Establish

Process Steps

1. 01

   Develop the 10-Year Asset Intervention Outlook

   Intent

   Identify major asset interventions far enough in advance to support strategic business planning, capital allocation, asset replacement, life extension, regulatory compliance and long-term production forecasting.

   Inputs

   • Business strategy and long-term production outlook
   • Asset management strategy and asset lifecycle plans
   • Asset register and functional location hierarchy
   • Asset age, duty, condition and remaining-life information
   • Equipment criticality assessments
   • FMECA, RCM and reliability strategy outputs
   • Major failure and shutdown history
   • Statutory inspection and regulatory obligations
   • Capital replacement and expansion plans
   • Technology obsolescence and vendor-support information

   Actions

   • Review each critical asset and system against the long-term operating strategy
   • Identify assets approaching overhaul, replacement, statutory inspection or end of supported life
   • Identify production expansions, process changes and capital projects requiring future outages
   • Estimate the earliest and latest credible intervention years
   • Record the reason, consequence of deferral and preliminary intervention type
   • Identify opportunities to combine related interventions into common outage windows
   • Identify assets requiring further condition, lifecycle or reliability analysis
   • Document assumptions, uncertainties, dependencies and decision dates
   • Review and update the outlook through the annual business-planning cycle

   People

   Asset Manager is accountable. Reliability, Maintenance, Operations, Engineering, Projects, HSE, Finance and Supply provide specialist inputs. Executive leadership approves strategic assumptions affecting production or capital priorities.

   Process

   Maintain one controlled, rolling 10-year outlook. The outlook is strategic and must not be treated as a detailed shutdown schedule. Each intervention must be linked to an asset, business requirement or compliance obligation.

   Technology

   Enterprise asset management system, CMMS, asset health platform, capital portfolio system, lifecycle cost models and controlled document repository.

   What Good Looks Like

   • Critical asset interventions are visible before they become urgent
   • Assumptions and uncertainties are clearly stated
   • Asset, capital and production strategies use the same planning basis
   • Each intervention has a traceable business, risk or compliance driver

   What Bad Looks Like

   • Long-term shutdown dates are based only on tradition
   • Major replacements appear as unplanned annual budget requests
   • Different departments maintain conflicting outlooks
   • Asset condition and failure history are ignored

   Outputs

   • Approved 10-Year Asset Intervention Outlook
   • Strategic intervention register
   • Long-term capital and outage demand forecast
   • List of required engineering and reliability studies
   • Assumption and uncertainty register
2. 02

   Develop the 5-Year Shutdown Portfolio

   Intent

   Convert the long-term intervention outlook into a coordinated portfolio of probable shutdowns that can be evaluated, prioritised and provisioned across the business.

   Inputs

   • 10-Year Asset Intervention Outlook
   • Five-year business and production plans
   • Capital portfolio
   • Reliability improvement plan
   • Statutory and regulatory calendar
   • Historical shutdown performance
   • Long-range workforce and contractor market information

   Actions

   • Identify shutdown events expected within the five-year horizon
   • Define the plant, system and asset boundaries for each event
   • Identify the preliminary shutdown driver and strategic objective
   • Classify events by size, complexity, risk and business impact
   • Identify dependencies between shutdowns, projects and production campaigns
   • Estimate preliminary event year, duration, production impact and cost range
   • Forecast specialist labour, contractor, crane, scaffold and facility demand
   • Identify events competing for the same people, production windows or capital
   • Sequence events to balance asset risk, production demand and organisational capacity
   • Submit the portfolio for cross-functional review and approval

   People

   Asset Manager owns the portfolio. Operations, Maintenance, Reliability, Engineering, Projects, HSE, Finance, Procurement and Commercial participate in portfolio review.

   Process

   All significant shutdowns must enter the five-year portfolio before event initiation. Emergency events are recorded separately and reviewed for their effect on the approved portfolio.

   Technology

   Portfolio management system, CMMS, integrated planning system, cost forecasting tools and business intelligence dashboards.

