Management summary:
In 2007, BP’s Ravenspurn North and Cleeton platforms in the Southern North Sea (SNS) Gas assets transformed from a highly reactive to a more planned way of working (from 85% to 10% unscheduled activities). Now, with well coordinated workforces of 65 technicians on the two largest SNS Gas sites, these platforms are executing twice the amount of scheduled work with no additional personnel.

Issue:
For years, the planning and scheduling of activities across 15 locations in SNS Gas has suffered constant disruptions.
Immediate reaction to operations, maintenance, projects, wells or drilling problems was assumed to be the most appropriate and reasonable course of action. However, detailed analysis and comparison with Integrated Field Planning common process expectations (IFPcp), identified significant business opportunities for SNS Gas.

Solution:
Unlock the value of data held in Maximo with improved use to support the business processes around all maintenance activities.
By implementing IFP common process practices enable the SNS Gas team and the workforce to reduce inefficiencies and execute twice as many work orders each month, with no increase in personnel.
Make the weekly scheduling and work execution performance visible to everyone using IFP metrics and analysis presented from Maximo data. Use this analysis to deliver the management information for the ‘Monitor, Learn and Improve’ activities of the continuous maintenance improvement process.

Transformation Process:

• An integrated scheduling process covering every activity for each function was developed with the key players.
• Roles, accountabilities, and responsibilities were clearly defined.
• Training workshops were held for all levels of leadership, from Performance Unit Leaders to site team leaders to ensure everyone understood and committed to their role in the revised way of working.
• Technology: the team persisted with ensuring consistent, reliable two-way data transfer between the scheduling tool and Maximo.
• The IFPcp performance reports were developed and deployed on the Intranet using the data from Maximo.
• The visibility, ease of use and drill-through to work order level of the analysis reports delivered a vital insight into the business processes around Maximo and were used as the evidence for changing behaviours.
• Consistent, on-the-job coaching provided critical support to teams as they mastered the learning curves.
• Good practices were reinforced, using relevant performance measures from the new IFPcp performance reports.
• Team leaders committed to ‘Sticking to The Plan’, recognising that immediate reaction was not required for every problem.

Benefits:
By end 1Q08, SNS made clear performance breakthroughs in work execution versus 2006:

• Total scheduled work orders completed per month increased from 3,600 to 7,800.
• Jobs completed on schedule step-changed from 260 to 2,143 per month.
• Unscheduled jobs reduced from 85% to 10% of total work orders.
• Time spent on scheduled work almost tripled from 3,000 to 8,800 man-hours/ month, delivering an estimated £580,000/month benefit from improved work efficiency.
• Higher quality, stable work plans reduced the risk of incidents. The workforce also recognizes they are operating in a safer environment through the creation of higher quality work plans, which in turn are delivering more reliable and efficient operations.
• Workforce stress levels have reduced as the benefits of sticking to a well planned activity schedule are realized rather than having to continually react to changes.
• Leadership and workforce committed to continually reducing the complexity and risks of reactive working.
• The result is conservatively estimated cost savings of £6.9m per annum.

Knowledge sharing:
SNS Gas began implementing IFP common process with significant input from the Operations Common Process global team, including knowledge gathering visits to Gulf of Mexico Shelf sites.

In 2007, Southern North Sea (SNS) Gas assets concentrated on successfully improving short-term activity scheduling and job execution at their manned offshore platforms. In parallel with the continuing improvement at the manned locations, the organization is now extending the program to its logistically challenged normally unmanned installations (NUIs).

Unlocking the value of data held in Maximo and presentation of the IFP standard metrics was a key enabler to helping SNS managers understand where to focus their attention. This essential element for continuous improvement and learning is now implemented in Gulf of Mexico Deepwater, North America Gas and Azerbaijan.

Improvements identified from the North Sea and SNS experience have already been implemented and incorporated into the workflows. The time to set up and deploy these IFP metrics in new regions has reduced from the initial 6 months down to 1 month.

SNS’s improvements have been shared in published success stories across the North Sea SPU and the world via the Operations Common Process global coaching community.

Frequent regional networking is regularly carried out via Planning Leads, Planners and Schedulers, and Maintenance Management System communities.

Even with reduced coaching, the IFP metrics have kept the focus on continuous improvement around the business processes and data quality in Maximo. Performance has continued at the higher level in 2008, a clear indication that the platforms have achieved sustainable improvement and taken a big step on the way to silent running.

By ‘Sticking to The Plan’ and executing the frozen activities schedule, the agreed, prioritized work is continually delivered on time.