Upon receipt of a Purchase Order, FeedForward assigns a Project Lead and Project Team and conducts an internal project kickoff meeting with the team to review contractual and technical requirements. the proposal and contract are presented by the Project Manager and all team members become familiar with the scope of work, project responsibilities and deliverables, key technical issues, schedule, and budget commitments. Assignments are made for the Functional Specification, graphics, electrical design, control definition, etc. Plans for the customer project kickoff meeting are established and the Project Specific Quality Plan is prepared.

The first step in the Project Quality Plan is to conduct a project kickoff meeting with the customer to confirm the definition and understanding of technical and schedule requirements. At this meeting FeedForward takes the initiative to obtain and define the process design (P&ID's), control system I/O requirements, process control and sequencing requirements, graphic display concepts, and alarming, trending and reporting requirements. Customer standards for control system applications are obtained if required. Electrical and I & C design input for enclosures and wiring is also obtained. FeedForward prepares meeting minutes to document decisions and action items.

The information obtained is used as the basis to prepare a Functional Specification that includes, but is not limited to, the following information:

1. Detailed I/O List suitable for DCS Configuration
2. Graphic Displays Configured in DCS Software
3. Graphic Display Color and Animation Standards
4. Control System Architecture Drawings
5. A Description of All Control Functions, Logic, and Sequencing
6. Trending, Historizing, and Reporting Requirements
7. Alarming Standards and Requirements
8. Applicable electrical design information including loop diagrams, enclosure design and layout, wiring, power, and ground drawings

Following customer approval of the Functional Spec, the control system hardware is procured and the software is configured to meet requirements. Graphic displays, control functions, logic and sequences, and other applicable control system functions are programmed. The hardware is installed in enclosures in accordance with FeedForward drawings. At an appropriate time, FeedForward will conduct a Design Review Meeting with the customer to obtain his concurrence that we are on track to meet requirements. This “mid-course correction” improves our ability to present an acceptable design at the Factory Test.

The Project Quality Plan includes a factory test to stage the system hardware and software and confirm that all processor and I/O communications work properly. When the system is properly staged and configured, testing is performed to prove that the control requirements in the Functional Spec have been met. For this testing, the I/O is simulated, the control loops are exercised, and the graphic display responses are confirmed. Trending, alarming, and reporting functions are also confirmed.

The Control System Architecture, at times, uses network technologies to connect field devices to the DCS to the DCS, e.g. Foundation Fieldbus for the analog I/O, DeviceNet for the motors and VFD's, and AS-I Network for the discrete I/O. To assure that we configure these I/O networks correctly and build the communication gateways correctly, FeedForward will stage the DCS System to end devices of each type of network and test the system from the end device to the DCS display. Through this testing we will confirm the network design and the correct communication software configuration in the factory, thereby minimizing the risk of problems in the field.

The Functional Spec is used as the basis to prepare a Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) Plan, procedure, and checklist to document that the requirements have been met. This plan is submitted to the customer for approval. If the test plan requirement is not met, the software can be reconfigured immediately or a discrepancy report will be written for resolution at a later date. Typically the FAT will result in some discrepancies to be fixed prior to shipment of the system. The system is shipped when the software is complete and correct. We ask our clients to sign off and approve the Factory Acceptance Test Plan, checklist, and any discrepancy resolutions.

At Times, FeedForward encounters unexpected problems on project work and must take corrective action to resolve them. Depending on the nature of the problem and the complexity, the project team will follow a structured process to accomplish the following:

1. Clearly define the problem
2. Plan the solution
3. Fix the problem
4. Identify the root cause(s)
5. Evaluate and document

FeedForward will strive to send people that worked on the control system design and application engineering to the site for check-out and start-up. Typically, when the customer is ready, one or two people will spend up to several weeks on-site assisting the customer with I/O checkout, control system integrity checks, and start-up support. Theoretically, if the factory test is executed properly, there should be no need to reconfigure software in the field. Practically, the as-built field environment will require software changes to meet operational requirements. FeedForward will maintain a punch-list of items to be fixed or changed in the field to meet client requirements. The punch-list will be completed and satisfactorily resolved prior to completion of the project. The customer signs off that the punch-list has been satisfactorily completed.

Following the conclusion of major projects, FeedForward management meets with key customer project personnel to obtain feedback on the quality of the project - “Did we do a good job of understanding and meeting customer requirements at all times? ” The purpose of the meeting is to listen to the customer on all project related issues such as:

1. Quality of Deliverables
2. Quality of Personnel
3. Project Communications
4. Project Management
5. Schedule Performance
6. Management of Change

When all deliverables are finalized and the project is complete, FeedForward will compile major project information and deliverables into a final project file. This file can either paper or electronics, and will be maintained for use on future projects.