Projects
Projects: Projects for Investigator |
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| Reference Number | NIA_NGGT0095 | |
| Title | Technical Standards Strategy | |
| Status | Completed | |
| Energy Categories | Fossil Fuels: Oil Gas and Coal(Oil and Gas, Refining, transport and storage of oil and gas) 100%; | |
| Research Types | Applied Research and Development 100% | |
| Science and Technology Fields | SOCIAL SCIENCES (Business and Management Studies) 50%; ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering) 50%; |
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| UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation | Not Cross-cutting 100% | |
| Principal Investigator |
Project Contact No email address given National Grid Gas Transmission |
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| Award Type | Network Innovation Allowance | |
| Funding Source | Ofgem | |
| Start Date | 01 June 2016 | |
| End Date | 01 December 2016 | |
| Duration | 6 months | |
| Total Grant Value | £38,000 | |
| Industrial Sectors | Energy | |
| Region | London | |
| Programme | Network Innovation Allowance | |
| Investigators | Principal Investigator | Project Contact , National Grid Gas Transmission (100.000%) |
| Web Site | http://www.smarternetworks.org/project/NIA_NGGT0095 |
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| Objectives | The objectives of the innovation project are to:- A clear understanding of stakeholder and user requirements to support Part 2 and 3 of the project. Innovative processes to support an agile technical standards management approach . - Determine industry practice (pipeline operators and other industries) for the management and application of technical standards, and report findings. - Review the identified opportunities to improve user engagement through application of technology and systems in working environments with mature feedback loops. The success criteria for the project will be the delivery of an umbrella strategy report which allows National Grid to make a step change in its approach to the management and application of technical standards. | |
| Abstract | NGGT has over 600 Technical Standards that are applied by the business for the safe design, construction and operation of its transmission network. The Standards form a suite of documents that are inter-related and complex in detail; therefore it is critical to have an effective documentation system that can be used by the business. The current system for managing and applying Technical Standards can be referenced back to when the GB Gas Industry was an integrated business (prior to 2003), indeed many of the technical specifications are based on requirements that were detailed over 40 years ago. This system of Technical Standards was based on a large internal supporting team of industry experts, who researched, published and managed technical requirements. The designed method of communication to end users was by hardcopy material. The current NGGT business and its operating environment are significantly different to the historical Gas Industry described above, specifically in respect to:- Reduced asset base- New build projects are typically replacement / refurbishment rather than large scale pipeline projects- Large internal technical support teams not available- Softcopy technology now prevalent over hardcopy systems- Advances in IT systems enable advanced approaches to the representation of, and interaction with, complex data and documents For the above reasons it is proposed to perform a strategic review of how NGGT manage and apply Technical Standards, for the purpose of establishing an effective system that meets the business needs into the future. Part 1: Stakeholder requirements Objective :A clear understanding of stakeholder and user requirements. Innovative processes to support an agile technical standards management approach. Method: A review of NGGT Stakeholders requirements will be conducted with appropriate internal stakeholders. This will require internal research within NGGT as part of the innovation project, and will include face to face meetings / online surveys to establish a broad understanding of what the different stakeholders require from the Technical Standards in respect to process, detail and application. PIE will be provided with output from an internal user engagement process to support this process. A review will be conducted of the development of engineering standards and specifications in the gas industry, including linkages to relevant UK, European and International Standards over time. A document application matrix will be drafted which will record what documents exist and verification of current need. This background will then be assessed to determine which are in regular use and the risk to the business using an enhanced version of the current risk assessment method. The above assessment will explain and define the difference between national and international standards (which present the baseline to be applied by all) and company requirements, which are more specific and are aimed at controlling specific issues/costs. A typical example here is the use of dimensional specifications used in purchase of materials/fittings. Output: An innovative process to determine and monitor ongoing stakeholder requirements; a document application matrix; a technical standards business impact risk assessment process; a gap analysis process to determine the differences between international and national standards. Part 2: Comparative Industry Review Objective: Visibility of processes to manage technical standards and content across technical industries, enabling development of an innovation strategy. Method: The review will compare NGGT practices and systems with other industries. This would identify and prioritise areas for further research, based on their costs vs benefits and how they fit into the strategy, which would lead to separate NIAs / NICs. Specifically the review will examine:- How do other gas networks, pipeline operators, oil and gas operators and industries approach the management and deployment of technical standards to their users?- How have these business leveraged the use of technology to improve standards in a lean operating environment?- What strategy are these businesses using in terms of using international, European and British standards?- Where are the opportunities to take an innovative approach to technical standards management and deployment? The good practice elements for managing and implementing technical requirements will be established by identifying relevant "other industries", i.e. ones that have a complex asset base, are subject to regulatory control, and have a significant safety consideration to their operations, e. g. O&G, Pharmaceuticals, Aviation etc. The review will include selection of the correct model. Other major oil and gas companies may still have a major design and build interest. Therefore NGGT can model on this, or develop modern, safe and cost effective engineering requirements for a utility industry. Government initiatives (see ICE study) would also be considered. Output(s):The output will be an assessment report, and recommendations for what NGGT to focus technical standards innovation. Part 3: Engagement Technology Watch / Literature Review Objective: Identified opportunities to improve user engagement through application of technology and systems in working environments with mature feedback loops. Method:NGGT are already making a significant investment in technology across the business, and to build on this there is an opportunity to specifically improve document lifecycle and explore dynamic content management in the business. This would include consideration of live feedback processes, e. g. analogous to online communities which would aim to improve engagement with operational personnel and allow discussions around documents, easy technical queries and deviations, visual representation of documents to read etc. A research study would be conducted into user requirements across other businesses/industries as detailed in part 2 above, thereby giving exposure to more mature IT systems and technologies and allowing an innovative view. The USA, Canada and Australia, for example, all have very active regulatory and code development groups, which drive IT solutions for integrity management, data management and reporting. We could consider USA too (their more modern operators), and seeing what NG do in the USA would be useful. It would be interesting to investigate current information research being carried out, and also who are the leaders here. Output: The output will be a short report, and recommendations to direct innovative engagement activities. The recommendations will be combined with output from engagement activities with technical standards customers and stakeholders to form the basis the Technical Standards Strategy develop project. The technical standards strategy will drive the direction of technical standards over 3 years including innovation focus.Note : Project Documents may be available via the ENA Smarter Networks Portal using the Website link above | |
| Publications | (none) |
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| Final Report | (none) |
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| Added to Database | 17/12/18 | |
