POWER April 2017 - 53

OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
plication, instead of more costly systems that
may have been implemented. Many times
an outage planning team may end up spending
large amounts of energy focusing on all
the inputs that sophisticated systems require,
when simple visuals could be all that is needed
to get communication started. In most cases,
reducing the planned project's requirements
down to the most basic yes or no questions is
all that is needed to obtain a progress report
about a required task.
Simple visual tools and feedback systems
will increase productivity hands down. A
perfect example of this is how video games
resonate so well with so many people. Good
video games provide easy to see scores and
continuous feedback on a player's progress.
Taking the yes-or-no type questions mentioned
above and converting them into a simple
green or red light progress tracker, using
an application such as Microsoft Excel, can
mimic highly visible feedback much like a
video game (Figure 3). This type of system
may help people prioritize actions, because it
provides a clear view of the items that have
(in green) and have not (in red) been completed.
When participants can clearly see the
requirements, their buy-in is much easier
to obtain. This accountability is very much
needed to drive the robust dialog to ensure
that effective decisions are being made.
Dialog, Accountability, and
Teamwork
With a visual tool like this, people can easily
understand their responsibilities and the
sequence of actions they need to complete for
a successful project. This can help drive the
robust dialog and maintain the accountability
needed when planning outage projects. It
is great when companies break down silos,
share the workload across departments, and
make use of simple visual tools, but if no one
is held accountable at the end of the day, the
work can still be left incomplete.
Regularly conducting reviews against a
progress tracker drives the message home
that each person has a responsibility to complete
their task and will be held accountable
until they do so. This should ensure full attention
up front when the outage planning
begins. Manny Walters,
global contracts
manager for Phillips 66, wrote in the February
2017 issue of BIC Magazine that when
people know they are going to be held accountable,
they pay attention up front. When
people
have
better-defined
deliverables,
magic can happen. A team acting as a unit
should perform more effectively, as members
start to take responsibility for the success of
their teammates.
At NRG Energy, we have one goal above
all others: We put safety first. This goal reApril
2017 | POWER
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quires us to focus on safety for ourselves, our
colleagues, and our families. It also asks that
we foster a culture of continuous improvement
by working and living safer every day
of the year. We believe we are all in this together
on one team-Team NRG.
Part of the continuous improvement process
is to simplify, prioritize, and streamline
information for better outcomes. Coupling
ideas, such as a simpler outage planning
tracker tool, with a deeply passionate team
of experienced professionals has led to in®
credible
results. For example, in one region,
the improved supplier engagement obtained
through the tracker tool has increased cost
avoidance savings from $2.1 million in 2015
to $5.2 million in 2016. It is this type of outcome
that helps us continue to make progress
on our vision and mission to create a sustainable
energy future by safely providing reliable,
cleaner power that enhances people's
lives and delivers value to our stakeholders. ■
-Larry Kofton is plant supply chain
manager for NRG Energy Inc.
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POWER April 2017

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