As-One Maintenance Operational Playbook Implementation Delivers Results for the Refinery

A leading renewable fuels and petroleum refining company engaged the services of As One Consulting in the development and implementation of a Maintenance fundamentals program.  Low visibility into the maintenance activities, increased inefficiencies in execution, and lack of planning and scheduling compliance were impacting the operations confidence in the maintenance services.

Prior to this initiative, the refinery faced significant challenges in its maintenance operations. The maintenance environment was largely reactive, often described as rewarding “putting out fires”. This resulted in a perception of maintenance as a service department that reacted to demands rather than a trusted partner proactively keeping the plant available and reliable. There was a high level of inefficiency among field resources and leadership time allocation. Data collection and the use of the ERP system were poor, making it difficult to generate meaningful reports and understand performance. This meant the organization lacked full control over maintenance management decisions and resource allocation.

Summary of Top challenges faced:

• Availability of the refinery not meeting budget projections
• Surprise downtime events occurring frequently
• Work orders were frequently “lost” in the system
• Prioritization of efforts was subjective and emotionally decided
• Work was often executed without estimated hours, described as “writing a blank check”
• Overall data quality was a significant challenge
• There was significant variance between planned and actual hours, highlighting a need for better delay tracking
• Dates management in the system was causing challenges, impacting backlog management
• Weekly schedules were produced in various inconsistent formats

1. Benchmark Scoping: Assessed current state of Operational Playbook implementation and evaluated the design of existing materials.
2. Implementation Planning: Developed a phased implementation roadmap to elevate the organization toward top-quartile maintenance performance.
3. Expert Delivery: Assembled a Natural Resources delivery team to lead redesign and change management for processes, tools, and Management Operating System (MOS) elements.
4. Operational Playbook Integration: Consolidated all business processes, MOS tools, KPIs, job aids, and training materials into a comprehensive Operational Playbook built from As One Standards for high performing organizations.

1. Enhanced Safety Performance

• Achieved significant improvements in safety practices across all 11 pillars.
• Reduced incident rates and improved employee adherence to safety protocols.

2. Improved Safety Culture

• Fostered a proactive safety culture through continuous training and engagement.
• Increased reporting of near-misses and potential hazards, leading to timely interventions.

3. Compliance and Recognition

• Ensured compliance with relevant OHS regulations and industry standards.
• Received positive feedback from regulatory bodies during safety inspections and audits.

The core purpose of the project was to design and install a maintenance program that provides the best possible service to Operations in the most efficient way. This aimed to transition from a reactive environment to a proactive approach focused on equipment performance management, reducing “surprises” and efficiently using resources.

Key goals included becoming a trusted partner, keeping the plant available and reliable, controlling equipment maintenance costs, achieving efficient planning to eliminate delays, improving field resource productivity, implementing leadership standard work models, and establishing meaningful KPIs to understand performance and make proactive decisions.

The overall vision was to create a “tailored fit” maintenance program and a way of sustainable performance.

Our Methodologies deployed, aimed to “Fix the Front End” of the maintenance process by designing and implementing:

• Management Operating System with Scorecards
• Training & Development
• Maintenance Best Practice Business Processes
• Integrated Data and System Flows
• Workforce Performance Management
• Core Competency Assessments
• Maximo configuration and utilization

As One’s approach was structured as a multi-phase journey utilizing a phased approach for implementation to ensure field testing of all tools, processes, and Management Operating System (MOS) elements, supported by dedicated coaching.

Phase 1 focused on “design and install”, covering core Maintenance MOS elements, work order processes (Work ID, Prioritization, Planning, Scheduling, Execution, Close-Out), a troubleshooting method, and daily/weekly meetings with tools and metrics

This phase aimed to “clean our own backyard” by improving data collection, standardizing planning packages, cleansing the backlog, establishing daily performance KPIs, and coaching Work ID based on risk.

Phase 2 continued the installation and began the transition towards compliance and usage to start seeing sustainable results for Execution, Planning & Scheduling processes.

