A Guide to Understanding a Commissioning Plan

What is a Commissioning Plan?

A commissioning plan is a guide used by commissioning teams and project managers to establish the scope and responsibilities needed to be carried out to verify that an item or operation is working well. It’s often made up of multiple documents to accommodate different responsibilities and tasks involved in operational processes.

Importances and Uses

In the general commissioning process, a commissioning plan serves as the basis or foundation for all tasks and schedules. A commissioning plan documents the responsibilities of everyone involved in the project. to keep track of tasks that need to be completed, schedules to follow, goals to achieve, and target dates.

A commissioning plan also details safety and health requirements to be followed for the whole commissioning process. Additionally, a commissioning plan also contains the quality standards that everyone involved must comply with to ensure everyone is aligned when it comes to quality and safety protocols. Having a commissioning plan also makes leadership transitions smoother, as the structured plan would have all the necessary information for carrying out the project.

Although some processes and needs may change along the way, creating a commissioning plan as early as possible is important for any project. Having a commissioning plan from the beginning can help visualize the steps to take, the roadblocks that can be encountered, and the expected costs to prepare for at the onset of the project.

Elements of a Commissioning Plan

A commissioning plan can be tailored to the industry, the systems being evaluated, the need for commissioning and the conditions of the project. For example, there can be a specific commissioning plan for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) commissioning, building commissioning, and electrical or energy commissioning.

Generally, a commissioning plan should have the following:

• Description, goals, and scope of the project as agreed upon by all parties

• Responsibilities of those involved in the project

• List of materials needed and where to get them

• Checklists used and to be used in the project

• Diagrams of products and sites to be evaluated or modified

• Installation processes and schedules to be followed

Using a checklist is one of the best ways to ensure these elements of a commissioning plan are present. There are pre-commissioning checklists made before and during the commissioning plan creation stage or during the commissioning process itself. Similar to commissioning plans, there are different ways to create and maintain checklists depending on the nature of the project. Using a digital checklist tool for commissioning plan checklists will also be more beneficial as digital checklists are:

• Easier to share and use on the go

• Faster to set up and organize

• Easier to compile

• More flexible

Types

Commissioning plans vary based on the internal systems involved, project goals, and the building construction stage. Here are some common types:

• Building commissioning plan: It’s commonly used for new construction projects, covering design review through handover to verify the installation of building systems and their operations.

• HVAC commissioning plan: It checks the functional performance, verification controls, temperature and airflow settings of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

• Retro-commissioning (RCx) plan: This applies to existing buildings that were never commissioned in order to determine performance gaps, improve current systems and identify needs for improvement.

• Re-commissioning plan: This plan is for previously commissioned buildings that need re-evaluation due to changes in energy consumption, number of occupants or system degradation.

• Ongoing commissioning plan: Using data and trend analysis, this plan helps continuously monitor and maintain building system performance, enabling early identification of issues.

• Equipment commissioning plan: Instead of a whole building system, this plan focuses on individual pieces of equipment, with emphasis on installation and operations.

How to Create a Commissioning Plan

The U.S. Department of Energy's commissioning process for federal facilities requires assembling the full project team and documenting existing buildings or equipment before any work begins. Here are the following steps in creating a commissioning plan:

1. Define the project scope and objectives: List the systems and equipment to be commissioned, outline the expected outcomes, budget, and timeline before the commissioning process begins.

2. Identify roles and responsibilities: Assign responsibilities for each phase regarding design review, installation checks, performance tests and sign-offs for accountability.

3. List the systems and equipment to be commissioned: Identify the HVAC, plumbing, electrical, controls and other building systems that need to be commissioned.

4. Create checklists and test protocols: Develop a pre-functional checklist to check installation and performance testing. It can be customized depending on the system type.

5. Plan the commissioning schedule: Check and align the project schedule with contractors' availability or building occupancy.

6. Determine acceptance criteria: Set the passing criteria for each test, including the relevant standards, tolerances, and performance benchmarks.

7. Set up a documentation and issue management process: Define the issues and actions that need to be flagged for the teams so they can assign the right people to resolve them.

8. Review and approve the plan: It’s important to have the plan reviewed and approved before the commissioning process begins.