during an inspection. “Failure to follow written procedures” appears frequently in Forms 483 and Warning Letters—a clear indication that employees neither understood nor applied the necessary knowledge to fulfill their responsibilities.
It has been recommended that technical procedure programs should include testing or evaluation features that establish an employee's level of comprehension for any technical procedure. Online-based testing programs have been proposed that give managers immediate access to this information and promote a quick response to knowledge gaps when identified. Similarly, testing documentation demonstrates to regulators that a company's commitment is to effective employee education rather than document distribution alone.
Digitizing technical procedures, sometimes referenced as computer-based procedures or CBP has been proposed for some time to phase out paper-based procedures. For reference, Brookhaven National Laboratory published “Computer-Based Procedure Systems: Technical Basis and Human Factors Review Guidance” in March 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference, and which studied human factor review guidance in Computer-Based Procedures in the nuclear industry.
INL published an “Evaluation of Computer-based Procedure System Prototype” in September 2012, (inl/ext-12-27155), which is incorporated herein by reference, that noted “Although CBPs have been investigated as a way to enhance operator performance on procedural tasks in the nuclear industry for almost 30 years, they currently are not widely deployed at United States utilities. Much of the previous research has focused on CBPs in the main control room for new plants with highly integrated systems. Adopting CBPs for older plants with less integrated systems poses many challenges that are not present in new plants. Additionally, CBPs for the main control room may be more challenging to implement than CBPs for field workers. Thus, the current research focuses on CBPs for field workers.”
In addition to generally discussing digitizing technical procedures this INL research project crafted a rudimentary procedure execution tool, a review of which is helpful in understanding the present invention.
The INL execution tool prototype included what they identified as “Context-sensitivity.” Allegedly, to minimize the risk of error and to make it easier for the field worker to take the correct action, the research team decided to incorporate context-sensitivity into the CBP. Context-sensitivity means that the CBP only presents the relevant steps to the user. In the prototype, relevant steps are selected based on user input.
The INL execution tool prototype included what they identified as “Simplified Step Logic.” A requirement identified by the research team states that when the necessary information is available to the CBP, the procedure system should evaluate the step logic. This allegedly shifts the burden of the evaluation to the system rather than the field worker. Thus, the researchers chose to revise the presentation of conditional steps. Instead of presenting the step as an IF/Then statement, the mock-up illustrates how the CBP would prompt the user to enter the relevant conditions (or acquire the conditions from a plant database), and then present the appropriate path.
The INL execution tool prototype included “Automatic Correct Component Verification.” Manipulating the wrong component was identified as one of the most common errors during procedure execution in the qualitative study. The CBP mockup illustrates how the CBP system should prompt the user to scan the barcode (or take a photograph of the label for optical character recognition) before proceeding with a step. The CBP system would verify that the scanned component was the correct component before allowing the operator to execute the step.
The INL execution tool prototype included Automatic Place Keeping.” Another common error that operators make during procedure execution is execution of steps out of sequence, or omitting a step. This has been attributed to the fact that place keeping in PBPs is difficult due to the lack of salience in the place keeping method. The mock-up illustrates how the CBP system keeps track of where the field worker is in the procedure, marks steps as completed, and highlights the currently active step. The CBP mock-up also illustrates how the operator can quickly navigate to the currently active step from anywhere in the procedure interface by clicking on a continuously available link to the active step. Additionally, the mock-up illustrates how the CBP system should prevent the operator from executing any step other than the currently active one.
The INL researchers found that presenting a procedure on a small device such as an IPAD® tablet computer poses many challenges, and the researchers decided to present the procedure one step at a time. The researcher assert it is essential that the CBP system allows the field worker to look ahead and back in the procedure as well as finding where in the procedure the field worker is at all times. The prototype allows the user to navigate to any step in the procedure from any place in the procedure. As an alternative to the single-step presentation style, the researchers developed an overview mode, which displays all of the steps so that a user can continuously scroll through the entire procedure. In several situations, the user may want additional information including: information regarding how they ended up in a particular path, information about how to actually use the procedure system, information, etc. The prototype shows that additional information will be indicated with a small icon. The prototype highlights the critical information that a user needs to accomplish his task. Steps that are not yet activated, are “grayed out” making them readable, but indicating that they are disabled. The INL research demonstrates the needs for these tools.
