Judging from comments received via e-mail, expressed on maintenance-oriented web sites, and repeated in Bob Baldwin's Uptime editorials in the July/August and September issues of MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY, there seems to be general agreement in at least one area within the maintenance and reliability community. Maintenance professionals are concerned about the stature, respect, consideration, and response received from both their own and supplier organizations. Although there appears to be a lot of complaining, there does not appear to be much real corrective activity.

The primary issue The general question is how do we as a community change what most agree are discouraging conditions. The real question is what are you doing personally to drive change?
Before the answer, some observations: For a soon to be released book on asset management, I personally reviewed over 100 papers presented over the past two years. Out of more than 70 pages of notes, I had a little more than two pages on results and benefits. Many authors seem to be talking about what to do and how to do it, but they seem to be ignoring the benefits that have been achieved. Is that because process is more important than results to maintenance professionals? If so, priorities are reversed.

If my experience is typical, comments to Viewpoint opinions are always well thought out--but are few in number. This observation parallels that of others. A good friend who writes monthly editorials for another magazine seldom receives any comment--even to controversial subjects. On one occasion he offered more detailed information on a subject of great interest. Only a few replied. One of the replies was so far removed from his offer that he had to go back to the editorial to make certain he had been clear. Do these observations mean that many members of the maintenance community like to complain but few are willing to take the next step and become personally involved driving a solution?

We seem to be a vast army, largely unorganized and content to complain among ourselves and on web sites. We complain to the choir in ways that will never attract the attention or interest of a manager or anyone positioned to do anything about the complaints.

Is there a solution? There are at least three organizations capable of driving a process to gain greater respect and stature for the profession: the Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP), Association for Facilities Engineering (AFE), and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Plant Engineering and Maintenance Division. These three organizations probably have a total membership of 16,000 to 20,000 maintenance professionals.

That leads to more questions: why isn't membership larger and are you an active, participating member? If you are a member, are you weighing in with your successes and results and your requirements for the changes that must be made to gain recognition and respect for your contribution? If not, please don't complain about how managers and suppliers don't listen. While they may not listen to you individually, they will have to listen to 15,000 yous, especially if the message is conveyed through an influential organization known to represent a consensus of active, energized members. If you are complaining but don't belong to any of the professional societies, don't help set their agenda and drive their efforts, don't participate in any conferences, and don't publicize your requirements and successes. I suggest you need look no further than the nearest mirror to find the person who could make real change occur. Some are probably saying I don't have the time to participate, can't afford to join, my boss won't allow me to attend conferences, and my company won't allow me to publicize success. Again I'll say you must do something more than complaining individually for change to occur. Some are finding the time--more must do so.

Your participation is mandatory not just needed. With your active participation and leadership, changes are not only possible, they will occur. MT

For more information on the professional societies mentioned, visit their Internet sites:
Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals, www.smrp.org
Association for Facilities Engineering, www.afe.org
American Society of Mechanical Engineers, www.asme.org

Robert C. Baldwin, CMRP, Editor

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, by 2006 there will be 151 million jobs in America but there will be only 141 million workers. Although this may be good news for the technical knowledge worker, it is bad news for reliability and maintenance organizations.

Some managers are already wrestling with the problem. In fact, the Maintenance Excellence Roundtable, of which Maintenance Technology is a member, devoted part of its conference agenda to the subject. (Other members of the Roundtable are Alcoa, Allied Signal, Baxter Healthcare, Dofasco, Dupont, Exxon, Ford, Kodak, Novartis, Sunoco, and U.S. Postal Service.)

As was pointed out at the Roundtable, you will not be able to cover the shortfall by calling on contract service organizations because they draw their skilled maintenance workers from the same labor pool as your company.

Companies bidding for workers with scarce skills will fuel employee turnover. One important issue will be figuring out how to hang on to the good people you already have. Important insights to this retention challenge have been published by Kepner-Tregoe (www.kepner-tregoe.com), a Princeton, NJ, management consultancy, in its research monograph Avoiding the Brain Drain: What Companies are Doing to Lock in Their Talent.

