I. MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATION MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

A. Safety

1. Performance Standard

The protection of life and limb for the work force is paramount. The company behavior ensures that individuals at all levels of the organization consider safety as the overriding priority. This is manifested in decisions and actions based on this priority. The work environment, and the policies and procedures foster such a safety culture, and the attitudes and behaviors of individuals are consistent with the policies and procedures.

2. Assessment Guidelines

A. Individuals at all levels in the organization contribute to the safety culture of the work environment through:

1. Demonstrating a great respect for safety in all actions and decisions.

2. Demonstrating a questioning attitude by challenging existing conditions, considering the potential adverse consequences prior to proceeding, and willingness to stop work in the face of uncertainty.

3. Demonstrating a willingness to identify problems and ensure they are corrected.

4. Accepting accountability for their own performance, including recognizing shortfalls and acting to improve.

5. Holding their co-workers accountable for their performance.

6. Using peer checking as a means of protecting themselves and others.

B. Managers in the organization contribute to the safety culture of the work environment through:

1. Establishing standards and clearly communicating expectations that safety is the highest priority.

2. Maintaining an environment that welcomes identification and communication of problems.

3. Reinforcing individual behaviors that promptly and forthrightly identify problems.

C. Work practice norms in the organization promote the safety culture through:

1. Appropriate defenses, such as technical accuracy, precautions, cautions and notes, are explicitly embedded in procedures, processes, and equipment configuration to minimize the occurrences and consequences of inappropriate actions.

2. Clearly defined responsibility and authority for implementing a conservative approach with respect to stopping activities and seeking assistance or guidance when faced with uncertain conditions are communicated to all personnel. This expectation is reinforced frequently.

3. Ensuring safety concerns are promptly identified and resolved.

4. Training which reinforces safety practices and expected behaviors.

B. Organizational Structure and Responsibilities

1. Performance Standard

The organization with responsibility and accountability for establishing and implementing a maintenance strategy to support company objectives for reliable station operation is clearly defined, communicated, understood and is effectively implemented. Reporting relationships, control of resources, and individual authorities support and are clearly defined and commensurate with responsibilities.

2. Assessment Guidelines

A. The organizational structure and the responsibilities and authorities of each organizational position are clearly defined and communicated to maintenance and other station personnel, including contractors and temporary employees.

B. The line organization is established as the principal focus of management, the principal source of information, and the only source of management direction.

C. Interfaces with supporting organizations, including company work groups such as transmission and distribution, fuel suppliers, contractors, and temporary workers, are clearly defined and understood.

D. Decisions are made at the appropriate level within the organization, considering:

1. The understanding of the effect on personnel safety, and equipment reliability

2. The value added to, and the potential adverse effects on, plant operations under all conditions

3. The effects on other work groups

E. Technical and managerial support is readily available to the maintenance manager.

F. Administrative controls such as policies, procedures, and schedules are implemented for activities affecting safe and reliable plant operation and maintenance. Such policies, procedures should address things such as:

1. infrequently performed tests and evolutions

2. procedure use and adherence

3. training and qualification of maintenance personnel

4. communications

5. fitness for duty

G. Key processes that contribute to safe and reliable plant operation are designed, managed, and improved. Each process has a sponsor who is responsible for its effectiveness.

H. Contract and other non-plant personnel use and are held accountable for using the same (or equivalent) station-approved policies, procedures, and controls and the same quality standards as station personnel.

I. Station and utility personnel are adequately trained and equipped to mitigate the consequences of normal or emergent conditions and to manage emergency situations.

C. Maintenance Management and Leadership

1. Performance Standard

Maintenance managers establish high standards of performance and align the maintenance organization to effectively implement and control maintenance activities.

2. Assessment Guidelines

A. Leadership and Accountability

1. High standards of performance are established and reinforced for maintenance activities. Personnel are held accountable for implementing these standards. Shortfalls in meeting expectations are evaluated, understood, and addressed promptly.

2. Maintenance managers demonstrate a broad knowledge of their areas of responsibility and effectively integrate maintenance organization actions with the functions and activities of other appropriate station and company organizations.

3. Maintenance managers motivate personnel to improve performance by taking initiative and eliminating inappropriate barriers.

4. Personnel throughout the organization are aligned to achieve common goals.

5. By example, managers consistently demonstrate their commitment to improve station performance and to achieve station goals and objectives.

6. Maintenance management is accountable for the training, qualification, and performance of maintenance personnel.

7. Managers are trained on and effectively implement human interaction skills that result in improved teamwork, collaboration, and motivation.

8. Personnel are actively encouraged to admit errors, seek help when they are faced with uncertainty, and assume responsibility for their decisions.

B. Management Direction and Expectations

1. Maintenance management directions, such as goals, initiatives, expectations, and priorities, are effectively used to enable personnel to make decisions, take actions, and implement changes that contribute to safe and reliable plant operation.

2. Goals are established to challenge the organization to continually improve. Results are measurable and are periodically evaluated to determine effectiveness.

3. Strategic direction for improving performance is established and clearly communicates the priorities for long-term and near-term performance to maintenance personnel.