   What Good Looks Like

   • Shutdown demand is visible across all sites and business areas
   • Resource and production conflicts are resolved years in advance
   • Capital projects and maintenance interventions are coordinated
   • Portfolio priorities are based on risk and business value

   What Bad Looks Like

   • Each department creates an independent shutdown calendar
   • Multiple events compete for the same specialist resources
   • Shutdown budgets are developed only in the year of execution
   • Events remain in the portfolio without a defined driver

   Outputs

   • Approved 5-Year Shutdown Portfolio
   • Portfolio priority register
   • Long-range budget forecast
   • Long-range resource forecast
   • Portfolio dependency and conflict register
3. 03

   Develop the 2-Year Integrated Shutdown Schedule

   Intent

   Translate the five-year portfolio into a coordinated two-year schedule containing credible event windows, business constraints and planning commencement dates.

   Inputs

   • Approved 5-Year Shutdown Portfolio
   • Two-year production and maintenance forecasts
   • Capital project schedules
   • Statutory due dates
   • Product inventory and supply commitments
   • Major contractor and specialist-resource availability
   • Seasonal, environmental and site-access constraints

   Actions

   • Confirm events entering the two-year scheduling horizon
   • Establish proposed run-down, isolation, outage, commissioning and ramp-up windows
   • Align event windows with production, inventory and customer requirements
   • Align maintenance work with capital tie-ins and statutory activities
   • Identify common utilities, infrastructure and access conflicts
   • Identify specialist resource and contractor constraints
   • Define planning commencement, scope freeze and readiness milestone dates
   • Conduct scenario analysis where more than one event window is feasible
   • Escalate unresolved conflicts to the accountable business authority
   • Baseline the approved schedule and control subsequent date changes

   People

   Operations Manager and Asset Manager jointly sponsor schedule integration. Shutdown Manager, Maintenance, Reliability, Projects, Supply, HSE and Finance provide inputs.

   Process

   Use one controlled two-year schedule. Date changes require documented reasons, consequence assessment and approval appropriate to the business impact.

   Technology

   Enterprise scheduling software, production-planning system, CMMS, project controls system and shared reporting dashboard.

   What Good Looks Like

   • Complete event windows include shutdown, work, commissioning and ramp-up
   • Planning milestones are visible and owned
   • Production and maintenance use the same approved dates
   • Date changes are formally assessed and controlled

   What Bad Looks Like

   • Only the stopped-maintenance period is shown
   • Shutdown dates move without impact assessment
   • Capital and maintenance schedules use different event windows
   • Planning begins without an approved target date

   Outputs

   • Approved 2-Year Integrated Shutdown Schedule
   • Event milestone schedule
   • Schedule assumptions register
   • Resolved and outstanding conflict register
   • Approved event planning commencement dates
4. 04

   Approve the Annual Shutdown Programme

   Intent

   Confirm the shutdowns to be delivered during the next operating year and incorporate their production, financial and resource requirements into the annual business plan.

   Inputs

   • Two-Year Integrated Shutdown Schedule
   • Approved annual production plan
   • Annual maintenance and capital budgets
   • Asset risk and condition information
   • Statutory obligations
   • Workforce and contractor forecasts
   • Inventory and supply-chain plans

   Actions

   • Confirm each proposed annual shutdown remains technically and commercially justified
   • Confirm event timing and preliminary duration
   • Confirm preliminary production-loss assumptions
   • Confirm budget provisions and financial ownership
   • Confirm internal and external resource capacity
   • Confirm the responsible Sponsor and proposed Shutdown Manager
   • Identify events requiring early procurement or contract commitments
   • Document events that are deferred, advanced, combined or cancelled
   • Communicate the approved programme to affected stakeholders
   • Enter approved events and milestones into controlled systems

   People

   Senior leadership approves the programme. Asset, Operations, Maintenance, Reliability, Projects, Finance, HSE, Procurement and Supply provide recommendations.

   Process

   The annual programme is a controlled business commitment. Any change must consider asset risk, compliance, production, customers, cost and resource consequences.