A sustainable change methodology was utilized, measuring progress across five levels of maturity: Designed, Installed, Compliance, Usage, and Sustainable. Coaching was a critical component to facilitate behavioral change and ensure adoption of new processes and tools.

Step 1 – Design and install a foundation

• Developed As One IPO standard Level 6 consistent, and repeatable business processes across the maintenance organization.
• Implemented Integrated planning and scheduling best practices and tools to manage resources, backlog levels, and executable maintenance schedules.

Step 2 – Create performance visibility into the foundation

• Implemented a standardized management operating system with fundamental business elements for forecasting, planning, controlling, and reporting upon departmental and asset performance.
• Developed Key Performance Indicator’s (KPI) and scorecards that provided visibility over long-term impact of doing the right things at the right time.

Step 3 – Aligned the ERP to fit the business processes and performance visibility

• Built and tested in the ERP standard input and output form requirements to execute the business processes, adjustments made as required.
• One Point Lessons (OPL’s) created for custom configuration on “how to” perform each task in the ERP contained within the business processes

Step 4 – Updated the operational playbook to enable a world class maintenance organization.

• Finalized and centralized all redesigned documents, job aids, KPIs, and MOS meeting structures into an accessible Operational Playbook to ensure long-term sustainability and standardization.

The project demonstrated significant progress and achieved key results:

• Shift to Proactive Operations: The initiative successfully began shifting the maintenance paradigm from reactive “putting out fires” to a more proactive approach, positioning maintenance as a trusted partner to Operations.
• Resource Efficiency – The new MOS allowed the organization to understand where resources are utilized, provided them tools to improve wrench time, and allowed the reduction of workforce while taking previously contracted activities back in house
• Process and MOS Installation: The 7 Core Maintenance Processes (Work Identification, Troubleshooting, Planning, Scheduling, Scheduled Work Execution, Break-In Work, and Emergency Work) were designed and installed, along with their respective MOS elements.
• Improved Work Identification and Prioritization: A standard, risk-based Work Identification process with clear roles and responsibilities was developed and installed. This process uses the Risk Assessment Matrix (RAM) to drive improved decision-making based on the impact to the business, removing emotion and timing from the identification process.
• Enhanced Planning and Scheduling: The Planning and Scheduling MOS was installed and proven effective, in addition to the highly successful Backlog clean-up efforts. This focused planning and scheduling efforts on work that matters, improving KPIs. New planning tools like the Backlog Tool, Planning Priority Matrix, and Job Scope Template were developed and adopted.
• Improved Execution Management: The Execution Management System was installed with necessary tools and processes. Weekly and Daily Execution KPIs and Scorecards were developed and installed. Delay tracking was implemented to identify areas causing delays. Supervisor Leader Standard Work (LSW) and a Supervisor Desktop Toolbox were installed to support supervisors in managing work execution and developing their teams. Supervisors began adopting daily Gemba walks and improving their use of daily scheduling tools. End-of-Shift reporting became standardized and consistent.
• Increased Collaboration and Trust: The new processes and MOS elements fostered increased collaboration between Maintenance and Operations. Daily huddles and scheduling meetings allowed joint review of workloads, discussion of potential issues like overtime, and development of shared plans. Trust began building as Operations gained confidence in Maintenance’s ability to manage resources and complete scheduled work, leading Operations to actively share work that could be moved forward. Discussions in MOS meetings became more detailed, leading to actionable decisions.
• Measurable Performance Improvements: Early data showed positive trends. An improvement in schedule compliance and a significant reduction in break-in work were observed. Breaking down siloed management as demonstrated during a “Cold Watch Week”, where the leadership demonstrated responsiveness by addressing identified bottlenecks, such as coordinating with Operations to resolve permitting delays impacting maintenance execution. Data entered and extracted from the ERP system significantly improved, allowing Maintenance to better meet commitments to Operations. Work orders previously “lost” became visible in the backlog.
• Integrate Tools into Operational Playbook: Finalized and centralized all redesigned documents, job aids, KPIs, and MOS meeting structures into an accessible Operational Playbook to ensure long-term sustainability and standardization.