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Shift Handover Workflow

This scenario demonstrates how operators at Blueprint Paper Mill use Cyzag Blueprint to transfer responsibility and information between shifts, ensuring nothing is lost during transitions.

Traditional Paper-Based Handover (Before Cyzag Blueprint)

Morning to Day Shift Handover (1:45 PM – 2:15 PM)

Outgoing operator (John Smith, Morning Shift):

  • Verbally explains what happened during shift
  • Hands over paper round sheets (may be illegible or incomplete)
  • Mentions pump vibration issue but doesn't remember exact reading
  • Forgets to mention temperature trend on Dryer Can DC-12

Incoming operator (Mike Chen, Day Shift):

  • Takes notes during verbal handover (may miss details)
  • Tries to read paper forms
  • Asks clarifying questions
  • Still unsure about several conditions

Result: Information gaps, missed details, potential for repeated issues


Digital Handover with Cyzag Blueprint (After Implementation)

Scenario: Morning to Day Shift Handover (June 15, 2025, 2:00 PM)

Outgoing operator: John Smith (Morning Shift, 6:00 AM – 2:00 PM) Incoming operator: Mike Chen (Day Shift, 2:00 PM – 10:00 PM) Location: Control room, Unit A

Step 1: End-of-Shift Round Completion (1:30 PM)

Before his shift ends, John completes the End of Shift - Full Mill Walkthrough round:

  • All assets from Units A, B, C, D inspected
  • 45 readings captured across 12 assets
  • Duration: 55 minutes
  • 1 observation flagged: Feed Pump P-404 high vibration (ongoing from morning)

Shift Summary Notes

At round completion, John adds shift summary notes:

Shift Summary - Morning Shift, June 15

NORMAL OPERATIONS:
- All digesters, boilers, compressors operating within normal range
- Paper Machine Line steady production, no stoppages
- Utilities stable throughout shift

ISSUES / ATTENTION REQUIRED:
- Feed Pump P-404: Bearing vibration remains high (7.2 mm/s).
Maintenance scheduled for 3:00 PM today (day shift).
Monitor vibration every 2 hours until repair.

- Dryer Can DC-12: Temperature trending upward over
past week (now at 93°C, approaching 95°C upper limit).
Recommend monitoring closely. May need steam trap
inspection if continues to rise.

COMPLETED THIS SHIFT:
- Routine maintenance on Air Compressor AC-12 (oil check)
- Cleaned algae from Cooling Tower CT-03 basin (scheduled)

NOTES FOR INCOMING SHIFT:
- Maintenance will be working on P-404 bearing at 3:00 PM.
Pump will be offline for approximately 2 hours.
Backup pump P-405 will run during repair.

John digitally signs the round at 1:35 PM.

Step 2: Mike's Pre-Shift Review (1:50 PM)

Before officially starting his shift, Mike opens Cyzag Blueprint on his tablet and reviews:

Recent Completed Rounds

📋 Shift Handover Dashboard

Last Completed Rounds:
┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ✅ End of Shift - Full Mill Walkthrough │
│ Completed by: John Smith │
│ Time: 1:35 PM │
│ All checkpoints: 45 of 45 complete │
│ 1 open observation │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘

[View Round Details] [View Shift Summary]

Mike taps "View Shift Summary" and reads John's notes.

Open Observations

⚠️ Open Observations Requiring Attention

┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Observation #127 - Feed Pump P-404 │
│ High Bearing Vibration │
│ Status: In Review │
│ Severity: High │
│ Created: 6:15 AM by John Smith │
│ Last update: 11:30 AM by Maria Lopez │
│ │
│ Latest comment (Maria Lopez): │
│ "Bearing replacement scheduled for │
│ 3:00 PM today. Monitor every 2 hours." │
│ │
│ [View Full History] [Add Comment] │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘

Mike now has complete context about the pump issue:

  • When it was discovered (6:15 AM)
  • Initial vibration reading (7.2 mm/s)
  • Supervisor decision (bearing replacement scheduled)
  • Photo of bearing condition
  • Trend graph showing progression

Asset Status Dashboard

Mike checks the asset dashboard to see last known values for all equipment:

Asset Status - All Units

Unit A – Pulping
✅ Digester D-101: All readings normal (last updated: 1:32 PM)
⚠️ Feed Pump P-404: High vibration (7.2 mm/s) – Maintenance scheduled
✅ Black Liquor Tank BL-02: All normal (last updated: 1:35 PM)

Unit C – Paper Machine Line
⚠️ Dryer Can DC-12: Temp 93°C (trending upward) – Monitor
✅ Felt Roll FR-07: All normal
✅ Press Section Motor PM-03: All normal

Unit D – Utilities
✅ Steam Boiler B-01: All normal
✅ Air Compressor AC-12: All normal
✅ Cooling Tower CT-03: All normal (cleaned this shift)

Mike immediately sees:

  • Which assets need attention (P-404, DC-12)
  • Which assets are normal
  • When each was last inspected

Step 3: Face-to-Face Handover (2:00 PM)

Mike meets John in the control room for a brief face-to-face handover:

John: "Everything's in the system. Main thing is P-404 bearing – maintenance is coming at 3:00 PM. Keep an eye on vibration until then. Also, watch that dryer can temperature. It's been climbing all week."

