Case Finnish nuclear power company
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Journal Title
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Volume Title
School of Business |
Master's thesis
Authors
Date
2019
Department
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Information and Service Management (ISM)
Language
en
Pages
68
Series
Abstract
Quality and safety in the operation is of utmost importance in safety significant fields such as nuclear power. Nonconformities and other adverse occurrences in the operation might be extremely harmful to the people and the environment. Preventing these events by analysing observation data is a prerequisite for a successful operation. Therefore, encouraging personnel to make relevant observation about nonconformities, safety concerns and other adverse conditions is highly important. Furthermore, analysing the observations in a meaningful manner helps the organization identify areas where additional resources in forms of investigations or audits might be needed. The research question this thesis seeks to answer is the following: How to identify organizational problem areas based on the observation data for further qualitative analysis. The thesis is conducted as a case study for a company in the nuclear energy field, and the data analysed are actual observations in the company. By using established methodologies in synthesis, new ways of mapping out and identifying problematic process areas and types of incidents can be established. Using observation data, which includes information about the related organizational functions, time, and trend codes used to categorize them, alongside different kinds of visualization methods, insight that might be left unnoticed can be easily identified. Weighing observations based on their relative significance and then mapping them in order to identify areas where most critical observations stem from helps the managers see where and what kind of observations should raise most relative concern in the operation. Additionally, using social network analysis for trend codes to map their relationship with each other helps with identifying connections that might otherwise have left unnoticed. With the use of methods introduced in this thesis, the case company has another tool to be used in the prevention and root cause analysis of nonconformities and other observations in their operation. This study provides the first step in using observation data to find areas where improvements are necessary. The ultimate outcome of the use of the methods established in the thesis is increased safety by meaningful allocation of resources in the company.Description
Thesis advisor
Kuula, MarkkuKeywords
quality, safety, observation, trend code, keyword network, root cause analysis, nonconformity, Pareto, nuclear power