Only a few years ago we all thought that tweet was what birds did, a post was something that the telephone lines hung on for the birds to tweet and feed was what we put in the cute containers to attract birds to our yard.  Today Social Media uses these words, and many others, to keep people connected with items of interest.

In the Automation Industry social media went from a way to find a job to this galactic information source that we use to chat about issues, market our products, find solutions to solve problems, oh yea, and look for a job. There is, however, one problem with social media, anyone from anywhere can post their opinions regarding the topic of the day.  The cool thing is that, like Wikipedia, the industrial automation family does not hesitate to correct, interject and influence to maintain the integrity of the information. Others who tweet, own discussions, manage groups and have blogs can police their account and control what comments are allowed on the site.  I delete a couple hundred spam and unrelated comments on this blog each month.

Most automation manufactures and service providers have blogs and forums to share the latest news, technology guidance or educational offerings (webinars, podcasts, technical briefs, etc.).  The most popular and fastest growing social media tool used by automation professionals is LinkedIn. Twitter is also popular with us techies some as well as FaceBook, Google+ and other popular sites.

I originally created a LinkedIn account as an early adopter.  It was cold, dark and lonely in that space, therefore I did not use LinkedIn, neither did my all 5 of my connections.  After a seminar on Social Media by Marketing Goddess, Sheri Worthington I opened a new account and now visit LinkedIn daily.  There are several levels of LinkedIn accounts including a FREE account which most people use. I currently have upgraded to a premium account with additional benefits.  In addition to general contact activity I also subscribe to 23 LinkedIn Groups that engage in topics that interest me.  Most of these groups have very active discussions, debates and educational tips and tricks.  Here are a few groups that I participate in:

Social Media is a valuable resource if used effectively.  To see if Social Media adds any value or Zen to your life schedule about 30 minutes / day for  one week and see if you realize any  benefits for you or your business. 

Hanson’s Treatment of Time:  There are never enough hours in a day, but always too many days before Saturday.

Thank you to those who have commented, held discussions and sent emails regarding my “Finding the Golden Egg in Your Batch System” post last month.  I thought that a bit more detail regarding this topic would be of interest to you and coincidentally Avid’s Marketing Team posted a Technical Brief,  From Golden Batches to Golden Results. 

 Avid posts Technical Briefs like this each month targeted to the Specialty Chemical, Life Sciences and Power Generation industries.  If this type of information interests you please subscribe to our mailing list.  

 I was on a flight from Charlotte to Indianapolis and the pilot announced that we were going to have turbulence on the flight due to thunderstorms.  I typically disregard these announcements and write them off mentally as the airlines covering their A$$ in the event that something does happen.  A short time after takeoff, the pilot’s prediction for turbulence was accurate as we were bouncing around like jumping beans in a large tin can.  Suddenly a high pitch whistling sound emanated from some unknown source.  It sounded like it might be coming from the cabin or possibly outside somewhere.  Either way it was alarming and had everyone looking around anticipating the worst.  

My seat was situated with a view of the left wing and all the mechanics of the flap operation.  I looked to see if there was evidence of something leaking, misaligned or anything suspicious like an alien aircraft performing some experimental test on the integrity of our gravity defying machine.  Thankfully no apparent evidence of complications were visible from my vantage point. (Not that I would recognize anything wrong with my limited experience in aviation.) 

The whistling continued for what seemed like 2 days but was actually only about 2 minutes.  Then, without a word, the 1^st class Flight Attendant emerged through the elite barrier, walked hurriedly through coach section to the rear of the aircraft and extinguished the worrisome sound.  She went back to 1^st class with no announcement or explanation of this anomaly as I prayed that we would land safely.   I never asked what the noise was and hope I never experience it again.

The moral of this true story is that your alarms must be understood and managed to keep people from panicking.  Some organizations do not have an Alarm Management system or process to handle alarms.  Plant personnel don’t know what to do with the myriad of lights, horns, whistles, buzzers, etc. and often ignore them all, except for the universal BOOM! alarm.  Standards such as ISA 18.02, EMEU 191 and API 1167are available as guidelines to manage alarms in control room, plant and SCADA environments.  Many companies, however, do not subscribe to alarm management and subsequently tolerate nuisance alarms, alarm floods and mistrust from aloof operators.   

Ask yourself, “Is my alarm management system and process causing anxiety in my facility?”    To avoid turbulence in your facility, conduct an assessment and evaluate your alarm management process.  If you wait too long to respond, like the 1^st class flight attendant who said nothing to no one, it may cause panic and anxiety in your facility.

