When data doesn’t reach the right people
Challenge: ”Data exists – but is not used in operational decisions.”
Many industrial companies have ample production data, yet decision-making remains slow. The information is there – but it doesn’t always reach the right people at the right time. When analysis and reporting are concentrated in a few roles, you become dependent on manual steps and long decision-making processes.
In this article, we discuss why access to data does not automatically lead to better decisions, the obstacles that often stand in the way, and how AVEVA™ PI System enables secure, efficient information sharing across the entire organization.
When analysis stays with specialists
Many industrial companies have advanced analysis tools – but they are mainly used by engineers or IT specialists. Operational roles receive ready-made reports but cannot explore the data themselves when questions arise during operations.
In an operation where production changes rapidly, this becomes a bottleneck. To work in a truly data-driven way, more roles need to be able to access the same data – without compromising system stability or security.
AVEVA PI System is developed with clear role management and secure architecture, so that data can be made available to more people without compromising operations or information security.
When reports are not enough for operational decisions
Reports are important for follow-up, but they are static, historical, and rarely sufficient for operational decisions that must be made in the moment. When questions arise during production, there is rarely time to wait for the next report or ask a specialist to produce a new analysis.
Decisions then fall back on experience, gut feeling, or verbal communication – even though relevant data is available in the systems. This affects quality, delivery reliability, and productivity.
Self-service without compromising control
A common obstacle to giving more people access to data is the concern that someone might accidentally affect the systems, change settings, or overload the infrastructure.
AVEVA PI System addresses this through:
- role-based access
- separation between analysis and data collection
- clear interfaces that do not affect operations
This makes it possible to give more people access to the same data foundation – while IT/OT retains control.
Visualization to support daily priorities
With customized dashboards, both operational teams and management can monitor production in real time, see where deviations occur, and prioritize actions accordingly. When everyone works with the same underlying data, the risk of parallel versions of the truth is reduced.
Visualizations make it easier to:
- quickly identify deviations
- track actions in daily operations
- create a common understanding between functions
- prioritize where the impact will be greatest
Data-driven collaboration between OT and IT
In many factories, there is still a clear boundary between OT (operations) and IT (information). AVEVA PI System acts as a bridge between these worlds. OT retains control over data collection and information security, while IT can build analytics, dashboards, and integrations with business systems and cloud services.
This creates better conditions for joint development and digitalization.
Particularly important in large and distributed operations
In businesses with multiple factories, access to the same data is essential for effective management and monitoring. Without shared tools, comparisons and monitoring have become time-consuming and often manual.
With AVEVA PI System, data from multiple facilities can be collected and visualized consistently, while each plant can maintain local views tailored to its needs.
This makes it easier to:
- compare performance between factories
- identify best practices
- track common goals
- reduce the need for manual reporting
Roima’s role – from IT project to operational support
Making data available is not just about installing a system. It is about creating workflows, visualizations, and analyses that work in daily operations.
At Roima, we work with you to define which decisions need support, which roles should use data, and how the information is best presented to be relevant and useful.
The goal is for the data platform to support operational work – not become yet another IT system on the side.
Summary
When data is available but does not reach the right people at the right time, decisions are slow, and the pace of improvement is low – even though the information is there. With the AVEVA PI System, you can make production data available to more people in a secure, controlled manner, so decisions can be made when needed.
At Roima, we help you move from installation to actual use in production – with working methods and visualizations that work in everyday life.
Want to see how this works in practice? Watch our on-demand demo of AVEVA PI System.
