Bringing Information To Life

Transcription

1 Bringing Information To Life How Context technology turns the Digital Asset into a digital partner An AVEVA Business Paper

2 Contents Introduction Summary The impact of poor decisions The underlying problem Why the solution isn t simply to use more applications The changing scope of design and engineering tools Introducing Design in Context Real-world scenarios Better information for better, faster decisions About the Digital Asset approach Conclusion Page Page 2

3 Introduction As part of its commitment to help customers unlock the power of their digital assets, AVEVA is introducing a new Context technology that makes the Digital Asset a true digital partner of the practising engineer or designer. This paper explains the concept of Design in Context and how it will transform working methods and business performance in capital engineering projects. Summary We tend to think of information as something inert, to be created, moved about, stored or manipulated, but not being alive in any meaningful sense. In part that may be because, until now, technology has focused almost exclusively on the processes around information rather than the essence of the information itself. We have replaced manual methods with automated and semi-automated processes for that creation, movement, storage and manipulation. While this has greatly increased our abilities to control and understand ever larger and more complex information assets, it has not really breathed into these the spark of life that would transform data points from passive outputs to active contributors to engineering or design processes. AVEVA s Digital Asset approach is changing this way of thinking. The fundamental principle of the approach is that information should not be considered transient; it has a relevance and an importance that may persist throughout the entire asset life cycle. Information forms the basis for every decision we make, so it should be maintained with the same robustness as its physical equivalent, to keep it alive and relevant. It should be made available quickly and easily to everyone who needs access to it, whenever and wherever they need it. AVEVA is introducing a new Context technology that makes the Digital Asset a true digital partner of the practising engineer or designer... Page 3

4 The impact of poor decisions Every physical asset is the embodiment of thousands of critical decisions, from the very earliest stages of concept discussion through to its ultimate decommissioning and disassembly. Each decision along the way presents both risk and opportunity; often the distinction comes from the quality of the information on which the decision is based. Sometimes the choice to be made is self-evident, but often limited available information makes it a judgement call, where options are weighed on the basis of experience, best-guess estimation and balance of probabilities. Unfortunately, where such decisions prove to be wrong, the impact can be substantial in terms of cost, schedule, reliability or even safety. For EPCs in the project phase, the consequences can result in design clashes or other errors that lead to materials waste, time-consuming and expensive rework and, of course, the risk of schedule slip. Wrong decisions can thus mean the difference between successful project execution and project overruns; between satisfied clients and withholdings or liquidated damages, and ultimately between a profitable or a lossmaking project. Given the state of the global capital projects industries, it would appear that many decisions do fall the wrong way. In research conducted in 2012, management consultancy A.T. Kearney noted that 70% of projects were late. 1 12% ran more than 20% behind schedule. When looking at performance against budget, the numbers are equally concerning: 60% of projects were delivered over budget. More recently, in 2014 Ernst & Young Global Ltd found that average completion costs on megaprojects showed a staggering 59% overspend. 2 Certainly, some proportion of delays and overspends may be due to changes of scope, and the reality that project scale, difficulty and complexity are increasing rapidly, most notably in the oil & gas industry. But every opportunity must clearly be taken to improve project performance, and increasing the reliability of decision making early in the project would provide substantial downstream benefits for both costs and schedule. 1 A.T. Kearney, Excellence in Capital Projects II (ExCap II), Ernst & Young, Spotlight on oil and gas megaprojects, Each decision presents both risk and opportunity; often the distinction comes from the quality of the information on which the decision is based... Page 4