4. Priorities for daily activities are clearly communicated to affected personnel.

5. Maintenance managers reinforce individual ownership through delegation of authority. Personnel are actively encouraged to admit errors, seek help when needed, assume responsibility for their decisions and actions, and develop methods to improve safety, reliability, quality, and productivity.

6. Administrative controls are implemented for activities that affect safe and reliable plant operations. Examples of activities that should be controlled include job turnovers, use of procedures, use of special tools and lifting equipment, and use and traceability of measuring and test equipment.

7. Contract and other non-plant personnel working in the maintenance area use the same (or equivalent) station-approved policies, procedures, and controls and the same quality standards as station maintenance personnel.

C. Planning and Implementing

1. Maintenance managers ascertain that plant staffing and resources are sufficient, including that maintenance personnel have requisite knowledge, skill, proficiency, and familiarity with the operations of the plant(s) where they perform maintenance to accomplish tasks to achieve safe and reliable plant operation.

2. The maintenance organizational structure is clearly defined. Responsibilities and authorities of each position are understood.

3. Tasks, responsibilities, authorities, expectations for performance, and interfaces for non-plant personnel are clearly defined and understood.

4. Interfaces with support groups are clearly defined and understood.

5. Future resource needs, such as personnel, capital, equipment and parts, and information, are identified and integrated into business plans.

6. Changes to plant equipment, procedures, and processes are planned and implemented systematically to improve safe and reliable station operation. Change objectives, responsibilities, and implementation schedules are clearly communicated to affected personnel, and appropriate training is provided.

7. Change initiatives are managed and coordinated.

D. Monitoring and Assessing

Managers continuously and effectively monitor and assess the performance of maintenance activities, with particular attention to:

1. Adherence to maintenance standards, policies and procedures, especially worker safety.

2. Work practices and worker skills and knowledge.

3. Performance of services provided by outside organizations or contractors.

4. Work management implementation, including use of schedules, work packages, documentation of work for work history, and providing work status updates.

5. Equipment performance and material condition.

6. General area housekeeping.

7. Developing and using performance measures to monitor organization performance. Typical measures might include, but not be limited to:

a. Maintenance work backlogs.

b. Amount of rework.

c. Work Management Indicators

8. Managers effectively follow-up on issues identified or problems noted and provide feedback to affected parties. Reinforcement of desired behaviors is also provided.

9. Managers frequently interact with maintenance and station personnel to coach and mentor desired behaviors.

E. Follow-up, Reinforcement, and Feedback

1. Maintenance managers initiate changes and corrective actions to improve the performance effectiveness of personnel, processes, and equipment.

2. Maintenance managers acknowledge the accomplishments of others and the importance of individual contributions to overall performance. Maintenance managers reinforce behaviors that improve performance.

3. Maintenance managers coordinate resources to accomplish goals and objectives safely and reliably. Adjustments are made and corrective actions are taken to accomplish goals. Timely corrective actions are taken when adverse conditions or trends are identified.

4. Maintenance problems, including events and materiel deficiencies that affect plant operations and maintenance effectiveness, are tracked, investigated, and reviewed periodically for timely resolution.

D. Problem Resolution and Continuing Improvement

1. Performance Standard

The company values and fosters an environment of continuous improvement and timely and effective problem resolution.

2. Assessment Guidelines

A. Self-Assessment

Self-Assessment activities are used to compare actual performance to management's expectations, and to identify and correct areas needing improvement. While self-assessments, by definition, are driven from within, they may be used to measure internal performance to external criteria, such as ISO, EPA or OSHA. Self-assessment is both a discreet activity and a continuous process that includes such activities as:

1. Dedicated teams, with a specific chartered objective to assess certain program(s) or element(s).

2. Management monitoring of on-going performance through performance metrics or problem resolution process monitoring.

3. Discreet event investigations

B. Problem Reporting, Root-Cause Analysis, and Corrective Actions

A systematic approach and process is used to identify and report problems, determine the cause(s) and establish corrective actions to prevent recurrence. Attributes of successful programs include:

1. Encouraging employees to report problems at low thresholds of significance.

2. Using a graded approach to significance, and performing more extensive root cause determination to those problems having high significance, and trend and track those with low significance.

3. Trending capability on information such as "cause code" or equipment or process involved.

4. Tracking of corrective actions to closure.

C. Operating Experience

Management processes exist to capture, evaluate, and initiate, required actions to incorporate lessons learned from other departments, stations or organizations. (Some successful stations incorporate this into their Problem Reporting/Corrective Action process.)

D. Benchmarking and Emulation

Managers seek improvement by benchmarking performance or processes against better performers.

E. Human Performance

Behaviors that contribute to excellence in human performance are reinforced to continuously strive for event free operations as evidenced by:

1. Individuals taking responsibility for their own actions and are committed to improve maintenance performance.

2. Individuals making conservative decisions when faced with uncertain or unexpected conditions.

3. Searching out and eliminating conditions that lead to poor human performance, such as poor labeling, poor lighting, hard to read prints, etc.

4. Focusing attention on the task at hand to reduce likelihood of error, including self-checking and peer checking.

5. Coaching and mentoring on human performance techniques and practices