What is an operational readiness checklist template?
Operational readiness is used to methodically check the completeness of project deliverables to ensure a smooth launch and safe operation. Operational readiness processes help with project planning and preparation for the first day of operations. An operational readiness checklist template is a document you can use to record all the information necessary when ascertaining operational readiness in your organization.
Once a project is completed, you need to complete a variety of pre-operational activities before operations can start. These activities are handled by your project team, the project operator, and other parties invested in the safety of said operations. Some pre-start activities have long lead times and are critical to ensuring operational readiness, so they should feature on your checklist as well.
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What should be considered when writing an operational readiness checklist template
Before starting a project, know which transitions are necessary and prepare for them ahead of time to avoid chaos. Operational errors, disorganization, and unprepared teams mean loss of value and poor performance.
When and where do you assess operational readiness?
Operational readiness reviews are done either before operations begin, to develop new processes, or on existing processes that were previously completed. This stage of the operational readiness assessment involves:
- Ensuring that the construction and equipment of a process match design specifications
- Confirming that you’re following adequate safety and maintenance procedures
- Requiring all workers to undergo special training, and confirming that appropriate risk analyses have been performed before beginning any new processes
Who is responsible for your operational readiness checklist template?
Operational readiness audits may involve:
- One operator
- A maintenance person
- An engineer
- People from different departments if it’s a bigger project
What output is expected from operational readiness activities?
Some outcomes of your prep activities might be:
- Confirmation that your process is safe and ready to begin
- An action plan detailing steps needed to prepare processes
- Documented proof that all required actions were completed.
- Identifying weaknesses or deficiencies in your processes
How do you apply your operational readiness checklist template?
According to the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (2020), operational readiness assessments require the following:
- One person walks through the process to ensure that nothing has changed and any necessary equipment is ready for use
- For engineering, operations, and maintenance personnel to check how well your equipment matches design intent, quality standards, the process it’s being used for, etc. Typically, process authorization involves extensive checklists, multi-stage verification, and multiple sign-offs. Higher risk situations mean you need a more thorough operational readiness checklist.
- If your facility already has a solid process safety culture, it can often rely on pre-made assessment tools like checklists
- Facilities with more complicated or less stable safety cultures may require more dynamic operational readiness procedures
Why should you use an operational readiness checklist template?
A checklist for operational readiness is a structured and consistent means of evaluating projects. Its main purpose is to minimize operational risks, which are defined as “the risk of loss due to failed internal processes, people, and systems, or from external events.”
All the processes and specifications which constitute a project that’s “ready” are outlined in the operational readiness checklist before projects are proposed. Operational readiness evaluations are carried out before new processes are put into operation or existing processes that have been halted are resumed.
Operation project managers from the oil and gas, construction and mining industries benefit from operational readiness checklists and templates. Their use ensures that the people, processes, and systems necessary to deliver infrastructure projects on time are in place.
Create operational readiness checklists with workflow automation software
Depending how complex your project, ensuring operational readiness can be a heavily detailed process, and reviewing operational readiness is key to ensuring that you are able to align with your production plans. Rather than rely on paper checklists, use workflow automation software like Lumiform to more conveniently prepare and carry out operational readiness assessments.
Lumiform’s mobile app allows project managers to complete their operational readiness reviews from anywhere, as long as they have a smartphone or tablet. Simply use Lumiform’s desktop software to create operational readiness checklist templates tailored to the specifics of your business or project, and you can download them onto the app.
Using Lumiform to manage your operational readiness assessments, you can:
- Convert any existing paper checklist into digital form within minutes using the flexible form builder
- Attach photos during inspections to support and enhance your findings
- Use the intuitive mobile app to save time during inspections related to operational readiness
- Easily track the status of schedules and operational readiness review actions.
- Continue to optimize and improve your processes thanks to automatically generated visual reports that show you recurring deficiencies
- Collaborate more effectively with you team by assigning, adjusting, scheduling, and monitoring tasks from a centralized dashboard