Visual Knowledge Share Ltd. promotes a Digital Work Instruction Platform in which procedures and documentation are digital for easier use, better understanding, and quicker updates. Made of photos, videos, audio recordings, charts, plans, and the like, the digital instructions are intended to yield less confusion and higher quality results in a paperless, data processing tool that gathers real-time information for improved control of operations. The Digital Work Instruction Platform represents some of the commercially available platforms available, yet they do not integrate necessary components into the overall system.
There still remains a need for effective tools for technical procedure scoping, technical procedure writing, technical procedure modifying, technical procedure scheduling, technical procedure executing, and technical procedure managing.
One aspect of the invention provides an integrated, real time, digital, technical procedure platform comprising: a technical procedure scoping tool configured to assist in the process of evaluating and defining a given operation or process including an assembly or listing of required tools, equipment, parts, labor, authorizations, images, and existing hazards and all other constituents necessary for writing a technical procedure therefor; a technical procedure writing tool configured to assist in the process of drafting a written step by step technical procedure for a given operation or process; a technical procedure modifying tool configured for storing, revising, and updating technical procedures associated with changes to the procedures and/or constituents thereof, and maintaining a revision history of the technical procedure; a technical procedure scheduling tool configured for identifying the resources needed to complete a scheduled procedure, identifying a location of a scheduled procedure, setting a time for performing given scheduled technical procedures, including beginning times and estimated end times; a technical procedure executing tool configured to assist in the process of performing a given technical procedure; and a technical procedure managing tool configured for monitoring and evaluating the progress and completion of technical procedures.
One aspect of the present invention provides an integrated, real time, digital, technical procedure writing platform including common libraries for at least three of parts, tools, equipment, labor, hold codes, delay codes, hazards and permits.
One aspect of the present invention provides an integrated, real time, digital, technical procedure scoping and writing platform including a scoping tool configured to allow writers to evaluate and define a given operation or process including an assembly or listing of required tools, equipment, parts, labor, authorizations, images, and existing hazards and all other constituents necessary for writing a technical procedure therefor in a writing tool of the platform.
These and other advantages of the present invention will be clarified in the brief description of the preferred embodiment taken together with the drawings.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an effective and efficient computer-based, integrated, real time, digital, technical procedure scoping, writing, modifying, scheduling, executing, and managing platform. The platform may be “cloud-based”, or a SaaS platform in its implementation.
The phrase “technical procedure” within the meaning of this application defines a written step by step operational procedure on how a given operation or process is to be performed, from the administrative to the technical to emergency. Generally, these would follow the guidelines set forth in DOE-STD-1029-92 Writers Guide for Technical Procedures.
The phrase “technical procedure scoping” within the meaning of this application defines the process of evaluating and defining a given operation or process including an assembly or listing of required tools, equipment, parts, labor, authorizations, images, and existing hazards and all other constituents necessary for writing a technical procedure therefor. The technical procedure scoping 20 aspects of the platform are accessed with the scoping button or icon.
The phrase “technical procedure writing” within the meaning of this application defines the process of drafting a written step by step technical procedure for a given operation or process. Written means fixed in tangible reproducible form, which in this implementation is digital. The technical procedure writing 30 aspects of the platform are accessed with the writing button or icon.
The phrase “technical procedure modifying” within the meaning of this application defines the process of storing, revising, and updating technical procedures associated with changes to the procedures and/or constituents thereof, and maintaining a revision history of the technical procedure. The technical procedure modifying 40 aspects of the platform are also accessed with the writing button or icon.
In one implementation of the platform of the invention, all storage is cloud-based and available on any approved device. In a SaaS model, the platform will hold a client's procedures for a period of service (and even longer) in order to allow for retrieval for investigative or federal inspection purposes.
The phrase “technical procedure scheduling” within the meaning of this application defines the process of identifying the resources needed to complete a procedure, location of procedure setting a time for performing given technical procedures, including beginning times and estimated end times. The integrated platform of the present invention provides accurate real time estimates of procedure and schedule completions. The technical procedure scheduling 50 aspects of the platform are accessed with the scheduling button or icon.
The phrase “technical procedure executing” within the meaning of this application defines the process of performing a given technical procedure. The technical procedure executing 60 aspects of the platform are accessed with the executing button or icon.