   Technology

   Business planning system, CMMS, budgeting platform, scheduling system and controlled annual calendar.

   What Good Looks Like

   • Every annual event has budget, ownership and authorised timing
   • Long-lead commitments are visible
   • Deferred events have documented risk treatment
   • The programme is communicated across the organisation

   What Bad Looks Like

   • The calendar is an informal spreadsheet
   • Events have no assigned Sponsor or budget
   • Deferral decisions are made without risk review
   • Departments receive conflicting dates

   Outputs

   • Approved Annual Shutdown Programme
   • Annual shutdown budget allocation
   • Event ownership register
   • Long-lead commitment list
   • Annual change and deferral record
5. 05

   Define the Shutdown Driver

   Intent

   Clearly establish why the specific shutdown is required and provide an evidence-based foundation for its objectives, scope and timing.

   Inputs

   • Annual Shutdown Programme
   • Asset condition and health information
   • Defect and failure history
   • Statutory inspection requirements
   • Reliability analyses
   • Production and business requirements
   • Capital project requirements
   • Previous shutdown findings and deferrals

   Actions

   • Identify the principal reason the shutdown is required
   • Distinguish primary drivers from secondary opportunities
   • Verify the driver against technical, regulatory or business evidence
   • Define the consequence if the event is not performed
   • Determine whether the driver controls the event date or duration
   • Consider whether online work, redundancy, inspection or redesign could avoid the outage
   • Identify decisions or investigations needed to confirm the driver
   • Document the accepted driver in plain language
   • Obtain cross-functional agreement on the driver
   • Link the driver to preliminary event objectives

   People

   Asset Manager is accountable. Reliability Engineer develops the technical basis. Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Projects and HSE validate consequences and alternatives.

   Process

   No event may proceed solely because a shutdown has historically occurred at a fixed interval. The driver must be supported by current evidence or an explicit business or compliance requirement.

   Technology

   CMMS, asset health systems, inspection databases, reliability analysis tools and controlled decision register.

   What Good Looks Like

   • The organisation can explain why the event exists
   • Evidence supports the proposed timing
   • Alternatives to shutdown have been considered
   • Primary and secondary drivers are separated

   What Bad Looks Like

   • “We always shut down annually” is the only justification
   • Scope opportunities are mistaken for the event driver
   • The driver changes between departments
   • Deferral consequences are unknown

   Outputs

   • Approved Shutdown Driver Statement
   • Evidence pack
   • Deferral-consequence assessment
   • Alternative-strategy assessment
   • Preliminary event objectives
6. 06

   Define Event Objectives and Success Criteria

   Intent

   Translate the shutdown driver into clear, measurable outcomes that guide all subsequent scope, cost, schedule, quality and risk decisions.

   Inputs

   • Shutdown Driver Statement
   • Business and production requirements
   • Asset performance requirements
   • Safety and environmental standards
   • Budget and schedule constraints
   • Previous shutdown performance

   Actions

   • Define the required asset condition and performance after the event
   • Define safety, environmental and regulatory outcomes
   • Define start-up, ramp-up and production outcomes
   • Define schedule and cost objectives
   • Define work completion and quality objectives
   • Define scope stability and readiness expectations
   • Define learning, reliability and benefits-realisation objectives
   • Establish a measurement method and owner for every objective
   • Resolve conflicts between objectives
   • Obtain Sponsor acceptance of the success criteria

   People

   Event Sponsor is accountable. Shutdown Manager coordinates development. Operations, Maintenance, Reliability, Engineering, HSE, Finance and Projects define measurable outcomes.

   Process

   Objectives must be specific enough to guide decisions and measurable after the event. “Complete the shutdown safely and on time” is insufficient without defined measures and acceptance conditions.

   Technology

   Event management system, KPI dashboard, controlled objective register and benefits-tracking system.