Kepner-Tregoe identified 11 retention leaders and derived a number of drivers of retention success from in-depth interviews with these companies. Several caught my attention:

• Retention leaders don't manage retention, they manage people. And they view people management as a strategic business issue. They know that employee knowledge is the only sustainable competitive advantage.
• Retention leaders are relentless in their pursuit of continuous improvement. All of these companies keep asking questions, soliciting feedback, and taking actions to maintain a high level of satisfaction among their workers.
• Retention leaders have a culture of caring, balanced with a tradition of excellence. On one hand, they place a high value on integrity, ethical behavior, and truth in all their dealings, including their treatment of and communication with their employees. On the other hand, they all have a rock-solid tradition of holding employees to a standard of business excellence.
  

Ultrasound equipment can identify compressed air leaks so they can be repaired before they result in unscheduled downtime, affect product quality, pollute the environment, or endanger people's lives. Photograph courtesy UE Systems, Inc.

Delaying the replacement of a leaking $100 steam trap could waste $50 a week or $2,600 a year. Since an average facility has hundreds of steam traps, leaking ones may be squandering hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. In addition to wasted dollars, unattended leaks also may result in unscheduled downtime, affect product quality, pollute the environment, and endanger people's lives.

This article deals with leaks from three different perspectives: detecting and pinpointing leaks before they mushroom into major trouble, using mechanical adhesives to repair leaks, and installing hardware to prevent leakage and improve equipment reliability.

Early leak detection Ultrasonics has been industry's technology of choice to detect and pinpoint leaks for more than 25 years. Inspectors using a hand-held, battery-operated ultrasound instrument, such as the Ultraprobe 2000, from UE Systems, Inc., Elmsford, NY, can hear leaks in vacuum or pressurized systems as well as faults in operating machinery and electric transmission and distribution systems. State-of-the art accessories such as close-focus modules and stethoscope extensions enhance the capabilities of ultrasonic instruments.

An ultrasonic detector senses subtle changes in the ultrasonic signature of a component and pinpoints potential sources of failure before they can cause damage. Longer wavelengths of lower-pitched sounds are gross waves that can be difficult to locate. But higher frequency sounds are short wave signals localized to the source of emission. For this reason, it is possible to use ultrasonic sensors in relatively noisy environments.

Continuous monitoring. While most applications for ultrasonic inspection are focused on hand-held portable instruments, there has been increasing interest in continuous equipment monitoring.

Continuous monitors include two basic components: a processing unit and a sensor, which often is in the contact mode. A wave guide is affixed to a set test point by either bonding it to a surface or by drilling a threaded hole and screw-mounting the wave guide on the object to be monitored. The processing unit may feature adjustments for sensitivity/dB level, a threshold setpoint for alarm, and outputs such as 0-10 V dc, 4-20 mA. Some units provide a heterodyned signal which allows remote listening or downloading to recording devices such as vibration analyzers, tape recorders, or computers.

An example of this type of monitoring device is a valve leak onset alarm. When a valve is shut, there is no sound. A baseline is set when the instrument is installed. If the valve leaks, the onset or increase of sound intensity over the set threshold will set off an alarm. The generated sound is usually localized to the test area where the sensor is affixed. This reduces false alarms produced by irrelevant sound generation.

More than a billion gallons of industrial fluids are wasted through leakage every year. This hydraulic pump leak can be repaired using anaerobic thread sealants. Photograph courtesy Loctite.

Since the ultrasound event produced by these emissions can be detected at a distance, these detection devices provide safe scanning around potentially hazardous high voltage equipment. Low level emitting leaks are a different problem. The signal amplitude is extremely low and needs some form of amplification beyond the normal range of most standard microphones. Receptors to enhance low level leak emissions have been developed and offer a reliable method for locating these leaks.

Liquid leak amplification. When low level leaks do not produce turbulent flow, it is not possible to detect them with conventional scanning probes because ultrasonic leak detection of either pressure or vacuum leaks depends on the generation of a turbulent flow as the gas moves from high pressure to low pressure. When it is not possible to locate this type of low level leak (typically below 1x10-3 ml/sec), using a liquid with a low surface tension will help. Only a small amount of liquid must be applied to the leak test area. As the gas migrates through the leak hole and passes into the film of the fluid, bubbles will form and burst. The bursting produces a detectable ultrasound. Leaks with rates as low as 1X10-6 ml/sec have been detected with this method.

