Background: The Role of Procedures in Managing Facility Operations (continued)

DOE-STD-1029-92

Background: The Role of Procedures in

Managing Facility Operations (continued)

Even in facilities where the bases documents are accurate and available, this information

must be organized and applied appropriately in developing a procedure for a specific

process (a recurring work activity with a measurable product). Further, the

resulting procedure must be accurate and easy to follow. Meeting these objectives

requires the implementation of procedures programs that include, among others, the

following program elements:

The cooperation of management, technical, and administrative personnel in

ensuring that sufficient staff time, information, and other resources are available to

those individuals responsible for the procedures program.

Properly trained procedure writers, reviewers, and users.

Writer's guides for defining the format and writing styles to be used to ensure that

procedures are easy to follow.

Formal processes for verifying and validating the procedures before use to ensure

that they are accurate and easy to follow.

Further, procedures must be updated as required by operational activities: upgrades or

modifications to equipment or systems may trigger procedural changes; adjustments in

training requirements or certification levels may require reassessment of procedures; and

changes in the safety requirements or management philosophy may also result in review of

procedures to ensure that the procedures reflect the current configurations, philosophy,

and safety criteria. Additionally, procedure revisions also result from growing operational

sophistication: continued use of a procedure or the system or equipment it addresses may

identify a better or more appropriate method for completing the task. Any change to the

bases for facility operations will be likely to require procedure revisions.

Establishing and managing an on-going procedures program requires the active

participation of personnel at all levels in the facility:

The Facility/General Manager's responsibility is to have a disciplined procedure

system integrated with and supported by the overall management control system.

The Operations/Technical Manager's responsibility is to have procedures to

address the facility's complete scope of work.

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