   What Good Looks Like

   • Every objective has a measure, target, owner and reporting method
   • Asset performance and business outcomes are included
   • Conflicting priorities are resolved before planning
   • Success can be objectively evaluated

   What Bad Looks Like

   • Objectives are slogans rather than decision criteria
   • Cost and duration dominate asset integrity or safety
   • Measures are invented after execution
   • No owner is responsible for benefits verification

   Outputs

   • Event Objective Register
   • Approved success criteria
   • Preliminary KPI framework
   • Benefits-realisation register
   • Objective ownership matrix
7. 07

   Establish Event Governance

   Intent

   Define the authority, accountabilities, decision pathways and meeting structure required to control the event.

   Inputs

   • Approved annual programme
   • Shutdown Driver Statement
   • Event objectives
   • Organisational authority framework
   • Preliminary event size, complexity and risk classification
   • Stakeholder information

   Actions

   • Appoint the Event Sponsor
   • Appoint the Shutdown Manager
   • Establish the steering or governance group
   • Define event team roles and accountabilities
   • Develop the responsibility assignment matrix
   • Define financial, scope, schedule and risk approval authorities
   • Define escalation pathways and response expectations
   • Establish meeting and reporting requirements
   • Define document approval and records-management requirements
   • Identify interfaces with Operations, Projects, HSE and contractors
   • Communicate governance arrangements to stakeholders

   People

   Event Sponsor approves governance. Shutdown Manager implements governance. Functional managers nominate competent representatives and provide delegated authority.

   Process

   Each decision must have one accountable authority. Governance must distinguish strategic approval, event management, technical approval and frontline execution control.

   Technology

   Organisation management system, workflow approvals, meeting platform, document control system and decision register.

   What Good Looks Like

   • Decisions are made at the correct level
   • Team members understand authority and escalation pathways
   • Operations and Maintenance accountabilities are unambiguous
   • Decisions and approvals are traceable

   What Bad Looks Like

   • Multiple people believe they own the same decision
   • Decisions are delayed because authority is unclear
   • Contractors make business-critical decisions without approval
   • Meeting actions are not controlled

   Outputs

   • Approved governance structure
   • Responsibility assignment matrix
   • Delegation and approval matrix
   • Meeting and reporting calendar
   • Escalation and decision pathway
8. 08

   Create and Approve the Event Charter

   Intent

   Formally authorise the event and provide a single approved statement of its purpose, boundaries, governance, assumptions and initial controls.

   Inputs

   • Shutdown Driver Statement
   • Event objectives and success criteria
   • Governance structure
   • Preliminary event dates and duration
   • Preliminary cost and resource ranges
   • Initial scope boundaries
   • Initial risk and stakeholder information

   Actions

   • State the business and technical reasons for the event
   • Define included and excluded plant boundaries
   • Define preliminary scope categories
   • Record target event dates and duration assumptions
   • Record preliminary budget and production-impact ranges
   • Record objectives and success criteria
   • Record governance, authority and reporting arrangements
   • Identify major risks, constraints, assumptions and dependencies
   • Define the planning phase deliverables and gate requirements
   • Conduct cross-functional charter review
   • Obtain formal Sponsor approval
   • Issue the controlled charter and communicate authorisation

   People

   Shutdown Manager prepares the charter. Event Sponsor approves it. Operations, Maintenance, Reliability, Engineering, HSE, Projects, Finance and Supply endorse relevant sections.

   Process

   The charter is the authority to commence detailed event planning. Changes to the charter require formal review and approval.

   Technology

   Document control system, electronic approval workflow, event register and stakeholder communication platform.

   What Good Looks Like

   • One approved charter is used by all functions
   • Boundaries, assumptions and authority are explicit
   • The planning team understands required deliverables
   • Charter changes are controlled

   What Bad Looks Like

   • Planning starts from verbal instructions
   • Different teams use different event objectives
   • Budget and duration assumptions cannot be traced
   • The charter is approved but never used

   Outputs

   • Approved Event Charter
   • Authorised planning commencement
   • Initial risk and assumption register
   • Initial stakeholder register
   • Phase 01 Gate Approval

Key Performance Indicators