Zen Tip: Do one thing at a time and do it well.

  When I was a young boy we would always attend the annual Easter Egg Hunt in our home town of  Lafayette, LA.  The excitement of finding as many candy filled plastic eggs as possible was the goal, but I always hoped to find the
Golden Egg. The prize for finding the golden egg was a large basket of premium candy with lots of CHOLOLATE, my favorite. Today I just buy the chocolate to prevent from running over all those little children.

Your batch system functioning properly is a goal similar to gathering a lot of Easter Eggs.  Your Golden Batch, however, is  equivalent to finding the much sought after golden egg.  Here is an excerpt from Avid’s value proposition regarding how we may help you find your Golden Batch.

The Quest to Find Your Golden Batch Recipe May Include:

Reduced Cycle Time:  Driving toward greater OEE through a variety of methods including: improved parallel phase processing, coordinated reduction in wait time for common utilities, and golden batch implementation.  We commonly see double digit efficiency gains.

Improved Consistency and Quality: With tighter controls and integration of operator experience into control intelligence, consistency in output can be greatly enhanced.  With golden batch comparison and control, optimal performance has reduced quality variance by more than 20%.

Improved Flexibility:  Our batch solution enables quick adaptation to accompany the changes required for new product production.

Greater Operator Awareness: We specifically enhance the normal DCS interface to keep the operator continually aware of batch operations.

Code Reuse: We design our phase logic to enable reuse, thus reducing the engineering effort across the software life cycle, long after the project is completed.

The end result is a Robust Solution(the Golden Egg for your batch).  We employ a unique monitoring of manual and automatic operation, ensuring your batch is not compromised with maximum operator flexibility.

The quest to find the Golden Egg for your batch application is Zen like.  Have one of our Subject Matter Experts hunt for ways to
improve your batch application.  Together we can improve process control for bottom-line beneficial results (the golden egg).

 Zen Tip: 

Don’t kill the goose that laid, or helped you find, the Golden Egg!

Wikipedia  states that Sweet Sixteen may refer to Sweet sixteen (birthday), the  NCAA Division I Basketball  Championships, Music, Television films, fire arms, Apple Computer language  or a cognitive assessment tool screening for dementia.  This is the season for the NCAA Basketball  Championship brackets.

This week in  the national news we were made aware that the President made time to pick his Sweet 16 brackets.  I thought that if he has time to do this so  should I.  My Sweet 16, however, relates  to my recent series on Process Systems Upgrades.  Let’s look at what we covered in this series:

1. Process  Systems Upgrades are more difficult to implement than new systems  installations. – Why  Is This So Difficult? The KATA of Automation
2. Don’t wait too long to upgrade your system – Automation  Insomnia, If you Snooze YOU LOSE!
3. Depending  upon your project it may be better to consider a modular upgrade vs. a Rip  & Replace of  the entire system approach – Automation  Insomnia, If you Snooze YOU LOSE!
4. Selecting  a control system vendor should not be the first step in your process upgrade – Pain  is Instructive, Automation Upgrades the Zen way!
5. Understand  what drivers contribute to successful upgrades Pain  is Instructive, Automation Upgrades the Zen way!
6. Knowing  your stakeholders – Do  you know your Stakeholders? Managing Successful Automation Upgrades (cont.)
7. Understand  the consequences of not including the stakeholders Do  you know your Stakeholders? Managing Successful Automation Upgrades (cont.)
8. You  cannot satisfy everyone but listen to everybody – Do  you know your Stakeholders? Managing Successful Automation Upgrades (cont.)
9. Engaging  Subject Matter Experts who know your process, application and business to save  money in your projects – Look  before you Leap! Seeing Treasure in your Automation Upgrades.
10. How do we know what  needs to change? And, how do we change it? –  Look  before you Leap! Seeing Treasure in your Automation Upgrades
11. You can turn waste into profits Look  before you Leap! Seeing Treasure in your Automation Upgrades
12. Knowing your project type – Faster,  Better, Cheaper! Pick Any Two for your Automation Upgrade.
13. Knowing your project schedule – Faster,  Better, Cheaper! Pick Any Two for your Automation Upgrade.
14. Knowing your project budget – Faster,  Better, Cheaper! Pick Any Two for your Automation Upgrade.
15. Knowing the Red Flags of your project  – Red  Flag Zone, or The Death of Your Control System
16. REMEMBER, it’s your process and
    Intellectual Property not the system that makes your product. – Red  Flag Zone, or The Death of Your Control System

Well there it  is my top picks list.  I am not certain  if this Sweet 16 list is as important as the NCAA Division 1 Championships but  it may have longer term positive effects to your safety, the environment and the  profitability of your business.

