Writing Effective Operative Procedures

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Todd Jekel, Ph.D., P.E. IRC

IRC Research & Technology Forum

May 4-5, 2011 Madison, WI


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Writing Effective Operation

Procedures

IRC UW-MadisonResearch & Technology ForumSOP: P1.11

Page 2 of 26Revised 04/28/2011

Owner: TBJ

Scope: Review operating procedure

requirements & elementsAudience Qualifications: None

Special Precautions: None

Procedure:

END

STEPS DETAILS

1. Doff hearing protection

2. Go over purposes of operatingprocedures.

CFR 1910.119(f)

3. Think about what makesprocedures useful.

Format, words, certification,management

4. Take questions from audience.


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Procedures



Owner: TBJ

procedure - \prə-ˈsē- jər\, noun1. a particular way of accomplishing something or of

acting

2. a series of steps followed in a regular definite order

3. a traditional orestablished way ofdoing things


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Owner: TBJ

Words ARE important

◦ Procedure steps should be written in concise sentences

◦ Use simple language

◦ No JARGON

◦ Write tasks to 4th grade education

◦ http://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/wordsuggestions/simplewords.cfm

d f

http://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/wordsuggestions/simplewords.cfmhttp://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/wordsuggestions/simplewords.cfmhttp://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/wordsuggestions/simplewords.cfm


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Procedures



Owner: TBJ

Complicated Simple

utilize use

permit letmonitor watch

torque tighten

expedite speed up

implement start

modify change

IRC UW M di P 9 f 26


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Owner: TBJ

When you wish to instruct,be brief

; that men's minds take in quicklywhat you say, learn its lesson, and retain procedure faithfully. Everyword that is unnecessary only pours over the side of a brimming mind.- Cicero

One should aim NOT at being possible to

understand, but at being impossible to

misunderstand. - Quintilian

Use familiar words—words your readers will understand, not wordsthey will have to look up. No advice is more elementary, and no advice

is more difficult to accept. When we feel an impulse to use a

marvelously exotic word, let us lie down until the

impulse goes away. - James J. Kilpatrick



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Owner: TBJ

Procedures steps should be ACTIONS◦ If a step contains more than two items, put into a list

instead of buried in the text.

◦ If two actions are so closely related that they areperformed as a single action, a single step may makemore sense.

Example: LOOSEN & REMOVE bearing cap bolts.

WARNINGS & CAUTIONS should NOT be actionsand should be set apart from the tasks

WARNINGS tell user about potential personal safety risk

CAUTIONS tell user about potential property safety risk



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Procedures



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Operating or maintenance limits orspecifications are written in quantitativeterms

Example: 250 psig (225 to 275 psig) NOT 250 psig ±10%

Procedure steps that MUST be performed in a

fixed sequence are identified as such Example: order for tightening strainer bolts.

IRC UW Madison Page 12 of 26


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Procedures



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Title should be CLEAR & UNIQUE

◦ 18-20pt font & bigger than the company logo!

Keep front matter/boilerplate to a minimum

Steps/Tasks

◦ Use 12pt font or larger

◦ SIMPLY Numbered (consider checkbox)

◦

If something is important, make it a numbered task(e.g. don PPE)

Only use ALL CAPS for special cases (e.g. IF,THEN, AUTO, CAUTION, and WARNING)



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Procedures



Owner: TBJ

Page headings include:

◦ Facility

◦ Procedure Title its Unique Number

◦ Effective Date & Revision Identifier

◦ Page Number & Total Pages

END should be CLEAR

Normal, Temporary & Emergence Procedures areclearly identified

Guidelines for Writing Effective Operation andMaintenance Procedures, CCPS, 1994.



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Not too many words on the page, using white space effectively makes procedure easier to follow Not too many words on the page, using white space effectively makes procedure easier to follow

Not too many words on the page, using white space effectively makes procedure easier to follow



















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Procedures



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If more than one person is required to perform aprocedure, the procedure indicates the personresponsible for performing each step.

If a procedure includes a critical step, require sign-off prior to continuing the procedure

When the procedure requires coordination withothers, checklist, signoff, or other method can be

used to indicate that steps or actions have beenperformed or completed.

If procedure expected to overlap a shift change,use of checklist is more important

IRC UW-Madison Page 16 of 26


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Vendor or turn-key procedures for equipment orprocesses are a starting point

The users of the procedures should write them!◦ Ideally your most experienced operators and technicians

Staff should be trained in procedure writing

◦

Others (engineering managers, supervisors, corporateengineers, contractors, manufacturers) can review,propose changes, format, etc.



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Procedures

IRC UW MadisonResearch & Technology ForumSOP: P1.11


Owner: TBJ

Review by area

◦ Production area

◦ Machinery room

◦ Roof

List tasks that are done in the area

Determine which

◦ Tasks require operating procedures

◦ Tasks which are considered skills & should beintegrated into OJT


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For infrequent procedures,consider a detailed review prior to execution

◦ Use for recertification or validation

For procedures that are done frequent procedures, consider observation & reviewduring execution by an experienced operator

◦ Might be a better way of getting operator input



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Owner: TBJ

Hazards of skipping steps should be consideredduring the verification of the procedure

◦ What if the technician loses their place & skips a step?

Numbering steps & use of checklist can reduce thispossibility

◦ If a step is identified in the procedure that is critical,use a caution or warning to highlight the step

A “dry run” or simulation of the procedure shouldbe done as a quality assurance step after theprocedure is written



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Procedures

Research & Technology ForumSOP: P1.11

gRevised 04/28/2011

Owner: TBJ

Integrate review into training use

◦ Experienced operator responsible for overseeingtrainee‟s OJT should review procedure, update the

review date, & sign-off on OJT paperwork

Integrate review of PSI & P&ID accuracy withprocedure review

Integrate visual inspection of equipment withprocedure review or vice versa



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Operating procedures must be managed asthey are changed, updated, etc.

◦ Use the Management of Change to update the PSM

program as changes are made

Proposed revisions should be reviewed priorto acceptance

Reviewer, revisions, and date should bedocumented within the overall procedure toavoid the “how did that get in there ” later on



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What & how you write procedures is critical…but format is important too!

◦

Formatting can create barriers to the use of theprocedure

Train & use your staff to write procedures

Look for synergies

Document revision history for procedures



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Writing Effective Operative Procedures

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