Operations readiness and assurance
Operations Readiness and Assurance (OR&A) or the shortened form "Ops Readiness" are used in the oil and gas exploration and development business. The similar term "Operational Readiness" is used by the U.S. military and NASA to describe a different concept, that of mission readiness.[1] It can be used anywhere where a requirement for a certain level of assurance, that a given status or specified capability exists (or will exist, at a given point in time), is required. It is commonly known by the acronym OR&A (the ampersand is used and retained in the acronym for clarity).[2]
The name Operations Readiness and Assurance (OR&A) Ltd. is a registered UK company who has also registered the acronym OR&A® as a registered trade mark . The company also market book on the subject for OR&A practitioners, as referenced below.
History
The need for OR&A in oil and gas projects was recognised long before there was a name to collectively identify the problem. In the late 1990s, there were a large number of high cost oil and gas projects moving into their operational phases that were already exhibiting major problems .
Operations readiness
Operations readiness is the process of preparing the custodians of an asset under construction, and their supporting organisation, such that, at the point of delivery/handover, they are fully ready to assume ownership of the asset. Furthermore, that they accept responsibility for, and are capable of, performing the safe and efficient operation of that asset in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.
Assurance
Assurance refers to stakeholders in a project who cannot wait until a project is completed, and handover to the operations team imminent, to discover that something has been omitted or overlooked which would subsequently prevent operation of the asset in the manner stated above. The word 'assurance' refers to the act of reassuring the various stakeholders in a project or venture that their asset and organisation is in a state of operations readiness, or providing a measure of assurance that it will be by the time it is required.
Solutions for Implementing OR&A
The first issue facing an OR&A practitioner on a Project is how to disseminate the vast amount of information required to implement OR&A in a way that neither ‘swamps’ users in a sea of information nor ‘starves’ them of vital information required to complete the various activities and tasks at the appropriate time.
The method now deployed by OR&A Ltd. uses a number of web (HTML) pages to provide the functionality required to manage the volume of information within the system and to present it to the user in a manageable, context related fashion.
The Solution from OR&A Ltd. also includes the assurance software package ORDITA, which complements the information system precisely, such that moving between the two is effectively seamless.
This system, accessed though a secure login over the internet, provides a central point for the management of information, minimising the maintenance requirements for the system, whilst ensuring that all users have access to the latest version of the information provided.
References
LinkedIn Group: OperationsReadiness&Assurance(OR&A) - http://www.linkedin.com
External links
- David Powell, Operations Readiness & Assurance (OR&A®), a Guide for Practitioners (2012), OR&A Ltd. ISBN 978-1-4716-0802-5
- Trevor L. Young, Successful Project Management (2000, 2006) 2nd edition, Kogan Page Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7494-4561-4
- S. Ashbury & P. Ashwell, Health & Safety, Environment & Quality Audits (2007), Elsevier Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7506-8026-4
- Edward W. Merrow, Industrial Megaprojects, Concepts, Strategies and Practices for Success, ISBN 978-0-470-93882-9
- www.operationsreadinessandassurance.com