Remotely positioned transducers. In some cases, it has been difficult to maneuver and hold a probe at a test position while recording or listening to the generated ultrasounds. Some manufacturers provide multi-directional sensors with a cable that can be positioned in confined spaces. This technique is used to determine the presence of remote leakage without performing the time- consuming procedures required for entering confined space areas.

Valve leak monitoring/trending. An increase in amplitude over a baseline is often a warning signal of impending failure or worsening condition. Valves should be inspected routinely since the information collected can be extremely useful. Aside from go/no-go leak inspection, the worsening condition from acceptable to unacceptable can be determined. For valve monitoring, there should be a consistent test point and conditions within the test object (such as flow rate) should be constant. A baseline should be set and compared to future readings under the same conditions and recording modes

When used in tandem with other technologies such as vibration analysis and infrared thermography, ultrasound has myriad uses. The technology enables knowledgeable inspectors to go beyond the basic applications of leak detection and valve and steam trap inspections, and opens opportunities for improved equipment uptime, energy savings, and safety.

Sealants block leak paths Though leaks of gas or air at a facility are often overlooked, they can become a significant operating cost especially when the situation is chronic. Once a comprehensive survey to detect and pinpoint leaks in a system is completed, the next step is to stop the leaks. State-of-the-art machinery adhesives can reduce costs by eliminating leak paths.

In the average threaded fitting, metal-to-metal contact is approximately 20 percent. Eighty percent is air space surrounding spiral threads, a potential fluid or gas leak path. Loctite, Rocky Hill, CT, supplies engineering adhesives, sealants, and dispensing equipment.

Many situations can cause loosening and/or cracking of fittings, valves, and other connections which result in leaks. Vibration, shock, thermal, and environmental changes all take their toll. Practically all conventional methods of sealing--cork gasketing, pipe dope, or Teflon tape--have their shortcomings.

Conventional gasketing products like cork, paper, and rubber have a tendency to set even when they are properly torqued. When the bolts relax there may be a minute separation leak path. Having an inventory of all size gaskets is virtually impossible, and gaskets can shrink, tear, or deteriorate before use. Also, cutting gaskets is time consuming.

Pipe dope also is no guarantee against leakage. Pipe dope relies on solvents to carry them and form solid seals. When the solvent evaporates, the product dries to form a tough seal. The rigid, brittle nature of pipe dope causes cracking which creates leak paths. And with pipe dope, disassembly can be difficult.

Teflon tape, originally designed as a thread lubricant and not a sealant, can cold-flow out of the pipe and leak. It also can permit overtightening, a situation that may result in threads that lathe up on each other thus increasing the leak path. Another disadvantage of Teflon tape is that it has a tendency to contaminate systems. If a Teflon shred enters a system, it can foul a check valve or other critical component.

The best sealants are based on anaerobic technology. They are a liquid or paste plastic monomer that changes from a liquid to a solid when it comes in contact with metal and when air is excluded.

Because these anaerobic sealants do not dry out but cure without shrinkage, they are excellent when applied to threaded fittings. These sealants provide correct sealing without cold-flow and offer ongoing lubricity that acts as a mild threadlocker. They are also noncontaminating.

The company's anaerobic gasket product for use on rigid flanges allows the flanges to be taken down virtually metal to metal. The plastic gasket material uses similar chemistry to fill in all the voids. Seen under a microscope, these voids appear as mountain peaks and valleys. The sealant fills in the voids between the mountain peaks with a liquid or paste that changes to a solid. And the piece of equipment still can easily be disassembled and removed.

One application of these super sealants is sealing and casting of porosities. A liquid anaerobic sealer can be painted on a clean surface. It will penetrate into every porosity and seal it. For extremely large vats of up to 100 gallons, porous metal parts can be submerged to both seal them and to increase their machinability.