5 The underlying problem If reliable decisions depend upon reliable information, then we have to look at the accessibility and quality of the information used. In the early engineering and design phases of a project, information is in flux. The contractor s Digital Asset the full range of digital information relating to the project may still be limited at this stage. A lot of detail is still to be defined, yet the project schedule must be maintained. Every piece of relevant information must be assessed and used to the fullest extent possible. Individual applications and integrated sets of applications can enable the integration and management of information of particular types. Where team collaboration is fundamental to project progress, such as in multi-discipline Engineering & Design, many vendors, including AVEVA, build suites of tools upon a common database architecture to ensure consistency and accuracy across all areas and to maximise the sharing of the information they are creating and maturing. However, experience suggests that typically more than 40% of project data is created and managed outside of the design applications, beyond the authoring and validation control of these integrated tools. How can we ensure that this information also is both accessible and trustworthy? Currently, to find the right information for the task of the moment, the design engineer has to go hunting, perhaps through FEED data from another contractor (who might even use a different tag ID structure). It may mean finding and reviewing vendor drawings and equipment datasheets. If it is a brownfield project, it may require the review of laser scans, site photographs and maintenance or original construction data. And it might even involve reviewing printed documents such as corporate or project design standards. This information might reside in dozens of different systems, in many different physical locations. No surprise, therefore, that research by the International Data Corporation (IDC) estimated that engineers spend up to 20% of their time, the equivalent of one unproductive day a week, just looking for the specific information they need. 3 Where that information may exist in multiple separate locations, without any form of cross-validation, inconsistencies can be extremely damaging to decision confidence. Inevitably, the results are wasted time, error-prone decisions and substantial financial impacts later in the project as materials are purchased and construction begins. For those with experience of the AVEVA NET Engineering Information Management system, validation of thirdparty information may not be of concern. This open, flexible system enables data and documentation from any application, housed in any accessible system, to be aggregated, validated and dynamically interlinked, to build a full context for every single tagged object within the project. Its intuitive, browser-based dashboard application offers quick and easy information discovery, either via a simple or advanced search option using the Explorer-style Plant Breakdown Structure, or by simply clicking a tagged object within a 2D schematic or a 3D model. Immediately, every piece of data or every document relating to that particular object, zone or area can be opened, viewed, reported against, validated or even annotated within the system s Universal Viewer. 3 International Data Corporation, Hidden Costs of Information Work: A Progress Report, Susan Feldman, Experience suggests that typically more than 40% of project data is created and managed outside of the design applications... How can we ensure that this information also is both accessible and trustworthy? Page 5

6 Why the solution isn t simply to use more applications However, while AVEVA NET is a powerful information discovery and decision support tool, having a separate application is not necessarily the ideal solution. A designer would still have to switch back and forth between applications, potentially copying information from one source to another and having to constantly perform new searches in the Information Management system whenever a different item is selected in the 3D tool. Although this might not sound particularly timeconsuming, research by Chemical Engineering Magazine noted that continually switching between different programs and data sources to find the information they need means that...engineers working with stand-alone computer programs spend 50 80% of their time moving and organizing data between programs. 4 Furthermore, the extensive search, reporting, validation and annotation capabilities of AVEVA NET do not need to be executed from within the design and engineering tools. Users of these tools simply want quick access to relevant information of known quality and maturity. Enabling this can reduce the search parameters and, because information will have been validated and assessed in AVEVA NET, users would not need to perform that validation and assessment from the design and engineering tools. Clearly, the answer is to incorporate some of these capabilities into the tools themselves. 4 Chemical Engineering Magazine, Vol. 101, Issue 9, The Road to a Common Byte. The changing scope of design and engineering tools What is perceived as the traditional scope of 3D design is changing as vendors expand the capabilities of their toolsets. In AVEVA Everything3D (AVEVA E3D ), for example, in addition to tools for design detailing and drawing output, AVEVA has recently added the ability to work with laser data directly inside the design application itself. Through the combination of 3D model and scanned BubbleView data (photographic-quality laser point cloud), it is now possible to model alongside the existing as-is environment. Integrating laser data with an optimised drafting environment dramatically improves the reliability and accuracy of design decisions. In essence, AVEVA E3D ensures that what works on screen will work on site. In such ways, AVEVA is changing the definition of what users should be able to achieve with a 3D modelling tool. Page 6

