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Key Functions

Built in methodology;  iPlan has been built utilising best in class maintenance and shutdown methodologies, by a software company who recruits all its resource from operational roles within the Process sector.  iPlan has been built in tripartite, by;

• software developers with first-hand experience of building software for owner operators such as BP, Croda, Enron, ICI & Huntsman,
• alongside Interserve’s experienced delivery team and
• With advice from independent, international maintenance best practice consultants. 

As a consequence iPlan not only supports but helps its users drive and measure compliance with best practice.

Integration of functions; iPlan allows users to plan in detail, quickly, using multiple functions within a single piece of software, reducing overall licensing costs.  For example, even for a simple task there are a number of different considerations to consider beyond an overview of the task such as;

• how many steps there are and
• which trades will need to be involved and
• In what order. 

More than this each individual step will require supporting information such as;

• method statements,
• standards,
• estimates,
• man-hour allowances to perform the work,
• materials lists and much more

And this is before you even consider the implications of;

• where on the plant the work will be done,
• permit requirements and
• Other field based information. 

All of this work can be managed effectively within iPlan.

Efficiency of built-in tools and estimation; iPlan includes a number of time saving tools within its functionality, an example being its ‘Estimation’ module.  As engineers perform the essential task of defining the work to be done iPlan can calculate with consistent accuracy how many man-hours are required to perform every work activity.  As a consequence planners can see the exact resource requirements for any individual task and also the total cumulative requirement for any trade(s) and use this for resource planning.  This, along with other built in tools such as Time Recording, Progress Monitoring, Estimate Approval, Material Take Off, is a significant time saving capability not found in other Work Management software.

Time saving features; A core value of iPlan is not just to improve the quality of planning but also to reduce the time it takes.  There are a number of time saving features such as a library of generic templates for bulk work, automated proposal of task steps and the ability to find and reuse previous work packs.

Compatibility; iPlan is built upon Microsoft’s SQL technology and can easily interface with other database systems.  The intent of the tool is to work cohesively in conjunction with established systems such as SAP, Maximo and Primavera - Not to replace them!  iPlan enables its users to extrapolate greater value from their data 

Remote access;  iPlan is a secure web hosted system and as such can be accessed from anywhere on or off site allowing central teams to monitor and support events across a number of locations.  Another core iPlan value is to encourage everyone who needs access to the data to have it whether they are a scaffold supervisor downloading their work or an inspection engineer checking their requirements and schedule.  Configurable access control allows everyone involved in an event to view and modify the information relevant to their role with an event.

Data slicing; Traditionally, completing the preparation phase of an event, was seen as a challenge in its own right and operators found it too cumbersome a task to assess all of the information gathered in an event for analysis and optimisation of the plan.  With the simple to use analytical tools within iPlan this is no longer the case enabling advanced cluster planning, risk analysis and contingency planning.

Reduced dependency on scarce resources; iPlan is user friendly and helps the user through the key preparation phases by taking them through a proven hierarchical approach to structuring the work within an Event.  As a consequence this lifts the dependency on scarce resources and has been shown to change the profile of planning teams to increase the contribution from more readily available engineers.  The final output from iPlan is a download into the scheduling tool (e.g.  Primavera or Microsoft Project) which creates the base schedule with every single task and step of that task passed across including man-hour allowances by trade.  As a consequence the role of the Primavera operator can remain focussed purely on the higher value return function of optimising the schedule and not the long winded initial creation of the schedule.

Security of ongoing utilisation of Event information; Every single event, task, method and estimate from any work managed in iPlan is stored permanently on a high security server cluster with class leading back up and protection standards.  Not only is an Events data safe & secure, but Operators realise large cost savings when repeating a work event, for example the shutdown of a process unit on a three year cycle, so can be accessed and reused in the future.

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