Using SOAP Will Save Your Criticality Analysis Time and Money

A Criticality Analysis is an essential first step for understanding any type of system.

The Solomon-Oldach Asset Prioritization (SOAP) method is an alternate method for conducting criticality analysis for use on industrial assets and public infrastructure; SOAP can result in staff time savings of up to 70% as compared to traditional methods, which are time-consuming and sometimes misleading. The methodology follows many of the traditional approaches, including the use of cross-functional teams. SOAP’s primary differences are related to the use of preference ballots for system-level evaluation and the subsequent use of a function-based scoring system at the asset level.

SOAP was developed and beta-tested in 2014 and 2015. The peer-reviewed paper was presented at the international Reliability and Maintainability Symposium (RAMS) in early 2016. SOAP has been used successfully at dozens of locations in a wide variety of industry sectors over the past seven years.

You may also be interested in "Simplify Asset Management for Better Results"

Some of the key benefits of the SOAP method include:

• effective use of group time

• a reasonable blend of objective and subjective approaches

• function statements establish purpose and validity

• RCM-based with a focus on functions

• systems and subsystems – enough granularity but not too much

• efficient use of subject matter experts

• a tool, not the final answer – still use personal judgment

• effective group interaction

• common understanding by all staff of systems, subsystems, and assets

Some primary times for utilizing the SOAP method for collection system criticality evaluation are when:

1. struggling to prioritize your maintenance program and related resources

2. facing a major capital investment

3. there is a need for a structured, new way of evaluating old problems

4. there is a change in leadership and a quick confirmation of the existing system is desired

5. there is simply not enough data to support anything beyond a subjective approximation

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JD Solomon provides services at the nexus of facilities, infrastructure, and the environment. Contact us for more information on Criticality Analysis and the power of SOAP to save you time and money.

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Wetland Regulation by Press Release

A town crier in the future announcing that NC's new wetland rules are now in play

North Carolina recently moved to regulate a class of "connecting" wetlands due to a permitting gap that resulted from the Biden Administration reversing course on rules adopted by the Trump Administration. A result is a form of "regulation by press release" due to state officials refusing to insert language limiting the use of the new regulations to the two years when a limited number of projects were not permitted under the Trump Rules. There is no future need for the new rules; however, state officials wanted the new rules on the books in case they are needed.

Dissenting Views

A wide consortium of the regulated community objected to the new rules, including the NC Chamber of Commerce, the NC Homebuilders Association, and the NC Manufacturing Association.

The essence of the groups' dissension taken from one letter is, "After the Commission’s initial action to move forward with additional permanent state wetland regulations, the Federal Courts along with the Biden Administration completely rolled back the Trump Administration’s Federal Rule (NWPR) by way of remand and vacate. It is now firmly established at the Federal level that wetlands are currently being regulated by way of a pre-2015 regulatory scheme. Since the Federal Rule (NWPR) cited in the Public Hearing was recently abandoned by the Federal courts and the Biden Administration, we attest that the previous justification for additional state wetland regulations cited in the Public Hearing notice no longer exists. The regulated community does not need State wetland regulations that are redundant to, and potentially more stringent than, existing Federal wetland regulations.”

NCDEQ Opinion

NCDEQ requested temporary rules in early 2021 to address the perceived permitting gap. Following the adoption of the temporary rules and after the notice of the new permanent rules, the Biden Administration and the US Army Corps of Engineers reversed course.

NCDEQ cited approximately 300 sites that were in potential flux in the permitting period of 2020 and 2021; however, the administration did not want to sunset the permanent rules in the event they were needed in the future. Moreover, the permanent rules tightened the impacted area thresholds over the previously adopted temporary rules.

Moving Forward

The North Carolina General Assembly’s Rule Review Commission (RRC) has to complete its review before the rules can be officially adopted. That action is expected in March 2022.

The North Carolina General Assembly also can statutorily pass measures to make the new permanent rule obsolete.

In the end, the new wetlands rules may be a good thing for the environment. The open-ended nature of the current rules, in anticipation of an unknown shift in Federal regulation over an indefinite period of time, is not. If a change in Federal wetland rules does occur in the next five years (or ten years, or 20 years, or 50 years), then temporary state rules can be readopted in short order again. Uncertainty is created by "regulation by press release" by the current course of action.

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JD Solomon, Inc provides services at the nexus of facilities, infrastructure, and the environment. Our environmental services include project development, business case evaluations, and third-party reviews focused on reducing uncertainty and minimizing stranded investments.

Join JD Solomon Inc at the 2022 Utility Management Conference

Communications, Data Management, and Financial Forecasting will be discussed in Orlando at UMC

Effective Communications, Data Management, and Financial Forecasting are three topics that JD Solomon will be leading at UMC 2022. We look forward to seeing you at one of the sessions.

Workshop B: Communicating to Decision Makers: Getting Your Staff To Understand

Monday, February 21, 2022

8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Leader: JD Solomon

Co-Presenters: Ed Kerwin, retired General Manager of Orange Water & Sewer Authority; Rick Crosby, current Board chair of Mount Pleasant Waterworks; and Tim Adams, Senior Reliability Engineer with NASA

This half-day workshop will invert JD’s trademark presentation on “how to get your boss’s boss to understand” to pointers for leaders on how to get their staff to understand the fundamentals of communicating issues with high degrees of complexity and uncertainty.

Data Management

The Long Road: CMMS Lessons Learned from a Former Town Manager

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

11:30 a.m. to Noon

Presenter: JD Solomon

This session examines the three most fundamental aspects of organizations and their data management. The session highlights eight positives and pitfalls experienced by a unit of local government in implementing and maintaining a new system.

Asset Management: The Crucial Fundamentals

Getting The Money Your Utility Requires: Key Approaches for Forecasting Capital and O&M Needs

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Presenter: JD Solomon

This session highlights the fundamentals of managing the total cost of ownership of facilities and infrastructure. The session provides examples and a “how to” guide for developing 20-year renewal and replacement forecasts.

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Not coming to Orlando? Contact us at JD Solomon Inc for the papers and presentations.