7 Introducing Design in Context The specific information that design teams need in order to make quick, reliable decisions is what we refer to as the context for those decisions. The principle is not new; to a limited extent, most modern software solutions already employ context to assist the user and simplify work processes. Intelligent, context-sensitive menus, toolbars and catalogues offer the user only those choices which are relevant for the task of the moment. The starting point for the development of Design in Context was to bring the capabilities of AVEVA s Information Management technology directly into the engineering, schematics and 3D design and modelling environments (AVEVA Engineering, AVEVA Diagrams and AVEVA E3D respectively). This would enable users of these applications to work directly, not only with information created and managed in AVEVA s authoring tools, but also with validated third-party data and documentation from the broader Digital Asset. But while lack of information can be a problem, so too can excessive information. The Design in Context capability should therefore also apply intelligent filtering, based on the context of the selected tagged object, zone or area, to ensure that a user is offered only the relevant information for the active task. Double-clicking any item (or group of items if sets have been created), enables it to be opened within a new universal viewing facility embedded into the application. Engineers or designers will no longer need to open multiple applications and laboriously search many separate systems to find information to support their design decisions. The information they need will not only be available at their fingertips when they need it, it will also be directly relevant and will represent the full current extent of that information. Because the Digital Asset information is being retrieved from AVEVA NET, users can have confidence that its automatic data validation and cross-referencing functions ensure, not simply that the information is of known status, but also that it will be directly relevant to the selected object or area. It is easy to see how this transforms the Digital Asset from a passive source of information to a powerful resource that actively supports users involved in its creation and development. Design in Context achieves both these goals. It is a contextual window into the Digital Asset from within the design authoring systems. Functionally, users will notice a new group of capabilities, entitled Context, on the application ribbon in each application. When an object is selected, clicking the Browse button on this ribbon opens a panel which shows a list of all available data and documentation from the Digital Asset, filtered against the tag ID selected. This contextual list could include 3D models, arrangement drawings, equipment datasheets, location drawings, mechanical datasheets, P&IDs, plot plans, purchasing status documents, planning Gantt charts, maintenance histories, existing work permits, or any other type of relevant information. Page 7

8 Real-world scenarios To illustrate how the Design in Context capability can significantly benefit its users daily work, consider three simple scenarios, using AVEVA E3D as the example application. 1. Inheriting FEED work from another EPC and taking it through to preliminary plant layout could require the designers to review extensive data and documentation. This could be from their own project teams and the archived FEED data, and could include P&IDs, specifications, datasheets, drawings and layouts, photographs, preliminary equipment lists, basis of design documentation, and so on. In many cases, the information will be of limited maturity and will have limited object tagging to assist searching. Design in Context can provide access to all this documentation within the application and provide status and maturity details, where applicable, to enhance early decision making. 2. Brownfield projects can include a wide variety of modifications. In this scenario, there is a clash between a feedline from a newly installed cooling water skid and some existing structural steel. To investigate and resolve it, the piping designer can use the Design in Context capability to quickly review the construction team s TQ document, the isometrics, any applicable vendor drawings, civil drawings, structural drawings, laser scans and site photos, all in the context of the particular tagged objects in question. 3. A common requirement it to check that vessel datasheets and associated vendor drawings have been updated with the latest nozzle orientations from the design model. When detail design has begun and most of the critical piping has been laid out satisfactorily, the vessel drawings must be checked and, if necessary, marked up to reflect the design model. Each process area contains a variety of equipment of differing types. The correct orientation of the nozzles is set by the piping layout and the equipment vendors rely on the timely receipt of such information to meet their required delivery times. Without leaving the design environment, the piping designer is able to review the design model against, for example, the plot plan, P&IDs, vessel datasheets, vendor drawings, piping isometrics and piping specification documents. The vessel engineers can then transmit any changes to the vendors, who can ensure correct placement of all nozzles and deliver exactly what is required. Page 8

