(162c) Captuer – Using Digital Tech for Effective and Efficient Procedures

Most organizations believe that their operating procedures are good, they just need people to follow them but there is now enough science that proves that simply is not true. Possibly an underlying reason that drives this belief are decisions to allocate time toward more “value-added” tasks which may include cost savings, capacity release, new product trials, and process improvements. Process safety professionals often find themselves in this dilemma competing for time among technical and operational staff, thus the value proposition for procedure improvements must be highly compelling. Moreover, procedures are typically not the most exciting and rewarding projects to work on.

The authors present an innovate software application, labeled internally as Completely Automated Procedure Tool for User Error Reduction (CAPTUER), that resolves many of these priority conflicts by automating the review process using an interactive search algorithm. Through multiple site-level pilots of the application, the authors have demonstrated a 40-60% time savings required to review the procedures. By reducing the burden and time commitment, especially long detailed operating guidance, this app enables people to be more effective and efficient in their roles. Another direct benefit of the app is that it increases engagement between frontline workers and technical staff when discussing procedure steps which leads to operational improvements and standardization. Instead of procedure reviews being a superficial check the box activity, they can be a collaborative exercise that increases teamwork and reduces field errors.

This first generation tool consists of a Microsoft Add-in application that identifies the Top 5 Error Traps in written guidance and assigns a performance metric to the document. Future generations of the app will utilize natural language processing (NLP), generative AI, and gamification to reward the user for high quality, error-proof procedures. Think of it as your own personal writing assistant which finds errors and offers suggestions to fix them. Use of digital technology like CAPTUER can be the first step for organizations toward sustainable standardization of operating and maintenance procedures.