At Nexus Global Business Solutions, Inc., we offer our clients a full range of comprehensive business assessments, audits and various other tools. Our assessment services have been developed throughout the years using the rich knowledge of our industry experts.
We specialize in:
- Asset Performance Assessment
- Performance Assessment
- Competency Assessment
- Process Assessment
- Productivity Assessment
- Reliability Assessment
- Operations Assessment
- Turnaround/Shutdown Assessment
What is an Assessment?
Assessment is the process where you:
- Identify opportunities or best practices.
- Analyze and evaluate the consequence associated with passing up an opportunity.
- Determine appropriate ways to eliminate poor practices.
- Determine a way forward to implement and control a new way of working. In practical terms, an assessment is a thorough look at your workplace to identify those things, situations, processes, etc. that may cause risk to the operation of your business in various areas. After identification is made, you evaluate how likely and severe the risk is, than decide what measures should be in place to effectively prevent or control the consequence.
Why is Assessment Important?
Assessments are very important, as they form an integral part of an overall business improvement plan. They help to:
- Create awareness
- Identify what or who may be at risk
- Alignment with PAS 55-2008, ANSI, API, and ISO Standards
- Determine if existing control measures are adequate or if more should be done
- Prevent a consequence from occurring when done at the design or planning stage
- Prioritize opportunities and control measures
Types of Business Assessment Nexus Global Provides
- BEAM-A (Business Excellence Assurance Method)
- BIZ-I (Business Infrastructure)
- MOP-E (Maintenance & Operations Effectiveness)
- WM-A (Work Management Assessment)
- TARS-A (Turnaround/Shutdown Assessment)
- AIPS-R (Asset Integrity Process Safety Management Review)
- I-MATS-A (Inventory/Materials & Storeroom Assessment)
- TRAIN-A (Training & Competency Assessment)
- Perform-A (Performance Management Analysis)
BEAM-A (Business Excellence Assurance Method)
Operation Excellence (BEAM)
When organizations use the Nexus Global BEAM approach, they will begin to visualize the entire business and how people, processes and production elements interweave and interrelate in a totally unique way. The software seeks to provide the organizational transparency, accountability and flexibility that is needed for the approach to be successful. When the shop floor begins to see how people are being held accountable at all levels in the organization and benefits are tied to performance and reward, it’s simply amazing the force BEAM generates.
Key Objectives
- Industry-focused assessment templates — Provides a starting point for organizations to customize assessment for the particular asset that is being assessed
- Interactive interface for data collection and analytics — Intuitive controls for the collections of data with different feedbacks on progression and completeness; reports and dashboards provide transparency and insight to the assessments of the organization
- Alignment of business objectives with “After Assessment Reports” — Aligns assessment task and accountability to tangible business objectives; aligns individual goals with corporate goals
BIZ-I (Business Infrastructure)
To Nexus Global, foundational business infrastructure ensures that an organization has a direction and strategy to build upon. Our BIZ-I assessment looks at foundational readiness to ensure an organization is set up for success and sustainability. Our BIZ-I assessment is aligned with the business foundation of our BEAM approach.
By peering in-depth at an organization’s mission and vision statements, business strategy, organizational structure, business goals/targets, and robustness of the change management structure, Nexus Global is able to determine the level of effectiveness an organization can expect, as well as propose opportunities for improvement.
MOP-E (Maintenance & Operations Effectiveness)
Maintenance & Operations Effectiveness undertakes a comprehensive review of all related maintenance processes and their interfaces to operations. This effectiveness assessment is a scaled-down approach of our BEAM-A. MOP-E looks intensively at 25 elements and the relationships between maintenance and operations.
During the MOP-E process, we compare our findings against approximately 290 criteria that are considered to be best-in-class/world-class practices for that particular subject area. The outcome will generate an improvement roadmap of identified opportunities that, when implemented, can return a bottom-line positive impact of between 5 - 18% in reduced operating cost.
WM-A (Work Management Assessment)
At Nexus Global, we take work management more seriously than almost any other element of a company’s business. We believe the work management process is the cornerstone to achieving:
- Improved Safety
- Asset Integrity Assurance
- Low Cost Producer
- Improved Reliability
- Increased Productivity
- Reduced Downtime (Planned & Unplanned)
- Maintenance & Operations Partnerships
Our work management assessment specifically looks into the organization’s maintenance planning and scheduling, execution, closeout, review process, and operations involvement.