“The worst possible thing that could  happen during a process start-up is to run out of coffee”.

P. Hunter Vegas

In the Middle Ages, ships in combat displayed a long red streamer, called  the Baucans, to signify a fight to the death.  Today, Red Flags are issues that cause control  systems not to work as they should, and engineers to beat themselves to death  over it.  Determine what your Red Flags  are before you write the first word of your specification, create the first  drawing or write a single line of code.  This will give you an opportunity to develop  a strategy to mitigate risk and have successful upgrades.

 RED FLAGS vary greatly and may  include things that have nothing to do with equipment such as: poor or  non-existing system documentation, lack of process knowledge by the engineer or  systems integrator, no plant champion, vague project scope, unrealistic project  expectations, lack of funding or inadequate payback.    Some  equipment Red Flags may include:  intrinsically  safe barriers, existing serial or digital communication networks, I/O “Looped”  through another system, system to sub-system hardwired I/O, use of existing  wiring, inadequate real estate for the upgrade and a myriad of other things.

To begin with, you cannot replace  what you don’t understand.  Here is a method  that you can follow to minimize most difficulties during the upgrade and after  the project is executed.  Step 1 is to  visit the plant and evaluate the existing process and system application.   Step 2,  interview the Stakeholders and Step 3, appraise the qualified vendor  manufacturers.

During the evaluation phase, request  an opportunity to observe the existing system and learn its functionality.  Understand the normal and the abnormal  operations (start-up, running, shutdown, alarming, cleanout, failure recovery,  etc.). This is a vital step as most plants do not want to retrain their people  so maintaining similar functionality is important.

Next, explore what the stakeholders  like/don’t like and what improvements they want or need from the new system.  This portion of the evaluation is often  difficult and requires management, time, and consensus to insure buy-in from  everyone.  Brainstorm, prioritize and  plan for the future here.  Take this  information and build an infrastructure to accommodate all aspects of the  system.

Now it is finally time to evaluate  the qualified vendors.  Don’t let the  tail wag the dog.  REMEMBER, it’s your  process and Intellectual Property not the system that makes your product.   Create  an Evaluation Matrix with all the data gathered during Step 1.  Attend user conferences or visit plants with  systems installed to discuss actual users’ opinions of the systems under  consideration.  Ask for hands-on demo and  evaluate logic structure and functionality including communications.  Configure the demo similar to your plant
environment such as adding a device, creating alarm scenarios, graphically simulate  normal operations and shutdown of your plant.  You may want to consider installing a pilot in your facility to see how  it works in real world situations. Investigate what the system does and how it  works (I/O and communication cards, grounding, what the system communicates to and  how often, etc.).  Beware of Automated  Conversion Programs as they seldom work 100%. Vendor support is vitally important  to the total life cycle of your system.  Sometimes your lifecycle support cost exceeds the initial  investment.  Find out what you support  contract covers.  Ask how they respond to  calls, issue upgrades, maintain spare parts, etc.

After this evaluation, your team  may find your options have been greatly reduced…and that is a GOOD thing!  The options that satisfy your criteria are  MUCH more likely to result in project success.  The other options were wrong from the start!

Knowing the drivers for your automation upgrade can determine whether you stand in the unemployment line or stand before management presenting your success story (and collecting the bonus).  Last week, we discovered that the most important drivers for your automation upgrade are the Stakeholders. After understanding the stakeholders and their requirements, we must address the project type, schedule, and budget.

This is not easy!  Preserving your system needs within a budget and schedule is like trying to use a balance scale while racing a sports  car (American of course).   Project types, budgets, and schedules vary tremendously, and expectations are often not attained.

Project types include:

• In Kind Replacement – Usually version upgrades, no real change.
• Mostly the Same, But Different -  This is the most common. Clients want a new control system and they want it to do the same thing, but “better”.  (Defining “better” is the issue!)
• Total Replacement – This is either a completely new process or Clients have minimal automation and a new system is being installed.

Project Schedules:

• Hurry Up – “You mean you are not done yet?” Very short time to design/purchase/configure the system and get it running.
• No Hurry But Quick Changeover – Longer project schedule, very short cut over – There is time to select and configure the system, but the production outage
  must be minimized at all costs.
• Preplanned – This schedule allows for adequate research time, evaluation period, and longer cutover time with consideration of time and money to execute the project correctly.  This approach mitigates risks, entails present and future needs of the system, and requires minimal production interruption. This is an  ideal automation upgrade but seldom happens.
• Euphoric – Long project schedule and very loose budget. Use your methodology and any  supplier that you want …HA!!!  Like THAT will happen.

