Oil and gas companies are under constant pressure to improve the efficiency of their assets and operations in order to reduce costs and remain competitive. Routine maintenance is an important aspect as it helps to improve efficiency by preventing equipment failure, improving operational efficiency and ensuring safety.
Given that routine maintenance is a regular occurrence, it should ideally run seamlessly according to established milestones and within the allotted time and budget. However, many oil and gas companies continue to face recurring maintenance challenges with each cycle.
Common issues include an ineffective work permit management system that leads to inefficiencies and potential safety risks; inadequate preparation for routine maintenance that leads to missed milestones, delayed execution, and compromised quality of work; and unidentified delays in past maintenance tasks without proper follow-up and root cause analysis that contribute to ongoing problems.
Historical performance data to support the work management cycle
With multiple processes and departments involved in maintenance tasks, how can an organization ensure that preparations and implementation proceed smoothly from initial planning to final execution? Adopting a high-level approach to maintenance—specifically the work management cycle—can help ensure that tasks are completed on time and effectively. This approach includes identification, planning, scheduling, resource allocation, and implementation. While it may seem straightforward, it requires strict adherence to the plan and consistent application across all departments.
To optimize maintenance tasks using the work management cycle, leveraging historical performance data from previous maintenance cycles is essential for analyzing and benchmarking effectiveness. This data-driven approach allows for customized solutions and recommendations tailored to your facility, ensuring that challenges are addressed effectively. The availability of historical performance data contributes to the development of a well-structured work management process.
Continuous improvement: Approaches for refining work management processes
Having well-developed and effectively implemented work management processes is critical to ensuring smooth operations and minimizing the costs associated with equipment failure, process interruptions, and overtime. Based on Renoir’s 30 years of experience helping clients improve maintenance performance through adherence to these processes, here are industry-tested approaches that deliver results:
1. Workflow Mapping and Review
Multiple process/workflow mapping sessions will be held, with a cross-section of process owners at every level within the organization, to thoroughly and completely map out the necessary steps within that process, as well as to identify any potential bottle necks or other process inefficiencies. Once the initial mapping is complete, validation sessions should be held with a larger group in order to put the final stamp of approval upon the mapped process/workflow. When the process is mapped, additional training as necessary can be completed in order to reduce skills-based inefficiencies.
2. Initiative Definition
Categorize potential improvements based on these key areas:
- Process: Examine work processes, in cooperation with a cross-section of workflow owners, that need to be changed or improved, remove inefficiencies and redundancies by focusing on eliminating non-value-added activities.
- Management System: All Work Management processes must be managed through a structured and sustainable Management System, which consists of a cascading series of formal meetings, Key Performance Indicators and Reports, at the appropriate level and cadence, which allows for control of the work in the moment and over time. This system should be formalized and strongly structured, but must also remain evergreen, in that it is flexible enough to evolve as processes and needs mature.
- People – Training, Capability, Behavior: Well-designed work management processes cannot succeed without the commitment of people. Identify the aspects of the human element that need intervention, whether it is behavior, knowledge or skills. Provide targeted training to address the issue.
3. Implement Best Practices
- Work Management Process Discipline: Work Management processes are developed in order to ensure that work is completed as safely and efficiently as is possible. Following from that is the understanding that the failure to follow those workflows in a disciplined manner increases organizational risk, and is therefore to be avoided.
- Variance Management and Performance Review: Deviations from the plan are inevitable, but it is important to understand why they have occurred. Regular performance reviews help identify the root causes of variances, enabling adjustments to processes and strategies, and systemic issues. Making course corrections along the way, utilizing the concept of Short Interval Control (SIC) increases the chances that work will be completed on schedule, or that plans are developed along the way and in the moment to get back onto schedule as quickly as possible.
- Active Supervisory Behavior Model: Effective supervision requires ongoing guidance and support. The Active Supervisory Behavior Model emphasizes the importance of routine check-ins, clear communication and timely intervention. A short interval control (SIC) model can be used to monitor progress, identify and address problems early, preventing them from escalating.
Commonly overlooked aspects of work management processes
1. Quality of operator defect identification and notification
Operators need to have a good understanding of the equipment and processes to accurately identify potential problems or failures. A poorly identified defect or problem will result in inaccurate work order information, leading to failure to identify technicians with the right skills, unavailability of the right tools and spares, and inaccurate work order planning and scheduling. Therefore, prioritizing the quality of defect identification and notification is essential for successful work management.
2. The absence of a frozen schedule
When a schedule is frozen, it should not be changed without approval and valid justification. Adherence to agreed rules for “break-in” work is critical, and break-in work should be minimized whenever possible. When preparing the schedule, it is important to fully utilize the available manhours to ensure high levels of technician wrench time.
Transforming work management processes with change management
Many organizations have established work management processes, but their effectiveness can decline over time. Optimizing these processes utilizing a Continuous Improvement mindset can help ensure sustainability of the processes as well as bring other benefits, including cost savings, reduced maintenance backlogs, and improved asset reliability.
Implementing change can be challenging due to organizational inertia. However, with effective change management, resistance can be overcome and employee buy-in fostered, leading to successful process optimization. Change Management can also be assisted by a formal process or team within an organization, dedicated to the utilization of Continuous Improvement, or by creating that same mindset within the entirety of an organization.
At Renoir, our global team of consultants is experienced in change management and process improvement. We work with organizations to re-evaluate and realize the potential of process improvement to achieve a step change in maintenance execution efficiency.
Address inefficiencies in maintenance planning and execution by implementing the best practice work management processes.
