Process Change Management System for Mining
Project Drive
Corso Systems worked with a diatomaceous earth processing facility to develop a centralized process change management system. We developed requirements based on their existing system, which was based on Excel spreadsheets. Many of the requirements were designed to provide a robust and automatic approvals process for proposed changes. The new system was much more user friendly and automatically notified the appropriate personnel when a change request was initiated, as well as at various points during its lifecycle.
Solution
Prior to this project, process changes were requested by filling out an Excel document, saving it on the corporate server, and printing out multiple copies for people to review and approve any changes. Managing this process required a significant amount of time for relaying information and collecting approvals or modifications to the request before it could be approved. Our system replaced this Excel document with a web-based interface. When creating a new change request, the requester can select different people or titles required to approve the change, as well as the individuals and departments required to be notified of the change. This process now happens automatically as soon as the change request is generated.
In addition to the initial notifications, an approvals engine is used to manage the process of completing a change. Once the change has been implemented, the change requester marks it as complete in the system. The Safety Coordinator is then notified and requested to mark it complete. It goes through as many rounds of approvals as needed based on the change's impact. When the approval process is complete, the Plant Manager is notified and the change is marked as complete in the system. The new process change management system reduced the amount of time the change requester spends tracking people down and getting their approvals. It’s also easier for people to communicate their concerns about a change, since they’re aware of the change earlier in the change process itself.
Benefits
Process change requests are now stored in a central database
Process changes can be tracked throughout their lifecycles in one location and are accessible at any time
Information about who created the change request is stored automatically
Affected personnel are automatically notified when a process change request is submitted and/or approved
Process change approvals are now requested automatically by the system, reducing the amount of time spent managing the approval workflow
Centralized process change management
Increased awareness for safety and operations staff
Decreased administrative overhead
Project Details
Industry: Mining
Location: Lovelock, NV
Services: Web-based tools, Process Management, Operations Optimization
Technology
ASP.NET MVC
SQL Server
jQuery
Javascript
Focus
Centralize Process Change Management system
Implement a robust and automatic approval process
Reduce overhead by implementing automatic lifecycle notifications
Develop requirements based on business processes
Implement web-based system
Train personnel on system operation