The phrase “technical procedure managing” within the meaning of this application defines the process of monitoring and evaluating the progress and completion of technical procedures. The technical procedure managing 70 aspects of the platform are accessed primarily with the reporting button or icon, although the auditing and administrative icons will lead to monitoring and evaluation aspects as well.
The term “integrated” within the meaning of this application in relation to the technical procedure scoping tool 20, the technical procedure writing tool 30, the technical procedure modifying tool 40, the technical procedure scheduling tool 50, the technical procedure executing tool 60, and the technical procedure managing tool 70 of the platform refers to the interaction of each of these tools on the platform.
Libraries 80
One key aspect of the platform of the present invention is to provide common libraries 80 of parts, tools, equipment, labor, hold codes, delay codes, hazards and permits. These libraries 80 are used by the procedure writers to pull from when developing the procedures. Having a common set of parts, tools, equipment, labor, hold codes, delay codes, hazards and permits allows for uniformity in the procedures. Further as a parts, tools, equipment, labor, hold codes, delay codes, hazards and permit in one such library 80 is updated or replaced the platform can automatically update all procedures with that updated or replaced component.
In addition to the libraries 80 listed is a library 80 of uploaded figures and videos that can be used within the procedures. The figures may be interconnected or linked with associated components from the parts, tools, equipment, or other libraries. For example the video may be a short film showing a 360 view of a piece of equipment in operation that the writers of a procedure can insert in select procedures using that piece of equipment and the video is linked with the equipment listing in the library 80 for easy access. The figure and video library 80, like the other separate libraries 80, gives the ability to locate all references of a figure or video used in any procedure across the platform and can push a new/updated replacement image or video to any procedure using an old image/video that is updated. The platform will record and document any such updating.
Many facilities will implement a computerized maintenance management system or CMMS system. The platform will integrate with a facility's CMMS system to add or remove parts, equipment and other library 80 information with API calls, whereby if the user updates their CMMS system, the platform can automatically update the associated procedures. The platform will track and document any such updates. The platform will also integrate with the CMMS to input Start and Finish times on any Work Orders generated by the CMMS and referenced within Schedule Tool of the platform.
The platform will interact with onsite employee management systems to match up the labor positions of scheduled and executed procedures with onsite employees. The use of standardized positions within the labor library 80 facilitate this operation.
For example, employee badges are often used to swipe an employee into the facility and the platform can integrate with this badge-based system to advise if the labor or management associated with a procedure in question is available, or alternatively advise if there is a lack of qualified labor (such as needed equipment operators) or managers on site. Further in execution the platform will not allow procedures to progress unless the correct labor is available or logged in, although the system will allow a supervisor with correct authority to override this stopping of a procedure due to lack of qualified labor and the override will be properly documented.
Scoping 20
One aspect of the present invention is the ability of procedure writers to use the scoping tool 20 to define the process of evaluating and defining a given operation or process including an assembly or listing of required tools, equipment, parts, labor, authorizations, images, and existing hazards and all other constituents necessary for writing a technical procedure therefor. The writers may collect new video and audio and photos in the field associated with a new procedure to be written. There may be notes on new components needed for an associated new procedure, new parts, new tools, new equipment and the like.
Writing 30/Modifying 40
The writing tool 30 essentially also forms the modifying tool 40 for existing procedures on the platform. Modification of a procedure may include a separate scoping document associated with the modification in question. The technical procedure modifying tool 40 is configured for storing, revising, and updating technical procedures associated with changes to the procedures and/or constituents thereof. The modification tool 40 will also maintain a complete revision history of the technical procedure. Note that any portion of a procedure created in tool 30 may be modified in tool 40 after the procedure has been created.
The cover page 32 originally created in tool 30 will include a short title, date, catagorization of the level of use of the procedure, a body or abstract of the procedure and bibliographic information related to the procedure.
Scheduling 50
A PERT chart is a visual project management tool used to map out and track the tasks and timelines. The name PERT is an acronym for Project (or Program) Evaluation and Review Technique. A PERT chart can be drawn as a free-form diagram. PERT charts conventionally include boxes or circles (“nodes”) representing events or milestones and connecting them via arrows, representing the tasks that must be completed between each milestone and the amount of time the team will have to complete each task. The platform of the present invention automatically creates PERT charts 100 for the overall procedure and for steps.
