👷 Engineering Management

Designing for People, Not Just Processes

As engineering leaders accelerate digital transformation, one truth remains: plants run on people first, systems second.

High-fidelity models, digital twins, and virtualized control systems traditionally focus on design validation and performance analysis, but their greatest untapped value lies in how they help humans learn, adapt, and master complexity.

Key Insight: Engineering choices directly shape how operators perceive, understand, and interact with the process.

This means:

• A well-structured simulation reduces cognitive overload.

• A clear functional design specification accelerates onboarding.

• Early operator involvement improves model accuracy and buy-in.

• Human-factor alignment leads to safer starts, fewer errors, and faster commissioning.

Trusted Advisor Note:
Involve trainers, operators, and maintenance techs during Phase 1: Design Discovery, not after. A human-centric digital plant leads to better engineering outcomes, and dramatically better training outcomes.

⚙️ Operations Management

The Human Competency Crisis Is Now an Operational Risk

Plants are facing:

• Retirements accelerating

• Fewer experienced operators

• More advanced control systems

• Increased pressure for uptime and safety

Operations leaders everywhere are asking:
“How do we ensure competency and confidence, at scale, before an operator touches the console?”

Answer: Simulation-Driven Scenario Training.

Modern operator readiness requires more than classroom learning or shadowing veterans. Today’s complexity demands:

• Repetition in a safe environment

• Exposure to abnormal situations

• Consistent feedback

• Realistic control system response

• Emotional preparedness for high-stress events

Scenario-based training builds these competencies quickly and consistently, before operators ever face the real plant.

Trusted Advisor Note:
Consider simulation not as a project, but as a strategic competency platform for operations excellence.

🔧 Maintenance Leadership

Your Technicians Are Learning on the Job! We Can Do Better!

Maintenance teams often inherit the biggest gaps:

• New equipment

• New automation layers

• Higher instrumentation density

• Fewer mentors

• More digital systems than mechanical ones

The result?
Technicians train reactively, not proactively.

But with dynamic simulation and structured training pathways, maintenance leaders can:

• Teach failure modes before failures happen

• Show system behavior under stress

• Build confidence with control system navigation

• Reduce troubleshooting time

• Instill deeper process understanding

Trusted Advisor Note:
Maintenance training isn’t just about fixing equipment, it’s about understanding the entire process system so techs can anticipate issues, not chase them.

📘 Featured Case Study

How a Major Utility Improved Operator Readiness by 40% Before Startup

A North American utility faced a wave of retirements before commissioning a new boiler system. With limited experienced staff (one person, soon to retire), they turned to a dynamic simulation model and scenario-based training program.

Prosera’s Approach:
Phase 1 – Design Discovery

• Gathered process data

• Validated control narratives

• Interviewed senior operators about “tribal knowledge”

Phase 2 – Simulation Development

• Built a high-fidelity model

• Integrated it with the control emulator

• Designed 8 realistic operating scenarios

Phase 3 – Integration & Handover

• Trained instructors

• Delivered competency assessments

• Prepared LMS-based training modules

Results:

• 40% improvement in pre-startup readiness

• 3× faster emergency response scores

• Zero permit-to-work issues during startup

• New operators reported “high confidence” entering the control room

Human Impact:
Operators felt respected, involved, and empowered! Not overwhelmed.

🧰 Toolbox: Operator Readiness Readiness Checklist

Use this before planning any simulation-based training initiative.

✔️ Process & System Readiness

• P&IDs validated

• Control narratives available

• Operating envelopes defined

✔️ Human Readiness

• Role clarity for operators

• Skills gaps identified

• Tribal knowledge captured

• Psychological safety considered

✔️ Training Readiness

• Scenarios mapped to real events

• Simulator integrated with the actual control system

• LMS modules structured by skill path

• Assessment metrics defined

✔️ Culture Readiness

• Leadership alignment

• Operator champions identified

• Clear communication of “why”

If you check at least 10 of 12, your organization is ready to deploy simulation-driven competency development.

🗣 Community Corner

This week’s question from a subscriber:

“What’s the #1 barrier to operator readiness today?”

Prosera’s Trusted Advisor Answer:
A lack of structured, repeatable, software-enabled training pathways.
Not a lack of talent.

➡️ Coming Next Month

Issue #2 — “The Digital Twin Reality Check: What Actually Drives Value?”
A candid look at what works, what doesn’t, and how leaders can avoid common digital twin pitfalls.