Enhanced work order generation and tracking system

A work order maintenance system, for use in a process plant having a plurality of control devices that perform physical control functions within the process plant, the work order maintenance system comprising:

• an asset management system comprising a first server configured to:
• store, in a first computer memory that executes on a first computer processor, one or more asset diagnostic applications to monitor the real-time operation of the plurality of control devices during run-time in order to perform diagnostics on the control devices to create asset diagnostic data;
• and
• generate one or more work orders specifying work to be performed on one or more of the plurality of control devices within the plant;
• a work order assist system comprising a second server including:
• a second computer memory;
• and
• a second computer processor;
• a first communication interface that is adapted to be coupled to and to communicate with the one or more asset diagnostic applications to receive the asset diagnostic data from the one or more asset diagnostic applications related to the plurality of control devices;
• a second communication interface that is adapted to be coupled to and to communicate with the asset management system;
• a user interface application stored in the second computer memory that executes on the second computer processor;
• and
• a work order assist module stored in the second computer memory that executes on the second computer processor to receive the asset diagnostic data received from the one or more asset diagnostic applications via the first communication interface and that communicates with the asset management system via the second communication interface to receive information related to the one or more work orders created by the asset management system and that provides work order information to a user via the user interface application related to the asset diagnostic data and to the one or more work orders;
• and
• wherein the user interface application enables the user to generate a work order by:
• a) importing the asset diagnostic data, and one or more of asset name data, asset tag data, or device identification data corresponding to respective control devices with which the asset diagnostic data is associated, from one or more of the asset diagnostic applications;
• b) receiving user input including a work order initiation command, and one or more of asset name data, asset tag data, or device identification data corresponding to a particular control device with which the asset diagnostic data is associated;
• c) storing the user input, the asset diagnostic data, and the one or more of asset name data, asset tag data, or device identification data corresponding to the particular control device with which the asset diagnostic data is associated in a plurality of network-based non-transitory storage devices having a collection of plant asset records stored thereon;
• d) providing remote access to users over a computer network so the users can update the one or more of the asset name data, asset tag data, or device identification data corresponding to a particular control device in the collection of plant asset records in real time through a graphical user interface, wherein the one of the users provides the updated information in a non-standardized naming format dependent on the paradigm of the asset management system software used by the particular control device;
• e) converting, by an asset translation database, the one or more of asset name data, asset tag data, or device identification data corresponding to the particular control device from the non-standardized naming format dependent on the paradigm of the asset management system software used by the particular control device into a common, standardized naming format for use in initiating the work order within the asset management system;
• f) storing the common, standardized updated information about the particular control device in the collection of plant asset records in the common, standardized naming format;
• g) automatically generating an asset condition message containing the updated information about the particular control device whenever updated information has been collected;
• h) transmitting the asset condition message to the users over the computer network, so that the users have access to up-to-date information associated with the particular control device;
• and
• i) initiating the work order for the particular control device via the asset management system, based on the asset condition message.

A work order generation system, for use with a process plant having a plurality of control devices that perform physical control functions within the process plant, the work order generation system comprising:

