Automation brief: preparing a production line change

Describe the required behaviour with production

Start with what the installation does today, what should change and the situations in which that change applies.

Identify the process and equipment: conveying, assembly, packaging or process control, for example. Is the installation running, being assembled or awaiting tests? An operator’s account of a problem is useful evidence; its cause still needs investigation.

Describe observable changes: receiving an upstream status, displaying a fault to the operator or adapting a sequence to new equipment. Include the operating modes and interactions with neighbouring stations. This helps establish whether sensors, wiring or mechanical components also need work.

A requested date and a booked window are two different pieces of information.

State possible shutdown windows, restart constraints and who will confirm them. Keep a requested date and a booked window clearly distinguished in the schedule.

Gather the versions and documents used on site

Which materials will let the professional understand and modify the actual installation?

Record PLC families and models, known versions, operator interfaces, supervisory systems and connected equipment. Add the software and licences available. This provides a basis for discussing equipment experience and working resources.

Check who holds the source programs, which backup matches the running version and how access will be granted. Keep credentials out of the brief. If nobody can confirm that the program matches the installation, include an initial survey.

Keep credentials out of the brief.

Attach available functional specifications, electrical drawings, input/output lists, network diagrams and interface documents. Separate verified versions, unchecked documents and missing items. Documentation updates can then be included in the assignment before testing begins.

Assign interfaces before choosing the specialist

An assignment can combine programming, supervisory control and commissioning. Identify the main activity and the contributions needed from other disciplines.

For each interface, record the required information, its supplier and its approver. A new instrument needs a defined measurement, signal, connection and use in the program. The site, supplier and electrical or mechanical specialists should each know their part.

Our industrial automation specialism and automation engineer role guide help translate the requirement into activities. The role descriptions from Onisep and Apec also show the range of tasks and working relationships.

For a freelance engagement, state the expected autonomy and who decides on changes to the requirement. WheelOfWork finds the professional and arranges the introduction; project leaders assign the technical work and approval responsibilities.

• Programming: functional specifications, sequences and preliminary tests.
• Commissioning: installation tests, diagnostics and resolution of issues.
• Supervisory control: operator screens, alarms and data exchange.
• Coordination: interfaces between contributors, decisions and current documentation.

Prepare site work with the people responsible

Before confirming the work, ask the relevant site managers to define access, authorised operations and safety prerequisites.

A modification calls for assessment and documentation of its effects on risk. INRS outlines the approach and develops it in Improving machinery in service. Flag changes affecting protective measures, operating modes or safety functions in the brief.

List contacts responsible for induction, area access, coordination of simultaneous activities and isolation arrangements. Their availability needs to match site phases, particularly testing and release of the equipment.

Separate programming expertise from the conditions for performing electrical operations. INRS guidance on electrical work authorisation explains the relationship between tasks, skills, training and authorisation in France. Establish the requirements for the assignment before choosing the specialist.

Write the test scenarios and handover requirements

Acceptance becomes concrete when each scenario has a starting state, an expected result and an approver.

Work from the requirement: normal operation, operator information, interruption and restart, or lost communication with a neighbouring station. Allocate checks across preparation, workshop and site testing according to approved resources and conditions. Define the evidence to retain and the people needed for each test.

Keep any test that cannot be performed visible, with its reason and planned next step. Separate approval of a modification, acceptance of deliverables and the decision to return the installation to operation. Different people may own these decisions.

Keep any test that cannot be performed visible, with its reason and next step.

The final package should let maintenance take over: agreed programs and versions, backups, updated documents, test results and outstanding items with owners and actions. Plan a review with the team; placing a folder on a server will not answer all their questions.

Ask candidates to talk through a commissioning task

Ask the professional to describe a comparable installation, their contribution and an issue encountered during testing.

How did they investigate it? Who approved the change? What documents did they hand over? These questions reveal technical experience and how they work with production and maintenance.

Check availability for each phase: preparation, shutdown, testing and resolution of outstanding items may be spread out. Specify travel, hours and document language. Our Engineering Talent Agents use these details alongside technical skills when discussing your search.

Example: adding a station to a packaging line

The initial request, “add the station and update the supervisory system”, becomes a brief when each task is connected to its prerequisites.

The supplier describes communication with the new station. The site confirms available programs. Production defines the required behaviour, while the relevant specialists prepare electrical and mechanical interfaces. The automation engineer can then propose changes and tests, identifying any open questions.

The first milestone is a document and interface review. The next stages cover functional specifications, preliminary tests and site tests in the confirmed window. Acceptance calls for identifiable versions, test results and a process for outstanding items. The expertise needed becomes clearer: modifying an existing installation, commissioning and working with site teams.