Mike: "Got it. I saw the notes and the trend graph on the dryer. I'll monitor both. Anything else?"

John: "Nope, that's it. All the details are in the round notes."

Handover duration: 3 minutes (instead of 15–20 minutes with paper-based system)

Step 4: Mike's First Round (2:15 PM)

Mike begins his Day Shift - Initial Check round, focusing on the flagged assets:

Feed Pump P-404 (2:20 PM)

Mike checks vibration:

  • Bearing Vibration: 7.4 mm/s ⚠️ (slightly increased from morning)

He adds notes:

Vibration increased slightly to 7.4 mm/s. Bearing still
operational but degrading. Maintenance scheduled for
3:00 PM confirmed. Monitoring continues.

Observation #127 automatically updated with new reading and notes.

Dryer Can DC-12 (2:35 PM)

Mike checks temperature:

  • Surface Temperature: 93 °C ⚠️ (stable, near upper limit)

He adds notes:

Temperature stable at 93°C. Approaching upper limit of
95°C. Will monitor every 2 hours and notify supervisor
if exceeds 94°C.

Creates manual observation for trending temperature issue.

Step 5: Maintenance Resolution (3:00 PM – 5:00 PM)

Maintenance replaces bearing on Feed Pump P-404.

At 5:15 PM, Mike verifies repair:

  • Bearing Vibration: 2.1 mm/s ✅ (back to normal, <6.0 threshold)

He adds notes to Observation #127:

Bearing replaced by maintenance at 5:00 PM. Post-repair
vibration reading: 2.1 mm/s. Pump operating normally.
Issue resolved.

Observation #127 marked Resolved.

Step 6: End of Day Shift Handover (9:30 PM)

Mike completes his End of Shift - Full Mill Walkthrough and adds shift summary:

Shift Summary - Day Shift, June 15

NORMAL OPERATIONS:
- All units operating normally
- Paper Machine Line production on target

ISSUES RESOLVED:
- Feed Pump P-404: Bearing replaced at 5:00 PM.
Vibration now 2.1 mm/s (normal). Issue resolved.

ATTENTION REQUIRED:
- Dryer Can DC-12: Temperature stable at 93°C but near
upper limit. Monitored throughout shift. Recommend
steam trap inspection if continues to rise.

NOTES FOR INCOMING SHIFT (Night Shift):
- All equipment operating normally
- Continue monitoring Dryer Can DC-12 temperature
- P-404 repair complete, no further action needed

Step 7: Night Shift Review (9:50 PM)

Incoming night shift operator Sarah Johnson reviews:

  • Mike's shift summary
  • Updated Observation #127 (now resolved)
  • Asset status dashboard showing all green except DC-12 (yellow)

Sarah is fully briefed and ready to start her shift in 5 minutes.


Benefits of Digital Handover

1. Complete Information Transfer

Paper-based: Verbal + handwritten notes (prone to gaps) Digital: Complete record including:

  • All readings with timestamps
  • Photos and observations
  • Trend graphs and history
  • Supervisor comments and decisions
  • Shift summary notes

2. Faster Handover

Paper-based: 15–20 minutes of explanation and Q&A Digital: 3–5 minutes face-to-face + 5 minutes pre-shift review

3. No Information Loss

Paper-based: Details forgotten, notes illegible, trends not visible Digital: Complete audit trail, every reading preserved, trends automatically graphed

4. Continuity Across Shifts

Paper-based: Each shift starts "fresh" with limited context Digital: Full context from previous shifts, observations tracked from detection to resolution

5. Supervisor Visibility

Paper-based: Supervisors review paper forms hours later (if at all) Digital: Supervisors see all shift activity in real-time, can add guidance and direction


Key Handover Patterns at Blueprint Paper Mill

Standard Operating Procedure

All operators follow this procedure:

  1. 90 minutes before shift end: Complete "End of Shift" round
  2. 30 minutes before shift end: Add shift summary notes and sign round
  3. At shift end: Brief face-to-face handover (3–5 minutes)
  4. Incoming shift: Review previous shift's round and observations (5 minutes)
  5. Start new shift: Begin first round with full context

Observation Handover

Open observations automatically carry over between shifts:

  • Status: Open, In Review, or Resolved
  • Full history visible to all shifts
  • Comments and updates added throughout lifecycle
  • Incoming shift sees exactly what outgoing shift left

Historical data enables handover of context, not just current state:

  • "Vibration has been increasing over 3 days" (not just "vibration is high today")
  • "Temperature stable for past week" (not just "temperature is 93°C")

Next Steps

Explore related scenarios:

Or try the hands-on tutorial: