I’m Jason firth.
One commonality I notice when people ask me to help solve a problem is that quite often they explicitly limit solutions to “what sort of control systems can we install?” Type queries.
I immediately force myself to ignore the question as presented, because of the limits it puts on the creativity we can use to solve problems.
Occasionally, we can introduce a new and innovative control system to solve a problem, but just as often, we need to take a step back and re-examine the problem. Sometimes we can solve a problem by providing more data to operators, or by making it easier to follow procedure using their current user interface. Sometimes we need to inform rather than control. Sometimes we need to analyze in a new way. Sometimes it’s a maintenance problem and fixing a chronic problem will help. Sometimes there’s no problem at all and things must be operated on a certain way for safety or operational reasons.
By looking at problems outside of their ostensible technical scope, we can see the systems involved. We can ask questions we might not have asked otherwise: systems involve processes, equipment, operators, procedures, user interfaces, and control systems. Sometimes the answer comes from looking at the whole picture rather than a small piece.
Looking at problems this way also provides new opportunities. A few years back, I was asked to investigate problems with a certain Historian in gathering process critical data. What I discovered was that we were asking the historian to do something incompatible with its design. Historians consist of dozens of working parts, all of which need to function for data to be saved and retrieved. Instead of fighting the historian to conform, we created a new system which consisted of a single simple program with one purpose. Instead of requiring dozens of systems to work, suddenly we only needed two: retrieval and storage. Once we created this new system, we were able to extend it to automatically produce files for regulatory reporting — an unexpected boon which saved the site time and increased accuracy.
This provides new opportunities for a shop. Many people want their shop to limit its influence to “what control systems can we install”, but by looking at a strategy which embraces increased responsibility and increased work in service to other groups, new opportunities arise, because it’s all connected.
Everyone wants to find a new and innovative and cool control system, but sometimes you need to step back from that well trodden lot, and look at the areas nobody is looking, where there are blue skies and green fields, waiting for someone.
Thanks for reading!