Continuous commissioning is a complex procedure with multiple stakeholders testing concurrent systems. It involves long processes and checklists that can lead to problems like project delays, cancellations, cost overruns, or the endangerment of people and the environment. In the energy industry, machinery failure or human error can be fatal on an oil platform. Equipment failure at a power plant can mean economic losses into millions of dollars.

Proper commissioning is crucial for all energy projects to prevent minor hitches or faulty components from causing large-scale damage like the BP incident. A thorough, continuous commissioning process to ensure all equipment and systems continue functioning properly during operations could have saved the environment from that disaster and helped BP avoid immense losses.

At Exto, we know commissioning can be time-consuming and expensive if not managed efficiently. This is why, in today’s competitive business landscape, energy companies must find ways to automate and streamline ongoing commissioning operations and have a clear end-to-end view of the process. Two high-level items may negatively affect a streamlined commissioning process: paper-based processes and remote projects.

Paper-Based Commissioning Processes
Many workflows in the energy sector are still conducted on paper or other uncontrolled methods like spreadsheets are stored on siloed employee computers, creating inefficiencies and increased risks of errors. Without a single source of truth, it is easy for teams to misplace a document or miss a deadline. For companies experiencing growth, paper-based processes limit scalability. As new projects come in, more pieces of equipment need to be managed and commissioned, increasing the amount of paperwork.

Remote Projects
Remote work can invite challenges, specifically when collaborating with multiple workers in different locations. The sensitive nature of this sector demands an increased level of coordination, making commissioning processes time-consuming and increasing their complexity.

Instead of sending employees into the field, forward-thinking energy companies are starting to use drones to take photos and videos for site inspections. While drone use saves engineers and operators from spending time on trips to and from the field, it doesn’t fully solve collaboration challenges. If teams don’t have a commissioning platform to store and share photos with stakeholders, multiple back-and-forth emails will continue.

During a commissioning project, steps and procedures are undertaken to ensure safety, quality, and industry compliance. Since an average construction project entails thousands of functions, each with subparts of its own, it is important to note that project commissioning is a complex, time-consuming piece of this multifaceted puzzle.

Commissioning includes verification, inspection, functional testing, and performance evaluation of all equipment and integrated systems to ensure that all components meet the safety requirements for operations and work together as intended.

Exto can help commissioning teams in different areas and digitize manual processes, like paper-based checklists, spreadsheets, and work reporting.