Advanced Procedural Automation Provides a Breakthrough in Operations Performance

By Mike Williams, ARC Associate

Higher levels of procedural automation, such as process state-enabled control schema, are proven solutions for mitigating human variability in process operations.  Research indicates that a new paradigm in man-machine-methods interactions will be required to make further progress in preventing unplanned events.  Higher levels of automation, however, may not be economically justifiable, if additional capital investment in hardware (instruments and wiring) is required to replace manual actions.  Furthermore, many operating companies prefer to retain direct operator involvement when executing many tasks based on cultural norms and regulatory restrictions.

So how can human variability when executing task manually be addressed in a reliable, cost-effective manner?  The challenge seems to be finding the right balance between manual and automated procedure execution. Several hardware and software solutions are available to solve the problem. Computer assisted manual execution of standard operating procedures in conjunction with traditional process control is an alternative.   A session on integrating manual and automated procedures at the upcoming 2017 ARC Industry ARC Forum in Orlando will review two end user case studies and explore various value propositions and solutions to achieve the desired balance.

NOTE:  As a follow up ARC will be conducting a survey on Levels of Procedural Automation in relation to manual actions.  Participants in the survey will receive copies of the results.