During the assessment, we conduct a CMMS review of master data and transactional data, as well as an overall data quality check and process alignment in respect to gatekeeping and functionality of the current CMMS being used.
Key Benefits
The outcome of the WM-A is:
- Identified process improvement opportunities
- Identification of current status and how you compare to others in like industry
- Developed benefit-related improvement statements
- Proposal of a roadmap for delivery of benefits
- Production of a designed implementation plan
- Insight into CMMS and asset register quality and opportunity areas
- Feedback on risk associated with safe work practices and assurance to asset integrity
Our goal is to provide you a plan that will allow your organization to: “Manage maintenance like our lives depend on it, because they do”
TARS-A (Turnaround/Shutdown Assessment)
Over the years, turnarounds have evolved from a catch-all for many different categories of work that need to be completed in a plant during the outage, to work that must be completed because of regulatory or product change over.
It has been noted from various sources that turnaround work in respect to cost and duration is at an all-time high. Nexus TARS-A has been developed with input from many turnaround Subject Matter Experts, raising the questions and criteria to challenge every phase and aspect of an organization’s turnaround. There is also an interface between capital projects and turnarounds that has historically been one of the most difficult situations to manage, and is even more critical the larger the project.
As an important element of our TARS-OP program, we have developed the TARS-A tool to better address all phases of the turnaround, as well as the risks arising from large capital projects executed during the shutdown window. An in-depth review provided by TARS-A gives you the assurance that best practices are implemented to generate safe, low-cost, predictable and competitive outcomes when a turnaround is being executed in conjunction with a capital project work.
Key Benefits
Using TARS-A, we come away with a comprehensive value proposition:
- Identifying an ROI
- Detailing an action-oriented target plan for turnaround improvement
- Aligning team members to roles and responsibilities with a management controls and reporting structure
- Identifying targets and goals for all levels within the organization
- Identification of potential issues and gaps
- Risk and compliance summary
AIPS-R (Asset Integrity Process Safety Management Review)
The purpose of the AIPS-R is to measure the progress against a current ongoing program as well as against key areas of API RP 75. Accordingly, Nexus Global will look at how resources are diverted appropriately to ensure a thorough and balanced implementation and sustainability approach.
The review team will analyze many different aspects, including:
- Completing a series of independent case study sample inspections to validate any reported progress
- Specific checks to determine industry progress on the status of maintenance and SCE issues
- Data integrity will be reviewed and validated to ensure compliance with any current programs or to determine any potential risks
- A review of current programs such as, but not limited to, Corrosion Management Program, Effectiveness of Independent Verification Schemes, Quality of Auditing Systems, maintenance strategies and risk transparency
Inclusive within the review, we will place focus on workforce involvement and safety culture.
The purpose of this review is to identify, particularly in the context of asset integrity, the involvement of the workforce in any improvements made by the organization and to seek their views on how well their organization is at creating a stronger safety culture. A workforce survey and internal inspection will reveal findings that are most likely not evident from appearance. Particular attention will be paid to organizational issues, workforce training and competence.
Some areas of interest will be to:
- Examine the role of the workforce in contributing to the effective management of safety in their workplace
- Explore the existing mechanisms for workforce involvement, including safety committees and safety representatives
- Identify basic skills and competencies required by workers to enable them to participate in effective safety management, including hazard awareness, training, standards and industry best practice
- Identify ways in which the role of the workforce may be strengthened in order to secure an enhanced safety culture, and to present these as options for consideration by all stakeholders
In light of the following incidents and others throughout the industry, our goal is to ensure that our clients have every conceivable tool and industry expert available to them to prevent events like this from occurring.
- Piper Alpha (July 1988): 167 of 229 died
- BP’s Texas City Refinery (March 23, 2005 ): 15 deaths, >170 injuries
- Buncefield fire (December 11, 2005): 43 injuries, a series of explosions
- Indian Oil Company (IOC) terminal explosion (October 29, 2009): 11 deaths, 45 injuries
- Tesoro Anacortes Refinery fire (April 2,2010): 7 deaths
- Deepwater Horizon oil spill or BP oil disaster (April 20, 2010 ): 11 deaths, massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico
- UK Lindsey oil explosion (Jun 29,2010): 1 death
- CNPC Dalian China pipeline rupture (July 17, 2010): ? deaths
I-MATS-A (Inventory/Materials & Storeroom Assessment)
With I-MATS-A, Nexus Global will analyze the performance of maintenance and supply processes, and create process flow diagrams on key or recognized problematic areas with the client. Once the diagrams are completed and reviewed with key site personnel, Nexus Global will capture current-state process opportunities and define key metrics by involving the on-site Subject Matter Expert(s).