9 Better information for better, faster decisions As we have demonstrated, fast, easy information access is a prerequisite to effective decision making, but information quality is even more critical. An EPC in the power industry estimated that the cost of poor quality could be up to 15% of a project s Total Installed Cost, and a fifth of that could be attributed to poor quality and accessibility of information. On a $500m project, that takes $15m from the bottom line due to easily remedied information issues. CMII Research Institute 5 estimates that just 1% lower quality of project information increases the resources required to complete a project on schedule by 10%. In short, there is a clear, direct relationship between poorquality, hard-to-access information and the industry s perennial struggle to deliver ever more complex projects on time and on budget. Context technology increases the value of the Digital Asset to creators and developers of asset information, who have different needs from information consumers. Design in Context achieves this by putting extensive, relevant information of known status directly at the fingertips of those whose minute-by-minute decisions have the biggest impact on project quality, delivery and profitability. The potential benefits of Design in Context do not accrue only to EPCs, however; better design quality brings value to their clients. If an instance of suboptimal design incurs even a small avoidable cost in operations (for example, if poor layout makes a maintenance task or equipment replacement difficult), the impact could be substantial in terms of unnecessary downtime and turnaround time overruns, adding up to a significant reduction in profitability. Combine this benefit with more reliable ontime delivery and reductions in project cost, and Design in Context offers EPCs valuable competitive advantage. Design in Context puts extensive, relevant information of known status directly at the fingertips of those whose minute-by-minute decisions have the biggest impact on project quality, delivery and profitability... Page 9

10 About the Digital Asset approach To fully appreciate the value of Design in Context it is helpful to understand the nature of the Digital Asset approach on which it is based. AVEVA s Digital Asset approach is focused on the creation, management and sharing of digital information to all parties who may benefit from it right throughout the project and asset life cycle. The Digital Asset is the information core of every project and facility. It unifies trusted information that runs through every system, populates every application and is embedded in every document and model. It removes barriers to information flow and provides access to that information, for both capital project execution and asset life cycle management. AVEVA s unique Digital Asset approach builds an integrated information framework that continuously represents the true current state of the physical asset. It provides deep application integration where real-time information sharing between disciplines is critical to success. It is open, enabling data and documents created in almost any software to be easily accessed and validated. Context technology creates a window into the Digital Asset within applications that previously could only publish information into it, creating a two-way information flow. So, where Design in Context is used in the 3D design environment, 3D model data is published into the Digital Asset, while other types of information are read from it, filtered according to context and presented in the working environment for decision support. This complements existing integration of engineering and design data by putting every other type of information directly at a designer s fingertips. Corresponding capabilities are provided in AVEVA s engineering and schematics applications. Future developments will see Context technology applied in other types of application. Page 10

11 Conclusion At the start of this paper, we questioned how we could breathe a spark of life into the information generated by our engineering and design applications, turning a passive output into an invaluable contributor to key decisions. Intrinsic to achieving this is ensuring that information of known maturity and reliability is made available to those who could benefit from it, when and where it is needed. The recognition that faster, better decisions depend on a wide variety of information, much of which is not currently created, managed or presented through the existing core applications, drove AVEVA to create and embed Context technology in its engineering and design applications. The traditional limitations of an application s scope to only its own specific type of information need no longer exist. By now providing direct access to the extended Digital Asset, AVEVA is not only blurring the boundaries of the scope of design applications, but also substantially improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the design decision-making process. This intuitive and easily accessible Context technology eradicates time-consuming and disruptive searching for information and removes many limitations on the ability to make prompt and well-informed decisions. Since the same challenge exists for users across the project and asset life cycle, this inclusion of Context technology in AVEVA Engineering, AVEVA Diagrams and AVEVA Everything3D is just the first step towards adding greater decision support capabilities across the whole AVEVA product portfolio. Implemented now as Design in Context, this technology is bringing Digital Asset information to life to increase design efficiency and reduce project risk, for more reliable delivery of on-time, on-budget, high-quality engineering projects. This technology is bringing Digital Asset information to life to increase design efficiency and reduce project risk, for more reliable delivery of on-time, onbudget, high-quality engineering projects... Page 11

12 AVEVA Group plc High Cross Madingley Road Cambridge CB3 0HB UK Tel +44 (0) Fax +44 (0) Headquartered in Cambridge, England, AVEVA Group plc and its operating subsidiaries currently employ staff worldwide in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. AVEVA also has representatives in additional countries around the world. For more details on AVEVA Worldwide Offices, visit Copyright 2015 AVEVA Solutions Limited and its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying or recording, without permission. Permission must also be obtained before any part of this publication is stored in a retrievable system of any nature. No responsibility can be accepted by AVEVA for action taken as a result of information contained in this publication. Licenses issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited or any other reproduction rights organisations do not apply to AVEVA. ABP/DIC/15