The application of anaerobic sealers is a relatively simple process. And for anyone who needs guidance, some manufacturers conduct in-plant training sessions on the proper selection and application of its sealants.

Once leaks are identified, using gaugeable tube fittings reduces problems, improves equipment reliability, and conserves energy. Drawing courtesy Swagelok.

Gaugeable tube fittings improve reliability The installation of high-end tube fittings and valves often has dramatic results. An energy survey conducted for a pulp and paper company revealed 23 percent leakage in its fluid system. Once gaugeable fittings were put in, the leaks dropped to zero.

Swagelok, Solon, OH, provides connectors for fluid systems ranging from 1/16 in. to 2 in. o.d. Its tube connectors and valves are used in air systems, condensate return systems, hydraulics, pneumatics, analytical instrumentation, acid systems, caustic systems, and small bore process applications.

The company works with maintenance engineers to conduct energy surveys of their facilities. All fittings in a given area of a plant where gas (not liquid) service is common are tested for leaks. Once leaks are identified, the use of gaugeable, two-ferrule tube fittings to reduce problems, improve equipment reliability, and conserve energy is demonstrated.

In a typical scenario, a company representative together with plant personnel checks for air leaks in a compressed air system. Working from as many as 1000 check points, about 24-30 percent leakage is usually identified. This statistic is applied to the company's cost per kilowatt hour and losses are determined. A performance contract to correct the problems is generated. Studies show that properly installed fittings correct leakage to less than 3 percent.

To ensure reliable performance, a tube fitting composed of four components--nut, back ferrule, front ferrule and body--is recommended. The consistency and quality of matched components permit their use in many difficult services. These fittings become a 5-piece connection when affixed to the tubing

The 2-ferrule design and sequential action of the fitting overcome variations in tube material, wall thickness, and material hardness to ensure safe, reliable, and leak-free connections.

Unlike a bite-type fitting which can cut into the tubing and result in a weak point that occasionally may vibrate and break off, a four-piece tube fitting is gaugeable, i.e., every quarter turn is about a 0.0125-in. movement. Consequently there is a go/no-go gauge that enables the person assembling the fittings to put them together and then gauge each one individually during the first makeup to ensure that every fitting will measure up to its properly installed performance factor (1¼ turns).

Leaks may also result from faulty valves, or more commonly from valves whose sealing and packing mechanisms are subject to wear or unsuitable applications. The challenge is to determine the specific application of each valve and choose the right valve for the job.

There are many different types of valves including shut-off valves, regulating valves, uni-directional valves, and pop-off relief valves available for a variety of applications.

Some valves can be pneumatically operated; some may be electrically operated, and some work manually. How frequently should valves be monitored? It is a good idea to check the valve packing and make adjustments periodically according to the cycle requirements of the valve. MT

In 1986, the preventive maintenance (PM) program at Cryovac's Simpsonville, SC, plant was a good one and was considered by some to be the best in the company. The company is the world's largest supplier of plastic packaging and this plant produces blown film.

But we found ourselves asking if the program was good enough for the long haul. What worried us most was that it relied heavily on the extensive experience of craftsmen who had been with the company since the late 1950s. They had installed most of the equipment they now maintained. Many of the most experienced craftsmen were eligible for retirement and very little of their vast hands-on equipment knowledge had been documented.

It was decided that if the PM program was going to continue to meet our needs, we had to document as much of this equipment knowledge as possible while we still had the resources to do so. We felt that a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) was the best way to do that.

In 1987, we selected a CMMS to get us where we wanted to go. The next question we faced was how to get people who are distrustful of computers to share their equipment savvy with us. After much deliberation, we opted to use the direct approach and simply asked the craftsmen for their help in preserving what they had learned. It was no surprise that craftsmen did not line up in droves to share what they knew. But we were able to get enough assistance to start the ball rolling. With a great deal of help from the maintenance planners, we wrote limited scope job plans and built a three-level equipment hierarchy.

For the next 3 years, the maintenance planners were the only CMMS users. As a result, they were spending all their time converting paper work requests into electronic copies and trying to meet the increasing demand for equipment repair data reports. They were not doing a lot of planning.

