Here are just some examples of the projects we have worked on in recent years.

Availability, Reliability and Maintainability (ARM) Studies

Case Study: ARM Assessment of a Fire Service Management System

Client: Thales UK

Role: Carry out ARM assessment of the Thales FiReControl design tender for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. [FiReControl is a project to reduce the number of control rooms used to handle emergency calls for the fire services and authorities.]

Result: Egerton Consulting's ARM assessment provided assurance that the majority of the design elements would meet the availability targets proposed, but it highlighted one area where the target could not be met. The assessment also identified the required improvements to achieve this target.

As a result of Egerton Consulting's ARM assessment, Thales was able to go into subsequent discussions with their client (the ODPM) with a better understanding of the costs of meeting ALL targets. The work also gave them a basis for negotiating target changes, and the confidence that these could be met cost-effectively.

Risk Audits

Case Study: Contamination Risk Assessments

Client: Water Service Northern Ireland (through Ferguson McIlveen)

Role: Following a cryptosporidium outbreak in Spring 2001, Water Service wanted to carry out operational audits on all of their water treatment facilities to reduce the risk of further outbreaks. Egerton Consulting worked with Ferguson McIlveen to develop appropriate procedures.

Result: Egerton Consulting worked with Ferguson McIlveen to develop and demonstrate a robust procedure to:

• Identify points where contamination might occur
• Prioritise potential flashpoints
• Identify remedial actions to reduce risks effectively
• Prioritise remedial actions for the most rapid and cost-effective risk management strategy

A software tool developed by Egerton Consulting, which enables the identification and prioritisation of risks within water treatment, was key to the successful delivery of this work.

Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) and Hazard Identification (HAZID) Studies

Case Study: Gas Plant HAZOP Studies

Client: Schlumberger

Role: Egerton Consulting supplied HAZOP secretarial support for studies of five systems that were to form part of a Gas Plant with potential LPG extraction.

Result: The systems were analysed successfully using the HAZOP technique, comprising an LP flare, liquids handling, a vendor membrane dehydration unit, a vendor liquids handling package, and a gas compression station.

Statistical Analysis, Sampling and Estimation

Case Study: Estimating the Completeness of a Mapping Database

Client: Ordnance Survey

Role: Egerton Consulting was appointed to review the existing method of sampling and estimation used to assess the level of completeness of mapping data held by the client.

Result: A more economic sampling method was developed to achieve the required levels of accuracy, and new methods developed for the efficient estimation of several new performance measures.

Mathematical Modelling and Forecasting

Case Study: Electricity Demand Forecasting

Client: British Energy

Role: Egerton Consulting was brought in to identify opportunities for developing new methods to improve the forecasting of the electricity demand profiles of the client's commercial and industrial customers.

Result: A number of improvements to forecasting methods were identified. In addition we proposed and successfully developed, by applying the method of Dynamic Programming, a method of minimising trading costs that are incurred as forecasts are improved and adjusted as the trading day approaches.

Performance Metrics and Management

Case Study: Metrics Specification for Process Improvement

Client: NATS

Role: Egerton Consulting's role was to review and develop performance metrics to help achieve improvements in software development and support.

Result: Statistical methods were applied with advantage to produce new metrics that could identify areas in which performance could be improved.

Training

Case Study: In-house Training

Client: Veolia (through WRc plc)

Role: We were invited to produce and run a two-day introductory training course in ProRisk, a software tool owned and marketed by WRc. Amanda had developed the original methodology and written a prototype of the software whilst working full time for WRc. She was also responsible for developing her prototype into the commercial ProRisk software.

Result: Following completion of the training course, we were appointed to oversee ProRisk studies of boreholes at two Veolia sites.