Whitt2003.

book Page 345 Thursday, July 10, 2003 4:05 PM

Chapter 17:
Quality Control—The
Integrated Design Check
Having progressed to the end of the design phase, it is now necessary to validate the work before
sending it to the field to be built. Is this really necessary? Can’t we just “fire it off” and let construc-
tion manage it from here? “After all, they can redline the corrections, and we’ll fix ‘em!”, you might
say.
All too often, that is exactly what happens. The cost of this approach, while low in terms of the
project budget, is actually very high, as silly mistakes caught too late erode the customer’s confi-
dence and jeopardize the project.
As has become evident throughout the design process, there are a vast number of decisions to
be made and minute details to attend to. If the design process presented here is followed, most of
the major design flaws will be discovered during the design phase. That is, information that is pre-
sented in multiple places will originate from a common data record. Navigation through the pack-
age is enhanced, making problems more evident. Also, if the design events are properly logged as
they are executed, then the design check at the end is much easier and much time will be saved.
What is the goal of a design check? It would be easy to say “zero defects,” but that will not
occur. Time is too short for that kind of ultra-detailed review. However, it can be approximated, and
as a result of the effort, the design team can rest assured that no “showstoppers” or major problems
will stop the construction effort.
There are a few specific issues to consider in terms of establishing “checkpoints.” Each docu-
ment needs to be checked and then either highlighted as okay or redlined for repair. Two different
points of view need to be considered: administrative and technical.

A. Administrative Content—Individual Checks

Non-technical experts should be designated to page through the document set to check for specific
appearance aspects:

• Is the title block correct in terms of drawing number, revision level, and title?
• Are the proper project data in place? Project site, process area, project number, issue date,
and so on.
• Are the proper initials in place? Designed, checked, and so on.
• Were the proper CADD practices used in terms of valid levels, colors, and text fonts and
sizes? This requires someone paging through the drawings at a workstation.
• Are notes legible and grammatically complete?

B. Technical Content—Squad Check

Checking technical content on a document package is difficult to do “piecemeal.” The drawing set is
interrelated among drawings and among document types. The goal of the squad check is to answer
the following questions:
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346 SUCCESSFUL INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL SYSTEMS DESIGN

• Do the instrument specifications reflect the intent of the P&ID, and will they meet the
scope requirements?
• Do the elementaries reflect the intent of the instrument specs and the P&ID?
• Do the wiring diagrams reflect the intent of the elementaries?
• Do the instrument location plans conflict with the finished piping drawings?
• Does the bill of materials reflect the needs presented on the process plans and cabinet
arrangements?
• Are all these properly reflected in the instrument database?

The best way to tackle this set of interrelated tasks is to do them simultaneously. The ideal
setup is to have one person checking one or two products. Depending upon the size of the project,
there should be between three and eight personnel on the squad check team. These folks should
shut themselves into a “war room” with a large table that accommodates all the document sets lay-
ing flat upon it. They should then step through the entire project, using the database and P&Ids as
the key controlling documents. At the end, the database should be completely highlighted, as
should the entire set of documents. Sound time-consuming? It is. But, so is the alternative method of
using a single designated checker. How many hours will that person log to the project throughout
its life? The simultaneous method is much more comprehensive and effective.
Of course, some adjustments will need to be made in the document package. These will be
made “on-the-fly” by the check team. As documents are completed by the check team, meaning they
are either fully highlighted and/or marked up, they may be released to the CADD group for correc-
tion. The revised drawing should always be attached to its original markup to retain the document
trail.
In the end, when the design check is complete, the markups should be rescued and stored. They
should be retained for one year after plant startup.

C. Squad-Check Roster
Who should be on this squad-check team? For the most part, the design team itself. For one thing, it
is the most practical approach. These individuals are already assigned to the project. They are
knowledgeable about it and are motivated to see it through to the end and deliver a quality product.
It is recommended that, if possible, the members not check their own work. Usually, a design team
breaks down along vertical lines, one person doing wiring diagrams, another the floor plans. During
the check, these should rotate, each taking the other’s work.
Rotating the personnel away from their own work does a couple of good things: First, it makes
sense. If a mistake was made once, it will probably be missed if the same person looks at it again.
Another benefit is the cross-training aspect. After a few projects, team members are able to float
between tasks with little loss in productivity.
One other addition to the squad should be an experienced outsider. This should be an individ-
ual who is not a full-fledged member of the design team but is still knowledgeable about the project
and about the design process as a whole. And, most important, this person should be knowledge-
able about the customer and the customer’s requirements.

D. Design Check Summary

The design check is a function of quality management. It is often undervalued and underutilized.
Usually, design teams rely on a single individual to check the project, which can be inefficient
because this person probably does not have access to all reference drawings and may not be
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PART III – CHAPTER 17: QUALITY CONTROL—THE INTEGRATED DESIGN CHECK 347

“expert” in some areas being checked. Or, the design is allowed to proceed to construction
unchecked, where the construction team is, in effect, the checking agent. A third option exists,
whereby the design check is considered and allowed for throughout the life of the project. All the
designers prepare for the check by logging their progress in the database, by keeping a personal log
of potential problems to watch out for, and by communicating with each other. At the end of the
project, the database can be used as a checking tool that streamlines the squad-check process and
maximizes the effectiveness of the time spent in its execution.