It was time for the craftsmen to start inputting repair information and allow the planners to get back to planning.

The first obstacle to overcome was training. It was suggested that initially we should train a core group of craftsmen who would, in turn, help their peers overcome any fear of computers. After training several willing craftsmen, we placed three computer workstations on the shop floor with no instructions about how they were to be used. Craftsmen were able to experiment with the computers with the help of the core group, and felt no pressure while doing so.

This approach gave us the results we were hoping for: craftsmen started requesting computer training. Within 3 months, we were training groups of craftsmen in a classroom environment.

Once the craftspeople were computer literate, we were confident that we now had a foundation to start building an even stronger PM program. Craftsmen were assisting in the writing of job plans. They were inputting equipment failure information and were querying the CMMS database for repair information. The time had come to develop a new written PM plan and put it into practice. The old plan had become too confining.

Technical organization
In our organization, the engineering, predictive maintenance (PdM), maintenance, and technical support groups all report to the same technical manager. It was not always this way but we learned that by having all technical people under the same umbrella, resources and efforts could be optimized. The remarkable thing about combining these groups was that within 2 years after doing so, our goals also merged.

The basic structure of our maintenance organization is such that all maintenance personnel perform PMs although we do have small crews that specialize in preventive maintenance. The PM crews perform PMs on a schedule based on scheduled downtime. The routine maintenance crews (reactive) perform running PMs and augment the proactive crews during scheduled downtime. We feel that it is important to have PM specialists to carry the torch, otherwise the tendency is to fight fires.

Six concepts of an effective PM plan
One of the first lessons learned after formulating our PM plan and putting it into practice was the plan must not be written in stone but instead be an evergreen document capable of change and growth. After several modifications to the plan, we feel that an effective PM plan is based on six concepts:

• Input
• Planning
• Execution
• Feedback
• Documentation
• Accountability

We did not invent these concepts, but we find them to be invaluable tools when organizing a scheduled PM

Where does the input come from?
Input is solicited from any group that has a stake in the results of a scheduled PM. It should be understood that we also use scheduled downtime to make modifications, product changes, and safety upgrades.

Examples of inputting groups are product scheduling, production personnel, reactive maintenance, engineering personnel, predictive maintenance, maintenance support, contractors, and maintenance control (planners).

The planning phase. Planning for the next PM on any piece of equipment actually starts before the current PM on that equipment is complete. Inspections, measurements, and reliability decisions are made and work requests written for the next PM. It is important that these items be documented before they are lost. This will be discussed more in the documentation portion of a PM plan.

All personnel are encouraged to write work requests between PMs and route them to the maintenance planner, regardless of how trivial they may seem. We want to know about the squeaks and squeals. They may seem unimportant, but they may be symptoms of a larger problem. Who better than the people who operate and service the equipment to let us know when it is not well?

Each Wednesday at 1 p.m., the maintenance planner conducts a pre-PM meeting to discuss the upcoming week's PMs with everyone who will be involved in them. The meeting has an agenda and a strict time limit of 30 min. Anyone who has work to be done during a PM must come prepared to talk about what he will be doing and the logistics of the job. After everyone speaks, timelines are established. Start and completion times are set, and assets and resources are assigned by the maintenance planner. Most importantly, commitments are secured from all participants. At the end of each meeting, the PM supervisor conducts a critique of the prior week's PMs.

A lot of communication takes place within a short period of time but if organized correctly, 30 min is ample time. We normally address at least four major PMs (scheduled downtime) at each meeting and it seldom takes more than 20 min total, including the critique. When we first started using the pre-PM meetings, some people came unprepared and many of them walked out of the meeting with hurt feelings because they were cut off at the time limit. It did not take long before people started using the maintenance planner to help them plan their work and get the logistics worked out prior to the meeting, a very valuable PM tool.

PM execution. The plans have been made, the materials purchased, the clock is ticking. The PM supervisor conducts a 5-min communications meeting with the participants prior to the PM to insure that everyone knows his role.

