Creating a Verification Template

Verifications provide visibility for stakeholders and risk managers to quickly identify sites with higher risk levels that require attention. Verification templates are what enable verification managers to specify the contents of an audit. Verifications are location-specific, meaning they are only available for the location in which they are created. However, a verification template is designed to be created at the highest possible point in the organizational hierarchy, as it contains various location filters.

You can find a list of all of the events initiated from verification templates on the Control Verifications > Control Verification Templates Generated Sets page, including both successful and unsuccessful attempts at creating verification activities.

A summary of verification activities, or audits, can be seen in several components of the Operational Risk dashboard:

• • Verification Summary
  • Verification Results
  • Verification Activity Timeline
  • Monthly Verification Activities

Overview

A verification template contains the following required fields:

• • Name
  • Items to be verified
  • Critical base controls to include
  • Location scope
  • Performance Standards source
  • Time to complete

Other information collected may include:

• • Type/tag
  • Description
  • Purpose
  • Introduction text to include
  • Steps to be performed
  • Additional filter for location types
  • Major accident events (MAEs) to include
  • Who will perform the verification activity
  • Verification activity recurring options

Note: Remember that some of the terms used in these instructions may vary depending on the terms selected for use in the system (in Administration > Configuration > Terminology). For example, MAE Tag, Major Accident Event, Critical Risk, and Principal Hazard all represent the same entity).

Identifying Information

To create a Verification Template, from the main menu select (Control) Verifications > (Control) Verification Templates > Add.

Identifying information in a verification template (code, name, type/tag, description, etc.) primarily helps the verification manager to distinguish the item from others. (Define verification template types in Administration > Global Setup > Control Verification Types/Tags.)

Instructions for the Verifier

The template can include additional information, visible at the beginning of the verification activity, to help the verifier complete it:

• • Purpose of the verification activity
  • Introduction adds introductory text that will be visible before starting the verification (supports HTML text formatting)
  • Steps to be Performed describe the verification activity step by step.
    

Items to be Verified

Indicate how the system should generate verification activities, when they are scheduled to occur. The option selected determines which additional options display.

Location Scope

The Location Scope determines the location where the verification should take place; this is why it’s best to use the highest possible point in the organizational hierarchy.

• • This Location Only – create a verification activity in this location
  • This Location and all Locations below – create a verification activity in this location and in all related sub-locations under this location
  • Select Locations from list… – create a verification activity in only the location(s) you select, per the Content Scope selection

Performance Standards Source

For all Items to be Verified except Bowties Review and Ad hoc Base Control Verification, select the source of the verification From Selected Target Item (use performance standard linked to the base control), or Select Performance Standards from list (select a performance standard from the drop-down list).

For all Items to be Verified options except Bowties Review, you can select one or more Performance Criteria Contexts (defined in Administration > Editor > Lookups > Performance Criteria Context Settings) to include in verification (associated with the performance criteria included in this template). This way, you can select a subset of all questions defined for a Performance Standard to include in the verification activity (you don’t have to include all questions for every verification).

Or…

Who Will Perform the Verification Activity

For all Items to be Verified except Ad hoc Base Control Verification, indicate who is responsible for conducting the activity, the originator of the selected base control(s), or someone else (selected from the list of users). The individual will get an email notification when the activity is scheduled.

Activity Scheduling and Activation

There are many different scheduling options for verification activities. To schedule verification on a recurring, regular basis, select the following:

• • Recurring – Select a frequency (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, etc.) at which the verification activity should occur. A scheduler will run at midnight Australian Eastern Standard Time every day. If you select Not Scheduled, the verification activity can still be completed, but no automatic scheduling will occur.
  • Start – Date on which the scheduled verification will start. If the start date is set to a past date, the system automatically calculates the next date based on the Recurring selection.
  • Time to Complete – Number of days (0 – 999) within which the verification must be completed and submitted before it’s considered late.

The system calculates and displays

• • Last planned At – date when this verification was last generated or when the schedule was last started
  • Next Planned On – date when the verification will be generated next