Structured Design Scrutiny (SDS)
Structured Design Scrutiny (SDS) is an approach applied at the design stage for highlighting design weaknesses in all types of plant and equipment. It may be applied at the concept or detail-design stages to help ensure that design weaknesses are identified before the design 'leaves the drawing board'.
This page provides a brief overview of SDS. For a much more detailed description, please open our SDS eBrochure.
Benefits
Amongst other benefits, Structured Design Scrutiny yields the following benefits:
- Safety and the Environment - the systematic review of safety implications of every critical failure
- Performance - an emphasis on the design of crucial equipment elements and the elimination of design weaknesses which would otherwise be undetected until the equipment is in use
- Quality - a better understanding of equipment and the clarification of equipment set-up requirements
- Cost Effectiveness - the prevention/elimination of design weaknesses and reduced life-cycle costs
Approach
SDS systematically scrutinises the design of the equipment against several decision criteria, (usually relating to reliability, maintainability and supportability); other criteria may be included in the design scrutiny if required.
Supplier versus User
Both the supplier of a piece of equipment and its ultimate user may have legitimately different business objectives - this can cause conflict both during and after the equipment has been supplied. The strength of SDS over traditional methods of design scrutiny lies in its systematic approach which provides easily-understood criteria for identifying deficiencies (which promotes 'co-makership' between supplier and user, rather than ‘conflict’). SDS gives the user an intimate knowledge of the asset from day one.
Applying SDS
On their own, the suppliers of the new equipment or plant cannot answer all the questions posed by SDS - neither can the ultimate users and maintainers. "Analysis Groups" are established to apply SDS and hence scrutinise the design before manufacture commences.
Mutual Consultants' Role
Our role is to impart an understanding of SDS to clients and provide support and guidance in its application; our goal is for clients to become competent to apply SDS themselves.
This is achieved via a combination of:
- Highly-developed SDS training courses (for both analysis group members and facilitators)
- Contract facilitation (where appropriate)
- On-site technical support
- Supply of dedicated SDS software.
For more information on SDS, please view our SDS
eBrochure.