During the actual PM, the three highest priorities are safety, safety, and safety (in that order). The PM supervisor monitors the various groups to in- sure that the plan is being followed. Any changes to the plan are brought to his attention. A decision is made then and there as to how the change will be handled.

Once the PM has been completed, the PM supervisor turns the equipment back over to production for startup.

Feedback following the PM. We do all the usual things: review completed PM work requests, monitor equipment performance, and spot check completed work. But unless that information gets back to the people who did the work, it is only paper. People like feedback; they have a natural need to know how they are performing. Everyone wants to be able to go home, sit at the dinner table with his family, and tell (even brag to) them that what he does is worth doing.

A written critique of the prior week's PMs is distributed each week with the upcoming schedule. The critique is used as a vehicle to apprise the various groups involved in the PM of where mistakes were made, and also serves to announce the successes. The critique gives everyone an opportunity to optimize the PM. When we first started using this technique, there was a tendency to shoot the messenger but that passed with time and understanding.

The most important aspect of our PM program is giving craftsmen feedback concerning the effectiveness of their actions during the PM. This is especially important in the case of PdM work requests. When issued, these work requests are normally accompanied by an infrared scan, a vibration analysis graph, or some other representation of an equipment component in the failure mode. The PM craftsman takes action to correct the problem; the PdM craftsman rechecks these items following (sometimes during) the PM. The PdM craftsman then issues a before and after picture or graph. Craftsmen like to know that what they did made a difference and timely feedback reinforces that need.

We also have a maintenance newsletter that is published quarterly, more often if needed, to inform craftsmen of equipment changes that have taken place and why. These changes are most often reliability motivated and the result of a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) group's work. Craftsmen act as a resource for the engineer-led RCA groups. It is important that people see their ideas in print and their names spelled correctly. Today's software programs make a newsletter very quick and easy to publish.

Constructive feedback given to the individual craftsman will do more to promote a successful reliability-based PM program than anything else I can think of, and it's free

PM documentation. A good CMMS is the heart of an effective PM program. It releases the planner and PM supervisor from the mundane tasks that come with scheduling and planning. An ancient Chinese proverb reminds us that the palest ink lasts far longer than the brightest memory or, in modern terms, if you didn't write it, it didn't happen. When we rely on someone to remember what we are supposed to do on a regular basis, we are going to be disappointed. The computer is another tool to make our life easier, no different than the hand tools we use every day. Why not use it? .

All craftsmen in our maintenance organization are required to input repair and PM task data into the CMMS as the work is completed or at least within the same shift. The PM supervisor reviews the completed work requests daily to assure accuracy. If equipment PM or repair data is unclear or incomplete, the work request is returned to the craftsman for additional input. This data will later be used to make reliability decisions. Reliability is the prime goal of any good PM program.

Parts and materials are requested through CMMS-generated work orders. This gives all craftsmen (and others) access to the maintenance planner without crowding him out of his office. Requiring craftsmen to document equipment conditions within computer-generated work requests insures that the parts are ordered and affords the craftsman a way to follow that process. When the parts arrive, the planner notifies the craftsman's supervisor through the CMMS. The work then can be scheduled.

Many PM tasks are not scheduled on a monthly basis but at infrequent intervals. A CMMS is ideal for making sure those tasks do not get lost in the shuffle. For example, some pressure vessels, by law, require inspection every 15 years. Special work instructions can be documented and issued for tasks that people do infrequently. A CMMS also gives the supervisor or planner the flexibility to add or delete tasks if conditions or situations change. These task modifications can be done in a matter of minutes.

The bottom line is that all maintenance tasks, scheduling, parts procurement, and labor are documented. This may sound like a lot of documentation, but when spread among dozens of people it is much easier than the supervisor or planner trying to keep up with all of it. With each piece of documentation, equipment history is preserved. If you do not have a history, how can you possibly plan a future?

One note of caution: Our mission is reliability-based maintenance; try to avoid the data stream manipulation in which people get caught up. Leave the data massaging to the bean counters. Get the data that you need to improve the process, institute a reliable fix, and move on to other things that are more deserving of your attention.

