Initiating a Management of Change
Initiating an MOC is the first step in managing engineering, operational and safety-related changes within Safety Lifecycle Manager (SLM). A properly initiated Management of Change (MOC) ensures that proposed modifications are documented, assessed and reviewed before implementation, helping organisations maintain the safety and integrity of their facilities.
The SLM Management of Change module guides users through a structured workflow that captures key project information, assigns approval responsibilities and prepares the change for technical review. This standardised approach helps organisations demonstrate compliance with internal Management of Change procedures while supporting functional safety best practices.
This guide explains how to initiate an MOC in SLM, configure the proposal, select the appropriate technical basis and prepare the change for the remaining stages of the Management of Change process.
What Is Initiating an MOC?
Initiating an MOC creates a new Management of Change record within SLM and establishes the foundation for the complete change management process. During this stage, users define the proposed change, identify its location, classify the MOC type and begin collecting the information required for technical evaluation and approval.
The training explains that the Management of Change module is designed to help organisations document proposed changes, evaluate their impact and ensure that modifications do not compromise the safety or integrity of the facility. Once an MOC has been created, users are guided through a series of structured steps covering technical basis selection, approval gates, checklists, action items and reporting.
Initiating an MOC provides the starting point for:
- Documenting proposed engineering changes.
- Identifying safety and operational impacts.
- Assigning technical reviewers and approvers.
- Managing approval workflows.
- Capturing supporting documentation.
- Maintaining an auditable Management of Change process.
Why Initiating an MOC Is Important
A formal Management of Change process helps organisations evaluate potential risks before modifications are introduced into operating facilities. By recording the purpose of the change, its technical basis and the required approvals at the very beginning, engineering teams can identify issues early and reduce the likelihood of introducing unintended hazards.
Initiating an MOC also provides a consistent workflow that supports collaboration between engineering, operations and safety personnel throughout the lifecycle of the proposed change.
Key benefits include:
- Standardised change management procedures.
- Improved functional safety governance.
- Clear accountability throughout the approval process.
- Better visibility of proposed engineering changes.
- Support for audit and regulatory compliance.
- A complete record of the Management of Change process.
Where changes involve Safety Instrumented Systems, organisations may also benefit from understanding the wider functional safety requirements described in the IEC 61511 Compliance guide.
Creating a New MOC
Creating a new Management of Change begins by navigating to the required Site or Unit within the SLM Management of Change module and selecting the Initiate MOC option from the MOC Overview tab.
Users are then prompted to enter basic information required to create the new MOC, including:
- MOC ID.
- MOC type.
- Title.
- Location.
- Health and safety impact.
- Associated P&IDs.
- Major process equipment.
Once the information has been saved, SLM creates the MOC object and presents the complete Management of Change workflow. The training demonstrates that the workflow consists of eleven structured stages, allowing users to move through each phase using either the navigation tabs or the workflow arrows displayed across the top of the MOC screen.
Completing these initial proposal details ensures that subsequent technical reviews, approval gates and checklists are based on accurate project information from the very beginning of the Management of Change process.
Choosing the Correct MOC Type
One of the first decisions when initiating an MOC is selecting the appropriate Management of Change type. Safety Lifecycle Manager supports three MOC categories, allowing organisations to classify changes according to their urgency and operational requirements.
The available MOC types are:
- Permanent – Long-term engineering or operational changes that become part of the normal facility design.
- Temporary – Short-term modifications that will be removed or reversed after a defined period.
- Emergency – Urgent changes that must be implemented quickly while still following an approved Management of Change process.
Selecting the correct MOC type improves reporting, supports compliance activities and helps ensure that the appropriate review process is followed throughout the lifecycle of the change.
Completing MOC Proposal Information
After creating the MOC, users complete the proposal information that forms the foundation of the entire Management of Change process. Accurate information at this stage ensures that reviewers, approvers and engineering teams clearly understand the scope and purpose of the proposed modification.
Typical proposal information includes:
- MOC title.
- Project location.
- Health and safety impact.
- Associated P&IDs.
- Major process equipment.
- Supporting engineering information.
Providing complete proposal details at the start of the workflow improves communication, reduces unnecessary clarification during approvals and creates a comprehensive audit trail for future reference.
Where the proposed change affects Safety Instrumented Systems or related engineering documentation, completing these fields thoroughly also supports later technical reviews and risk assessments.