Managing 70
Execution 60
The procedure executed in tool 60 can be divided into a i) a cover page or section 62 as shown in
As the operator completes each step, the step may be manually checked off and the steps updated, and the platform thus holds the user's place in a procedure. This is known as placekeeping and becomes even more important in procedures that span considerable time.
Once the tasks here are fully complete the COMPLETE icon in the tool 60 can be clicked to move to the next task or set of steps. While the operator is on each step the platform is timing the length of time spent on completeing this step, and the timing is vital for scheduling and management and updating of future procedures. A timer for the total procedure may be shown
The platform will track if the procedure is being performed on schedule,or not, and if not the platform will know and track what steps are backing up the schedule. When there is a delay some of the scheduled work orders will turn red indicative of the delay. The platform provides for real time updating of forecasting of completion times for the scheduled procedures.
As shown in
One optional aspect of the invention is the platforms potential uses of a repeat-back process—sometimes referred to as three-way communication. In three-way communication, the sender (conventionally a worker) first orally states his or her message to the receiver (typically another worker) clearly and concisely. For instance, the sender may direct the receiver to take an action, such as altering a piece of equipment that could impact the crew's safety. Within this aspect of the invention, the platform will serve as the sender. Next, the receiver acknowledges the communication by repeating the message to the sender. The receiver must restate any critical information exactly as it was stated by the sender. If the receiver does not understand the sender's message, he or she must ask for clarification. Finally, upon receipt of the proper indication from the receiver, the sender acknowledges the receiver's reply and verbally confirms to the receiver that the message is correct and properly understood. If the sender does not understand the receiver's reply, the sender must verbally indicate that the two parties do not understand each other, and then the repeat-back process must start again from the beginning. Thus in summary the platform acts as the sender in this context and will generally read an instruction and await it being read back when it will issue a confirmation. If the platform does not understand a response from the receiver the platform will make that known, such as by saying NO to make any miscommunication known to the worker.
The platform may further incorporate procedures that have alternative paths not selected by the operator or operator inputs. Here the path direction is or may be automatically chosen by the platform based upon observed and measured parameters. Essentially, the platform will incorporate the calculations for alternative paths so the operator merely needs to inputs a desired parameter. As a representative example, in an inspection of vehicle, the procedure may direct the operator to input the tire tread depth and if an operator inputs 3/32″ or less the platform automatically moves to a replacement of the tire as part of the procedure whereas if the measured measurement is greater than 3/32″ the procedure can move to the next step. The platform is designed to only require the operator to perform measurements and allows the platform to automatically perform any required calculation.
It should also be mentioned that the subway map 110 allows for navigation in procedure by the operator to the desired steps.
Another feature of the platform is a Safety feature that would send out an alert to supervision that a step hasn't been completed in an expected amount of time. This delay could be indicative of a safety issue with a worker, e.g. fell off a ladder, sprayed with scalding water, etc. An alarm would sound on the device and send alerts to cell phones or other devices.
The platform of the present invention as described above provides an integrated, real time, digital, technical procedure platform comprising: a technical procedure scoping tool configured to assist in the process of evaluating and defining a given operation or process including an assembly or listing of required tools, equipment, parts, labor, authorizations, images, and existing hazards and all other constituents necessary for writing a technical procedure therefor; a technical procedure writing tool configured to assist in the process of drafting a written step by step technical procedure for a given operation or process; a technical procedure modifying tool configured for storing, revising, and updating technical procedures associated with changes to the procedures and/or constituents thereof, and maintaining a revision history of the technical procedure; a technical procedure scheduling tool configured for identifying the resources needed to complete a scheduled procedure, identifying a location of a scheduled procedure, setting a time for performing given scheduled technical procedures, including beginning times and estimated end times; a technical procedure executing tool configured to assist in the process of performing a given technical procedure; and a technical procedure managing tool configured for monitoring and evaluating the progress and completion of technical procedures.
Although the present invention has been described with particularity herein, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment disclosed. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/290,397, filed Dec. 16, 2021, titled “Computer-Based Integrated, real time, digital, technical procedure scoping, writing, modifying, scheduling, execution and managing platform” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63290397 | Dec 2021 | US |