Accountability. Accountability is simply the process of closing the loop. If a reporting system is open ended, it is doomed to failure. There has to be a vehicle to assure that tasks have been completed, parts are on order, equipment is scheduled, and people are paid. The CMMS is that vehicle.

The CMMS is a very effective tool for closing that loop. The CMMS is simply a maintenance tool and should not be mistaken for anything else; it does not control anything, and should be viewed as a reservoir of information. It allows all maintenance personnel access to the information that is needed to accomplish their missions effectively. It does not take control away from the PM supervisor; it gives him expanded options.

Expectations of a well-executed program Over the past 6 years, we have seen our CMMS coupled with PdM technology and the result has been a very strong reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) program. When the entire maintenance organization with the support of its production counterparts is com mitted to putting this technology into practice, the results are most satisfying.

Over an 18-month period, unscheduled downtime has been reduced to 47 percent of its base line level.

An effective PM program must have a plan that is workable yet flexible enough to meet equipment needs. Craftsmen should understand and be trained to execute the plan. All efforts should be concentrated on tasks that add value. It is very important that everyone understands and appreciates the company's business.

Only the people who participate within its set boundaries limit a PM program. Those willing to push those boundaries will be rewarded with equipment that is more reliable and a knowledge that allows them to predict how that equipment will perform under any circumstance. Once the tools are in place, the people that use them must be committed to the process. Imagination is the only limiting factor.

I would offer a word of caution for those that cannot stand pain. Keep doing it the way you have always done it and nothing will change. But if you can tolerate the pain of change, the rewards are worth it. MT

Charlie Harrell, a PM supervisor at Cryovac, a division of Sealed Air Corp., has worked in a maintenance environment for 36 years. He can be reached at P.O. Box 338, Simpsonville, SC 29681-0338; (864) 967-1480; e-mail Charlie.E.Harrell@Sealedair.com

The goal of any company's information systems (IS) department is to serve the business. When the typical internal customers are asked about the level of service they receive from their IS organization, the response is often not favorable. IS organizations are usually working very hard with limited resources and competing demands, and they often lack clear direction and priorities. With this perception so common, and with outsourcing on the rise, most IS organizations must evaluate their service and ensure they understand and are meeting the needs of their customers.

Substitute R&M for IS in the previous paragraph and it covers issues facing many reliability and maintenance organizations. The following discussion about recreating the IS organization provides insight for building a better working relationship with IS in your company. It also contains ideas for improving the effectiveness of the group responsible for managing maintenance information in your department, as well as some suggestions on how you can improve your relationships with internal customers such as the production organization

To develop into a highly reliable and functional service organization, the department must follow four basic steps. First, the group must assess current practices to understand the state of the organization. Next, the group must build a foundation for change. Only by developing a clear vision of the ideal state can change be successfully implemented. Third, the plan developed must be executed and implemented within the organization. Finally, as the benefits of the improvements are realized, the values and ideals generated must be reinforced in order to create an organization focused on continuous improvement.

Understanding the past
To better understand the current state of the IS organization, it is valuable to look at how the group may have evolved. This provides perspective and facilitates learning from the past without having to recreate it. Many IS teams were formed out of immediate necessity rather than by design. As companies grew to depend on technology more and more, they realized that a dedicated group of people was required to manage it. As the responsibilities of these groups grew, processes and procedures were developed by trial and error. Once the team found a procedure that worked, it became the only way to do it. Hence the phrase, we have always done it this way. When the procedures did change, it was usually because of a customer complaint or a new technology demand. These technology demands frequently came from customers in the company who believed they needed the latest and greatest tool or from the manufacturer that discontinued support for the current tool. Once this oc- curred, the small group of users that was upgraded to a new system with new software be- came incompatible with everyone else.

Once this cycle of change begins, the company is left with the choice of living with an inconsistent computing infrastructure or interrupting the business to upgrade systems and software for everyone. Both of these choices are painful. Most organizations, by default, live with the inconsistent computing infrastructure. As a result, the IS group is always fighting the latest fire rather than working on the larger picture of infrastructure, standard operating procedures, and documentation. This makes moving forward extremely difficult.

