Composite Frameworks What are They, the shift to Model Driven vs Custom: How do they Play?

As we look at MES and Operational solutions the role of the consistent operational execution and experience is key to achieving operational consistency. No matter the product at the back end the "operational experience" must be role based and transverse the products in the back end, and transform the experience from application configuration to "task/activity" based experience.

Traditionally companies have built User Interfaces to an API, with the calls needed to execution actions and transactions; these have worked well especially within a plant. But a key to operational systems being effective and agile is their ability to adapt on a regular basis, this requires a sustainable and evolving system. This is especially important in form/ transaction activities where information is provided and where actions/ data input, and procedures  that need to be carried out. But the challengers of operational procedures:

1. Operational Process cross-over functional domains and applications
2. Lack of governance
3. AgilityResponsive manufacturing business processes
4. Increase the performance of their people assets
5. Too much Custom Code, making it unmanageable and evolutionary

So like the Business System who started introduce BPM (Business Process Modeling) leading companies in the industrial space are looking and asking why they cannot apply the same techniques in the Industrial/ production sector.

There is no reason why not! Yes the time line is more real time, triggers are real-time, and we many roles with different time dimensions. But this also aligns with what the industrial world is very comfortable world with that of “stable in control loops” we do this in automation with feedback (information) and correction (actionable procedures), what we are looking at are “operational loops”.

Providing a graphical configuration environment for the capture and defining of operational process including the validation of data input, and guide actions, working inline with the user Interface/ forms etc. Providing a framework for building of reusable forms, and reusable procedures that can be managed as templates and standards to enforce consistent operational practices. Empowering the operational domain people to develop, evolve and manage their procedures.

Most of all empowering the different roles in the plant, that operational close loop moving to an “activity” centric system where information, and action is driven from a consistent operational model and practices.

Commentary Feedback on “Third Time Lucky for MOM/ MES!!!! YES, it does have a significant chance this time!!

It is an interesting writing this blog as there is little comment feedback in the blog, but I receive a lot of email on certain subjects with substantial input. The topic of “Third time lucky for MES” I received a lot of both email and discussion face to face, this blog expands on the topic.

The first comment from many people was “that MES has been around for years and has been implemented successfully”, and I agree, but the first 2 generation architectures involved significant services while they have run extremely well for a number of years, but with limited ability to absorb change without significant cost and risk. Also, companies are expanding in multi sites and the requirement to enforce operational practices over multiple sites, again this requires alignment of sites. So yes MES has been successful in concept, but not in a sustaining mechanism.

Charlie’s comment in “The MOM Chronicles” reflects this:

“The first two MOM attempts occurred in the 1990s, and 2000s, actually were also found a primary hindrance to continuous improvement efforts because the MOM system owners were typically understaffed, under skilled, and un governed to support real innovation. “

So what is different this time? Was a common question, as mentioned in the original blog the SOA (service Orientated Architecture) actually been adopted correctly with conforming service contracts at the ERP side and business side with the “Enterprise Service Buses” (ESB) becoming a norm, not just a term. This flowing down into the operational world with vendors looking at aligning with web services, but also model centric alignment vs point integration is key. The figure below taken from “The MOM Chronicles” illustrates the concept:

The experience we have MES implementations at Invensys has pushed us to evolve our architecture, and the key areas are:

1/ The MES functional Capability has evolved in richness

2/ The plant events are now linked into the System Platform, using templates so now plant equipment and events can be templates and managed, also validation is achieved as close to source as possible.

3/ The Human interaction and the business rules and processes are no long programmed they are implemented in a model driven (workflow) environment. So now face plates/ forms that present information and interact with humans validate the data entry as early as possible and with no code but in graphical modeling environments. This area alone is transformational as I have sat down with process/ operational teams with these graphical workflows and worked through with them relative to their process, we mark up the diagram and implement fast. No longer programmers are involved in business rules it is the operational/ business / process teams work know their rules and behaviors they require and they implement.

The diagram below shows the realization of the aspects of the Invensys MES architecture, and it is all three aspects that make this a sustainable solution, that scale, and also work in a multiple site situation. But most of all it is agile aware been able to absorb change.  Again this is a different approach to tradition MES solutions which have at MES Functionality, but honestly depended on coding around the system for events, human interaction and business rules. This architecture is SOA so it is plug and play and services like the MES can run in different locations, leaving open the opportunity for MES data bases and rules to run in an elastic “cloud”, combining with the on premise interactions with the plants and people.