The Nexus Team will get involved in the process by shadowing individuals and observing the process in operation. Once completed and reviewed with key stakeholders, the process flow charts will then thoroughly be analyzed to determine current-state performance and identify opportunities for standardization and process improvement. As an outcome, future-state process flow diagrams will then be developed with identified opportunities.
Storeroom operations that lack sound materials management practices contribute to high maintenance costs and low productivity. When Nexus Global provides I-MATS-A, our clients will typically continue to work with us as a partner in our I-MATSPro improvement offering, where further coaching key personnel will gain a clear understanding of materials best practices. During the ongoing engagement, robust processes are developed, as well as a thorough understanding of how to implement the developed processes and best practices, yielding lower maintenance and MRO costs.
Key Benefits
Key benefits, as an outcome of the I-MATS-A will include:
- Visualization of Current-State Value Streams
- Analysis of Current-State Value Stream Performance
- Rationalization of Value Stream Improvement Opportunities
- Validation of Proposed Future-state Value Stream Designs
- Creation of Value Stream Business Excellence plan
- Improved Operational Performance
- Improved Financial Performance
- Improvement Roadmap
TRAIN-A (Training & Competency Assessment)
Nexus Global’s TRAIN-A program is custom designed for each client’s needs and application in the field of competency assessment and training. Although the TRAIN-A program is custom designed, the core approach remains the same and is aligned with an outcome.
Key Objectives
- Determine the client need
- Review current documentation (job descriptions and training programs)
- Assess the HR process for hiring and on-boarding
- Determine who in organization will be assessed
- Determine organization’s involvement in administration of assessment
- Design the custom assessment instrument aligned with company philosophy
- Communicate to organization
- Administer the assessment
- Collate results
- Develop reports
- Design gap closure program
Assessors
Ideally, those who assess the competency of others are selected based on their industry or subject matter skills and expertise. Nexus Global wholly believes in this philosophy and ensures that the most competent Subject Matter Experts are involved in the process — this means our internal experts also possess tact and good teaching skills, and understand the dynamics of the client’s business for each engagement.
Nexus Global understands that not all client staff will be members of an assessment team. However, those involved will need to undertake some training to be an assessor and have been assessed in the competency assessing. A potential competency assessor should possess:
- Excellent performance of the competencies being evaluated
- Tact and the desire to help colleagues improve their job performance
- The desire to acquire/enhance adult education skills
- Demonstration of excellent interpersonal communication skills
Training Program
When Nexus Global develops a competency assessment training and education program, there are some key factors that should be included.
- There needs to be a purpose, and learners need to understand the importance of the program. The organization needs to be able to demonstrate how job performance is enhanced and skills are improved by adhering to competency criteria.
- Any education program that involves training to teach/coach others must include an overview of the principles of learning.
- The training program must provide staff members with the tools and support needed to carry out proper competency assessments. This includes up-to-date policies and procedures, appropriate documentation checklists, and adequate education and training.
Perform-A (Performance Management Analysis)
Assessment/Diagnosis
Review current practices for developing and maintaining performance and business strategies through conversations with key personnel, surveys and on-site studies.
Approach
- Interview procedures
- “As Is” brown paper process flow
- Performance Management (PFM) Assessment of existing supporting processes
- Data collection
- Observations
- Surveys
- Sample testing of knowledge in respect to performance and strategies
Re-Alignment & Implementation
Propose a re-alignment method for developing a corporate PMS strategy that will align critical success factors for performance with the overall ORPC strategy and culture. At the same time, ensure that all key business value streams are aligned, and there is overall employee buy-in.
Approach
For re-alignment and implementation, Nexus Global uses a pin-point alignment strategy called Hoshin Kanri. The Hoshin Kanri approach is a method devised to capture and cement strategic goals, as well as flashes of insight about the future, and develop the means to bring linked personal and corporate goals into reality — all while maintaining alignment to performance and rewards.
Hoshin Planning provides an opportunity to continually improve performance by disseminating and deploying the vision, direction, targets and plans of corporate management to top management and to all employees. This is done so that people at all job levels can continually act on the plans, and evaluate, study and provide feedback results as a part of a continual improvement process.
The intention is that all personnel will be aware of theirs and management’s Critical Success Factors (CSFs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Departments do not compete against each other, projects run to successful conclusions, and business is seen as a set of coordinated processes.