As this situation develops into something unmanageable, the frequent comment is that something should be done. That may be true, but what specifically should be done? That is a question only answered by an objective assessment and analysis of the company and the IS organization.

Assessing the current state
The assessment of the IS organization will provide information on how the department is serving its customers. To do this, the assessment must focus on the processes used rather than the technical elements of the infrastructure. Although a technical element such as the choice of computing platform is important, customer service is usually based on how well the customer's needs and expectations are met. Elements such as project management, work planning and scheduling, communication, and team culture are important to the customer. Good project management and work planning and scheduling set expectations for the team while clear communication allows the customer to understand and be a part of those expectations. The team culture is an indication of the overall attitude that the IS team member exudes to each client, greatly affecting customer satisfaction.

This assessment should be as objective as possible. This can be accomplished by involving a representative sample of people across the company so that all viewpoints are considered. The discussion should be based on a predetermined set of questions or criteria that the organization wants to measure, led by an unbiased facilitator. An example of points that could be included in the assessment criteria is shown in the accompanying Systems Assessment Grid, which includes a range of process-oriented topics. The criteria will prevent the team from getting off track or allowing personal bias to sway the outcome. Management support of the assessment is key to its success. If management does not support the objective findings, then the participants will not be honest due to a fear of retribution. When the assessment is complete, the results should be presented to the company and made public for all to see. This will encourage open and honest communication during and after the assessment.

Build a foundation for change
Once the IS organization has been objectively assessed, the team can decide what to change. As with any organizational change project, it is important to develop a strong foundation. The basic steps of a successful project foundation are to decide what better looks like and to create a game plan for getting there. These steps are not successful if the manager of the change process simply develops the answers and publishes them. There must be joint prioritization of project needs among the whole IS organization and a representative sample of its customers.

When a cross-functional group, which includes the IS organization, project management, and internal customers, reaches clarity on what should be done, it can proceed to develop a prioritized plan. Once the consensus for the project plan has been reached, this combined group must commit to it. This includes agreement about the necessary tasks, the relative priority of these tasks, the overall timeline for the project, and resource requirements for the change. Without this clarity, consensus, and commitment, the project is destined to struggle during implementation. This up-front planning is often avoided because it takes time and money while customers are demanding immediate action.

In order to develop the detailed improvement plan, the group must have an overall direction to follow. This may include information about the purpose, values, and principles of the organization. Defining such principles may seem difficult, but they should be kept simple. Every organization's principles will be based on their unique characteristics, yet some that should be followed are outlined in the accompanying section Key Principles for Information Systems.

Implement your vision
Once the details of the goal are determined, it is up to good planning and project management to implement the project. This planning and management role is often underestimated; don't be surprised if it becomes a full- time job. Whether an internal or external resource is identified to lead the project, he or she should be dedicated to the management of the project and understand the organizational change process. Implementation is by far the most visible and lengthy part of the project, but it is not the whole project. It is only as good as the assessment and foundation building that preceded it. Without them, the implementation phase is often disorganized and painful.

Reinforce your values
Exercise the values and principles the organization is seeking every day. This means that the company should know and understand the principles and values that were developed during the foundation-building process. The reinforcement of values and principles can come through personal example, process measurement, and a system of accountability. Process measurement includes things such as schedule compliance measurements, backlog trending, and amount of emergencies. Accountability is the combination of performance measurement and performance review. Simply stated, accountability ensures that tasks get completed. The process measurements and system of accountability details also should be developed during foundation building or early in the implementation so that expectations are clearly set.

The information systems and reliability and maintenance organizations can be challenging to improve due to the unique requirements placed on their members. It is important to follow the four steps outlined previously to create a great organization. First, understand what the current practices are. With that state in mind, form a team to define values and provide a vision of success for the organization. With that solid foundation to stand on, the organization is ready to make the real changes necessary to perform the way it envisions. Then, at last, the change must be reinforced for it to become a way of life. When the organization is aware of its history, current state, and future vision, it is ready for the next step, the revolution. MT

David Bair is a senior consultant at Reliability Management Group Minneapolis, MN; telephone (612) 882-8122