Your PCS operators are probably the difference between success and failure in each shift, each day. Assessing the performance of Process Control System (PCS) personnel can be difficult to achieve in a statistically meaningful way. This is often because the measure of performance or success can differ depending on the method or methods used to measure it.

1. 10 ways to assess your Process
Control System operators
Performance

2. “Your PCS operators are probably the difference between
success and failure in each shift, each day…”
This document covers ten ways that will generate the
data necessary to assess how healthy the performance
of PCS personnel is. These are:
• A Human Resource Competence Perspective
• A Plant Performance Improvement Perspective
Assessing the performance of Process Control System (PCS) personnel can be difficult to
achieve in a statistically meaningful way. This is often because the measure of performance
or success can differ depending on the method or methods used to measure it.
The following two lists show the types of information necessary to gather for each individual or
team under review .

3. 1. Documented knowledge of the control system technology.
• E.g. ‘Which PCS software tool allows you to compare two
Process Variable trends at the same time ?’
2. Documented knowledge about the production process
• E.g. ‘What are the typical cycles that run during a Clean in
Place procedure?’
3. Documented knowledge about the Standard Operating
Procedures, Manufacturing Batch Records / Batch Process
Records
• E.g. ‘At which points are a confirmer and verifier both
needed to digitally sign for batch quality?’
Human Resource Competence Perspective

4. 4. Demonstrated skills in problem solving process issues
• E.g. ‘How quickly can you correctly solve a device
acquire issue for a specific recipe on specific
equipment ?’
5. Observed behaviors (or work practices) by a manager (as
per Performance Review)
• E.g. ‘Did your report follow the correct policies and
operating procedures when a process critical alarm
triggered?’, ‘How well did they work together with their
team members?’
6. Recognized wisdom (or experience) by a manager (as per
Performance Review)
• E.g. ‘Did your report know how to promote collaboration
within their team to first solve issues?’, ‘Did they know
when to best escalate an issue (neither prematurely nor
too late)?’

5. Plant Performance Improvement
7. Overtime labor hours
How do these statistics compare with previous weeks, by
individual, role, shift team, or entire set of production building
personnel?
8. Number of minor control level failures
How many minor human error related control level failures led to
call outs? How do these statistics compare with previous time
periods?
9. Number of partial batch failures
How many major human errors led to unacceptably low batch
yields and partial batch failures? How do these statistics
compare with previous time periods?
10. Number of complete batch failures
How many complete batch failures occurred in one year?
Schedule adherence never achieved etc…

6. To generate detailed information on each of the above items the
following tools can be used:
• Surveys
• Questionnaires
• Assessments
• Knowledge Tests
• Exams
• Call out logs
• Timesheet data
• Performance Review documents
Although the items above will generate data that can be compared
by distinct category over time it would be an excellent exercise to
then compare that data with a sister facility or similar industry
sector benchmark.
When these research instruments are used in a planned and systematic fashion it is possible to
generate meaningful empirical data. And this is what every manager needs in order to have confidence
in the performance of Process Control System personnel .

7. ZTLearning is part of the Zenith Technologies Group
Zenith Technologies provides innovative, reliable and
technically advanced solutions and products that add real
value to the customer’s enterprise. At Zenith we deliver
business benefits to our customers through sharing and
development of ideas that supply real and tangible
results. By maintaining our customer focus, Zenith
provide superior support and advice throughout the life
cycle of the solution, irrespective of the size of the
customer’s investment.
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