This project led to the development of Semantic Procedure Analyzer that can read procedures and convert into a tabular format. This tool can be used for procedure automation or creating easier to use procedure modules.
A pilot project was conducted with Dr. Sandeep Purao of Penn State University to help the membership better understand issues in knowledge management. Several observations were made regarding problems with procedures, manuals, and knowledge sharing. It was decided to address the issue of unnecessary procedure volume and ease of updating.
Determine how to capture the knowledge and improve its presentation over current procedure and manual-based techniques.
- What are the requirements for expert knowledge capture and retrieval?
- What are the requirements for incorporating expert knowledge into the operator’s environment?
- What are the issues (pitfalls) in such efforts?
- How can knowledge be presented to operators in near real-time?
The petrochemical industry in North America is about 150 refineries strong with about 250 expert operators at each facility. During their tenure at the facility, these operators often acquire and cultivate expertise that becomes hard to imitate for the newcomers. There are also new challenges related to what can be automated, how to ensure new generations of operators are trained, and what kinds of knowledge can be captured, represented and managed at the organizational level. A high percentage of expert operators are set to retire in the next several years, which may reduce the ranks of experienced operators by as much as 20%. Capturing and retaining the knowledge of these experts is imperative or it will be lost.
- To identify one or more mechanisms that can either replace current operator manuals or enhance them using the operator’s knowledge in some manner. The mechanisms must also provide easy and quick retrieval of information.
- To identify what knowledge can be captured, what cannot be captured, and how it could be presented to the operator.