With the incredible amount of complexity found in a data center, having a Method of Procedure (MOP) in place is crucial. MOP’s are detailed, step-by-step procedures that operations and maintenance technicians are required to follow when they touch any piece of equipment for scheduled maintenance operations, corrective maintenance, and installation activities. When following a MOP, each action and its corresponding outcome are verified to improve accuracy and quality, while reducing risk.

The Importance of MOPs in a Data Center Environment

MOPs were derived from the military, where the need for precision is critical, no matter who performs the task. When a MOP is used in a data center environment, the detailed list of steps ensures the technicians follow the exact same process every time.

Within a data center, there is an MOP for essentially everything in the facility to ensure standardization, consistency, and compliance. When followed, anyone running a MOP at any data center can run the same exact procedure and, thus, limit the chance of error.

Standardized MOPs reduce operational errors by up to 40% in data centers, improving reliability and compliance.

How DataBank is Digitizing MOPs to Maximize Quality Control

MOPs are typically paper-based, where steps are manually written and checked off on a list. To make sure DataBank is using the most advanced MOP system in the industry across all of our facilities, we have partnered with MOPstar, a state-of-the-art software solution that automates MOP creation and execution.

Procedural rigor is advancing via digital workflows with embedded validation, automated approval chains, and AI-assisted error checking. Digital MOPs will integrate directly with observability systems for zero‑touch operations.

The partnership with MOPstar developed out of the need to automate and standardize DataBank’s processes across all of our facilities, particularly among those we recently acquired. MOPstar addresses our need to standardize in order to scale, ensure efficiency, and minimize potential downtime due to errors.

The operations teams are leveraging MOPstar to automate processes and increase efficiency by using the software on mobile devices to conduct daily equipment checks and standard maintenance. Instead of having MOPs specific to each facility and piece of equipment per the industry standard, the platform allows us to have a database of MOPs that can be used across all the data centers in our portfolio, thus streamlining our operations, creating additional efficiencies, and ensuring quality control and scalability.

An added benefit of digitizing our MOPs is the ability to conduct real-time monitoring with photo verifications, allowing us greater visibility into how we operate and maintain DataBank facilities. The platform also records who did “what, when and why” to any piece of equipment, thus providing a clear view for auditors, executives, and clients, and positively impacting compliance.

DataBank will roll out MOPstar starting in Indianapolis, Kansas City, and Salt Lake City, followed by 20 more data centers in nine U.S. markets by Q2 2020. To learn more, please click here to read the recent announcement about our partnership with MOPstar.