You & Your Job

FIGURE 3. Each cell in the grid represents a task, and the grid shows how tasks of operators change with their job levels (B, C, D, and so on)

or four) of cognitive, affective and psychomotor processing. Write competency statements for each cell in the K-A grid. One competency statement is written for each artifact for each level. A competency statement includes objective and observable attitude expressed, product created or behavior demonstrated by a person at the selected level of development for the selected artifact. Case study. Discussed below FIGURE 4. Each cell in the grid represents a task, and the grid shows how the tasks conis a case history that illus- ducted by electrical maintenance technicians change as their job levels advance (B, C, D, and so on) trates how to map the competencies of petroleum-refinery operators and maintenance mapping approach used by engineers to all other professiontechnicians. There are around 717 oil refineries worldwide als at the petroleum refineries in Barrancabermeja, and Cartof which about 132 are located in the U.S. [9]. Operators agena, Colombia. As of this writing, competency maps have are the eyes and ears of the enterprise closest to the unit. been created for operators and maintenance technicians, and They play a significant role in ensuring safe operation, reg- a training program is underway at those facilities. Figure 3 shows a section of an O/E map for process plant ulatory compliance and high uptime for petroleum-refinery units. Maintenance technicians ensure integrity, reliability operators. The complexity of objects increases as one travand safe operation of all the assets. Operators and main- els up the y-axis (rows). Individual components appear at tenance technicians work in round-the-clock in shifts. A the bottom, and large integrated systems are at the top of typical refinery with ten process units employs about 300 the y-axis. For plant operators, the object cycle of relevance is the plant life cycle. operators and about 100 maintenance technicians. The plant life cycle states are shown on the x-axis. One Acknowledging the potential threat created when knowledge walks out the door over the next five years, Ecopet- of the states of this plant lifecycle is the normal operations rol, S.A.s petroleum-refining business unit, which operates state. Under this state, the process executed by the operatwo major refineries in Colombia, set the following strate- tors is the problem identification and reporting process. gic goal for its refining business unit: By the end of 2011, The x-axis (columns) in Figure 3 shows the action verbs Ecopetrol will have 80% of all its professionals working at arranged by ascending degree of difficulty of execution as 100% of their competency level. In 2007, Ecopetrol began one moves away from the origin. The letters B, C, D and so developing competency maps for refinery engineers. The on that are shown in the cells of Figures 3 and 4 represent mapping process was based on the new visual framework different job levels for plant operators. Levels B, C and D that resolved many of the issues with the traditional ap- are for field operators. Levels E and F are job-levels proaches. The maps for engineers were completed in 2008 of board or panel operators responsible for monitoring and a training program was launched in 2009 to bridge the entire process units. Figure 4 shows an O/E map for maintenance technicians identified competency gaps. In 2009, Ecopetrol decided to extend the same competency- specializing in electrical equipment items. The representa56
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM APRIL 2011