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    • Systematic completion and object-based follow-up

    Omega and its Pims Completion Management System (CMS) were recently featured in "Sikkerhetsmagasinet". Read about how Omega's software has reduced project costs and increased the efficiency of the follow-up of nonconformities on Jernbaneverket's The Follo Line project. 


    Photo: Sikkerhetsmagasinet.

    For the third consecutive year, The Follo Line Project is managing key contracts by using a separate tool for monitoring and completion. The correct use of the tool will guarantee that the client is handed the new rail system as described in the contracts.

    Text Kathrine Kjelland, Communication Manager Folloline project

    "Systematic completion and object-based follow-up helps to secure that the delivery will be handed over according to schedule, in regard to both quality and functionality."

    The tool is used in relation to The Follo Line Project’s own follow-up team and by the EPC contractors as required in accordance with the contracts. The project completion tool selected for this large-scale project is a preferred tool in the oil and gas industry, and has gradually been used in other areas such as hydropower, aluminum, shipping, construction, etc. The Follo Line Project customizes and further develops the tool to fit the needs of the national railway system, in close cooperation with operations and BaneData, who will overtake and operate the completed facility.

    Introduction

    “The implementation of the project began in small steps with minor contracts for preparatory work on the new double track between Ski and Oslo S,” says The Follo Line Project's Completion Manager, Arne Magne Hansen.

    “The foundation for follow-up and systematic completion is what we Norwegians call tagging (of objects),” he continues. Throughout the The Follo Line Project we have 22 000 tags, or objects marked for follow-up. These are objects that are monitored until they can be marked as completed and approved for delivery. Every object is linked to checklists. Five thousand objects have already been followed up and checked.

    The large project is the first in railway development (in Norway) with English as its primary work language. The project completion tool is therefore monitored in English, but Norwegian can be used when desired.

    Big projects=big systems

    The completion tool chosen for the Folloline Project:

    • Pims (Project Information Management System) is a software package developed by Omega AS in Ølensvåg on the West Coast of Norway. Pims Completion Management System is a tool for detailed monitoring of all types of construction and test activities based on checklists in the various sectors.
    • Online, two-way communication between Pims and BaneData ensures continuously updated information on important objects will be completed at the right quality. BaneData provides necessary information for maintenance and provides a basis for safety and emergency routines in the railway system.
    • The Follo Line Project will contribute to the more efficient production of railway infrastructure. Developing and monitoring tools for systematic completion and object-based follow-up will help deliveries arrive on time, correct in regard to quality and function.

    The Follo Line Project is so extensive that it could result in up to 100 000 defined objects, all of which need to be approved before the project is completed in late 2021. The railway development encompasses several essential technical components and, in order to manage these, The Follo Line Project is developing a railway-specific tag register. 

    Punch items are followed up

    It is essential to keep track of all the punch items throughout the process. There may be tens of thousands of punch items that must be corrected by the entrepreneur; nonconformities from follow up will be listed on the punch lists.

    The status and shortcomings are then updated in the completion management system. Objects that belong together are organized in structured packages where everything is marked according to the planned date of completion. When each package is supplied with the correct quality, the contractor issues certifications that verifies that the product has been produced and tested.

    “It is crucial to have such a tool in the completion process. Equipment, operations, and other components are continuously and systematically checked. The Follo Line Project performs checks of all known activities, from the construction of tunnels to railway engineering and other technical equipment,” says Arne Magne Hansen.

    System in order

    “Many operations and the daily efforts of several people are required to follow up all the key elements that, together, will provide the community with a new and secure railway system. It requires that the objects are marked early in the blueprints and collected on an ongoing basis in the database,” emphasizes Arne Magne Hansen.

    “Systematic completion and object-based follow-up will ensure that the deliveries arrive on time, with the correct quality and function. With this type of control, we may also achieve financial savings for every included part. In addition, internal requirements and Riksrevisjonen’s requirements are fulfilled inregard to BaneData being updated when the railway is commissioned. Using object numbers in the field makes it easier to find the right equipment when needed,” says Hansen.

    More about BaneData

    “The process follows established requirements from Jernbaneverket for updates and will benefit all parties that are entitled to the delivery of documentation and other forms of operational support. The established routine with BaneData will offer a substantial reduction in the use of resources,  thereby leading to financial gains. The Follo Line Project will soon have in place functions for online updates of the type-specific information in BaneData, which makes the system complete and user-friendly,” says Arne Magne Hansen.

    What about ProArc?

    The tool for systematic completion and follow-up has also established online communication with ProArc for the retrieval of documents related to the Follo Line Project, which means that you can make direct postings in documents from ProArc.

    Moreover, users can connect document numbers and objects; this is transferred to ProArc as final documentation and is essential in order to retrieve documentation.