• an asset management system comprising a first server configured to:
• store, in a first computer memory that executes on a first computer processor, one or more asset diagnostic applications to monitor the real-time operation of the plurality of control devices during run-time in order to perform diagnostics on the control devices to create asset diagnostic data;
• and
• generate one or more work orders specifying work to be performed on one or more of the plurality of control devices within the plant;
• a work order assist system comprising a second server including:
• a second computer memory;
• and
• a second computer processor;
• a first communication interface that is adapted to be coupled to and to communicate with the one or more asset diagnostic applications to receive the asset diagnostic data from the one or more asset diagnostic applications related to the plurality of control devices;
• a second communication interface that is adapted to be coupled to and to communicate with the asset management system;
• a work order assist module stored in the second computer memory that executes on the second computer processor to process the asset diagnostic data received from the one or more asset diagnostic applications via the first communication interface to determine a need for the generation of the one or more work orders, and that communicates with the asset management system via the second communication interface to send information regarding the one or more work orders to be created by the asset management system;
• and
• a user interface module stored in the second computer memory that executes on the second computer processor to enable a user to generate a work order by:
• a) importing the asset diagnostic data, and one or more of asset name data, asset tag data, or device identification data corresponding to respective control devices with which the asset diagnostic data is associated, from one or more of the asset diagnostic applications;
• b) receiving user input including a work order initiation command, and one or more of asset name data, asset tag data, or device identification data corresponding to a particular control device with which the asset diagnostic data is associated;
• c) storing the user input, the asset diagnostic data, and the one or more of asset name data, asset tag data, or device identification data corresponding to the particular control device with which the asset diagnostic data is associated in a plurality of network-based non-transitory storage devices having a collection of plant asset records stored thereon;
• d) providing remote access to users over a computer network so the users can update the one or more of the asset name data, asset tag data, or device identification data corresponding to a particular control device in the collection of plant asset records in real time through a graphical user interface, wherein the one of the users provides the updated information in a non-standardized naming format dependent on the paradigm of the asset management system software used by the particular control device;
• e) converting, by an asset translation database, the one or more of asset name data, asset tag data, or device identification data corresponding to the particular control device from the non-standardized naming format dependent on the paradigm of the asset management system software used by the particular control device into a common, standardized naming format for use in initiating the work order within the asset management system;
• f) storing the common, standardized updated information about the particular control device in the collection of plant asset records in the common, standardized naming format;
• g) automatically generating an asset condition message containing the updated information about the particular control device whenever updated information has been collected;
• h) transmitting the asset condition message to the users over the computer network, so that the users have access to up-to-date information associated with the particular control device;
• and
• i) initiating the work order for the particular control device via the asset management system, based on the asset condition message.

A method of coordinating the operation of one or more asset diagnostic applications stored in a first computer memory that execute on a first computer processor, for use with monitoring real-time operation of a plurality of control devices that perform physical control functions within a plant during run-time in order to perform diagnostics on the control devices to create asset diagnostic data for an asset management system stored in a second computer memory that executes on a second computer processor, to generate one or more work orders specifying actions to be performed on one or more of the plurality of control devices within the plant, the method comprising:

• communicating with the one or more asset diagnostic applications to receive the asset diagnostic data from the one or more asset diagnostic applications related to the plurality of control devices;
• communicating with the asset management system to receive work order information from the asset management system;
• processing the asset diagnostic data received from the one or more asset diagnostic applications to determine work order generation information pertaining to the plurality of control devices;
• enabling, via a user interface module, a user to generate a work order by:
• a) importing the asset diagnostic data, and one or more of asset name data, asset tag data, or device identification data corresponding to respective control devices with which the asset diagnostic data is associated, from one or more of the asset diagnostic applications;
• b) receiving user input including a work order initiation command, and one or more of asset name data, asset tag data, or device identification data corresponding to a particular control device with which the asset diagnostic data is associated;
• c) storing the user input, the asset diagnostic data, and the one or more of asset name data, asset tag data, or device identification data corresponding to the particular control device with which the asset diagnostic data is associated in a plurality of network-based non-transitory storage devices having a collection of plant asset records stored thereon;
• d) providing remote access to users over a computer network so the users can update the one or more of the asset name data, asset tag data, or device identification data corresponding to a particular control device in the collection of plant asset records in real time through a graphical user interface, wherein the one of the users provides the updated information in a non-standardized naming format dependent on the paradigm of the asset management system software used by the particular control device;
• e) converting, by an asset translation database, the one or more of asset name data, asset tag data, or device identification data corresponding to the particular control device from the non-standardized naming format dependent on the paradigm of the asset management system software used by the particular control device into a common, standardized naming format for use in initiating the work order within the asset management system;
• f) storing the common, standardized updated information about the particular control device in the collection of plant asset records in the common, standardized naming format;
• g) automatically generating an asset condition message containing the updated information about the particular control device whenever updated information has been collected;
• h) transmitting the asset condition message to the users over the computer network, so that the users have access to up-to-date information associated with the particular control device;
• and
• i) initiating the work order for the particular control device via the asset management system, based on the asset condition message.