Project Budget: Obviously price impacts system selection, but time usually trumps cost.

“We have no money.” – Price rules all decisions.  You would be surprised what people give up for money.  Consider the lifecycle cost.

“We are funded but need some ideas to reduce costs”- most typical budgets

•  System Retrofit Options - Does the vendor offer ways to interface to existing wiring/IO Cards/controllers? Do you WANT to re-use existing items?  What about software         conversion? (Does it actually work?? TEST! TEST!! TEST!!!) or should we leave the software as it is?
• Phased implementation ( we need to extend the time to upgrade)
• Project executed in phases with the Front End Engineering (evaluation, economic analysis and design). The deliverable includes a modular approach that prioritizes the project implementation.
• Phased approach is typically more expensive in the long run but reduces upfront costs.  It also helps to justify the remaining phases.  Most importantly, this builds trust and confidence of the team with small noticeable successes
• As part of a large plant upgrade:
• It is common during a plant upgrade and shutdown for automation systems to be upgraded.  Control system engineers should be a stakeholder for these larger upgrades, or you will not get what you need, and typically your budget and schedule will not be adequate.
• There are benefits to this approach because capital budgets typically have some tolerance for upgrades needed in the infrastructure and subsystems.

Zen tip: “If you get all the facts, your judgment can be right; if you don’t get all the facts, it can’t be right.”

Bernard M. Baruch

Next time, we will discuss the RED FLAGS that you must be aware of when upgrading your automation system.

Discover how The Cognitive Conqueror creates value  from waste in your plant.

Have a Happy Leap Day!

After much instructive pain, I now ask clients who the stakeholders are for their projects.  I often get the deer in the headlights look then some of the most shocking answers, such as:  “Engineering always takes care of this and understands the needs of all Stakeholders involved” or “There are other stakeholders but no one really has time for this” or my favorite “You only have to deal with me.”  These responses typically guarantee failure of your  automation upgrades.  Here’s why – it is essential to have ALL Stakeholders who may have benefit or concern with your system upgrade involved from the beginning of every project.  This effort is not easily accomplished but pays dividends for your project and your career.  Take time to understand who your stakeholders are, solicit their input, encourage them to participate in the design and be an essential part of your projects.  This exercise will create a culture of synergy with all parties having contribution, buy-in and accountability to the success of your project. Can you relate to the following story?

Early in my career, management would ask our group to design, build, install and commission projects for our company.  We would have a kickoff meeting (engineers
only), define the scope, assign tasks, work and delegate until we were done.  Projects were usually executed by our approved contractors and usually awarded to the lowest bidder. We sent the specs, design documents and drawings to them and would check on them periodically.  We, however, would not spend much time with them and no time with the people who would have to live with our system after we installed it.

After some time we emerged from our work caves, cubicles had not been invented yet, to implement our project. We would reconvene at the jobsite and go through a habitually painful start-up.  Why?  Because we did not get any of the stakeholders input or buy-in. Engineering would say that the operators were too picky, didn’t understand the constraints and wanted too much.  Production Operators would not be so kind.  It was more like what the F;@4 was engineering thinking, those A%#@!*&> don’t have to live with this piece
of S!*& and if they ever come here I’ll ……….  Well you get the idea.

Stakeholders for automation upgrades have changed considerably due to concerns for investment payback, security, functionality, total cost of ownership, lifecycle support, compliance and migration/compatibility to other systems.  It is imperative that from the
beginning to the end of your project that Upper Management, Corporate Engineering, Plant Engineering, Operations, Maintenance and IT be included.  The primary objectives for these people are likely similar, however, the specific drivers for individuals in the group may
be radically different.  One may be  concerned with security while another’s opposing concern is remote access for support.  Every aspect of the project is important and must be considered, otherwise you get the $%*)!@+ treatment.

Remember you cannot satisfy everyone but you must listen to all.  Inclusion and consensus from stakeholders with a common goal will give you the greatest opportunity to
succeed managing your automation upgrade.

Do you want to have your next automation upgrade to be Better, Faster and Cheaper?   Join us next time to understand how you cannot have it all when I continue with the series, Managing Automation Upgrades.

No snowflake falls in the wrong place.

Zen Proverb