Event Recap
RECAP | ROUNDTABLE | Procedures You Can Rely On
A June 19th Inside Track roundtable, Procedures you can rely on, included an in-depth discussion of SOPs (standard operating procedure), MOPs (methods of procedure), and EOPs (emergency operating procedure). Participants in the roundtable expressed a fairly wide range of opinions of the exact meaning of these familiar terms. And one participant introduced the concept of SMOPs (special methods of procedure) for abnormal incidents.
After sharing a series of definitions, Uptime Institute consultant Juan Orozco reviewed the reason that having complete sets of procedures were important. One participant noted that he felt having a full library of MOPs was essential to operations. He noted that data center operators could challenge themselves to build upon the MOPs by creating SOPs and EOPs.
A MOP is a step-by-step sequence of actions to be executed by maintenance/operations technicians performing an operation or action that implies a change of state in any critical component of an installation. Such actions include switching breakers on or off, opening or closing sectioning valves, and other actions that could pose a risk to the normal operation of the data center. The purpose of an MOP is to control actions to ensure the desired outcome.
A SOP is the overarching document that controls how changes are to be made during normal operations. They begin and end the overall procedure. Often, they comprise several MOPs that spell out specific steps for portions of the SOP.
The policies and procedures should document:
Orozco agreed, noting that of these procedures, EOPs might be the most important—or at least the most important to drill and train. All types of procedures work to reduce human error, but data center operators do not want confusion when staff members are coping with an emergency.
Orozco also introduced the idea of SCP (site configuration procedures), noting that these procedures should include steady state (normal) settings for all equipment in the data center, including items such as breakers and valves. These settings are useful when facilities are restoring normal operations after an incident or outage.
The conversation shifted tone during the roundtable’s second half hour, perhaps prompted by remarks from a telecom operator. He noted that how procedures were implemented was as important as having them. He described weekly meetings at which operations discussed expected workload, examined and reviewed the relevant MOPs and SOPs, and prepared the work teams to execute. He also noted that teams from other facilities would participate, which creates a level of standardization across the company’s portfolio.
Other participants hold similar meetings, noting that they incorporate what-if scenarios, lessons learned, and procedure revisions. They all felt that the level of communication was very important.
Uptime Institute plans further roundtables on procedures and process, as the level of interest in the topic remains high, and participants in this session were well positioned to share information, tips, and even templates.
After sharing a series of definitions, Uptime Institute consultant Juan Orozco reviewed the reason that having complete sets of procedures were important. One participant noted that he felt having a full library of MOPs was essential to operations. He noted that data center operators could challenge themselves to build upon the MOPs by creating SOPs and EOPs.
A MOP is a step-by-step sequence of actions to be executed by maintenance/operations technicians performing an operation or action that implies a change of state in any critical component of an installation. Such actions include switching breakers on or off, opening or closing sectioning valves, and other actions that could pose a risk to the normal operation of the data center. The purpose of an MOP is to control actions to ensure the desired outcome.
A SOP is the overarching document that controls how changes are to be made during normal operations. They begin and end the overall procedure. Often, they comprise several MOPs that spell out specific steps for portions of the SOP.
The policies and procedures should document:
- Work Rules
- Event Escalation
- Vendor Call-in
- Change Management
- Site Configuration Policies (SCPs)
- Site/Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
- Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs)
Orozco agreed, noting that of these procedures, EOPs might be the most important—or at least the most important to drill and train. All types of procedures work to reduce human error, but data center operators do not want confusion when staff members are coping with an emergency.
Orozco also introduced the idea of SCP (site configuration procedures), noting that these procedures should include steady state (normal) settings for all equipment in the data center, including items such as breakers and valves. These settings are useful when facilities are restoring normal operations after an incident or outage.
The conversation shifted tone during the roundtable’s second half hour, perhaps prompted by remarks from a telecom operator. He noted that how procedures were implemented was as important as having them. He described weekly meetings at which operations discussed expected workload, examined and reviewed the relevant MOPs and SOPs, and prepared the work teams to execute. He also noted that teams from other facilities would participate, which creates a level of standardization across the company’s portfolio.
Other participants hold similar meetings, noting that they incorporate what-if scenarios, lessons learned, and procedure revisions. They all felt that the level of communication was very important.
Uptime Institute plans further roundtables on procedures and process, as the level of interest in the topic remains high, and participants in this session were well positioned to share information, tips, and even templates.
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