Selecting the Technical Basis
The technical basis is one of the most important elements when initiating an MOC. Rather than serving only as descriptive information, the selected technical basis determines which Engineering, Health and Safety (EHS) assessments and checklists become available during the remainder of the workflow.
Users can identify whether the proposed change affects areas such as:
- Safety.
- Reliability.
- Operability.
- Health.
- Financial performance.
Once these selections have been made, Safety Lifecycle Manager automatically populates the appropriate EHS risk assessments. This ensures that every Management of Change follows a review process appropriate to the nature of the proposed modification rather than relying on manual checklist selection.
This automated approach helps organisations apply consistent engineering reviews while reducing the possibility of important assessments being overlooked.
Understanding the MOC Workflow
After the proposal has been created, users progress through a structured Management of Change workflow consisting of multiple stages. Each stage focuses on a specific aspect of the review process, guiding engineering teams from the initial proposal through to final approval and reporting.
The workflow includes activities such as:
- Initiating the MOC.
- Selecting the technical basis.
- Completing approval gates.
- Performing EHS assessments.
- Managing action items.
- Generating the final Management of Change report.
Users can navigate through the workflow using either the process tabs or the visual step indicators displayed within the MOC object. This structured approach makes it easy to understand project progress while ensuring that mandatory activities are completed before the Management of Change moves to the next stage.
Where corrective actions are identified during the review process, they can later be managed through the Action Item Tracker, providing continued visibility until every required action has been completed.
Configuring Approval Gates
Approval gates ensure that critical Management of Change activities are reviewed before users can continue to the next stage of the workflow. Rather than allowing an MOC to progress automatically, Safety Lifecycle Manager pauses the process at predefined approval points until authorised personnel have reviewed and approved the proposed change.
During initiating an MOC, administrators can assign different approvers to each approval gate, allowing engineering, operations and management personnel to participate at the appropriate stages of the workflow.
Approval responsibilities can be configured for:
- Initial MOC approval.
- Pre-change approval.
- Pre-startup approval.
- Final MOC approval.
Approvers are managed through the Personnel module, where users can be granted Management of Change approval authority for specific sites or units. This role-based approach helps ensure that only authorised personnel can approve changes affecting safety-critical systems.
Managing Checklists and Action Items After Initiating an MOC
As the Management of Change progresses, Safety Lifecycle Manager automatically presents checklists based on the selected technical basis. These checklists help engineering teams review environmental impacts, safety considerations, human factors, training requirements and other areas relevant to the proposed modification.
Where additional work is identified, users can create action items directly from checklist questions. Each action item can be assigned to an individual, prioritised and tracked throughout the Management of Change process.
Key capabilities include:
- Creating new action items from checklist responses.
- Assigning responsibilities to individual users.
- Setting priorities and target completion dates.
- Monitoring open and completed actions.
- Reviewing outstanding actions before approval gates.
Action items created during the MOC are also available within the Action Item Tracker, allowing organisations to manage corrective actions alongside those generated by Functional Safety Assessments, audits and other SLM modules.
Using Initiating an MOC as the starting point for every proposed engineering change helps ensure that action items, approvals and supporting documentation remain connected throughout the complete Management of Change process.
Reporting and Dashboards
Once the Management of Change has progressed through all workflow stages, Safety Lifecycle Manager can generate a comprehensive MOC report summarising the complete change process.
The report includes information such as:
- MOC proposal details.
- Technical basis selections.
- Checklist responses.
- EHS assessments.
- Approval history.
- Action items.
- Post-startup review information.
In addition to formal reports, the MOC module provides dashboards that allow users to monitor open MOCs, approval queues, assigned action items and project status. These dashboards improve visibility across the Management of Change process and help organisations identify overdue approvals or outstanding actions before they impact project schedules.
Initiating an MOC Best Practices
Initiating an MOC correctly establishes the foundation for every subsequent stage of the Management of Change process. Spending time to complete proposal information accurately and configure the appropriate technical reviews helps improve engineering quality while supporting compliance with internal procedures and recognised functional safety practices.
Recommended best practices include:
- Select the correct MOC type before creating the proposal.
- Complete all proposal information before requesting approvals.
- Choose an appropriate technical basis to generate relevant assessments.
- Assign authorised approvers for each approval gate.
- Review and complete all mandatory checklists.
- Create and manage action items as they arise.
- Use dashboards and reports to monitor MOC progress and outstanding approvals.
Following these practices helps organisations maintain a structured, auditable and repeatable Management of Change process while reducing the risks associated with engineering modifications.
Organisations that standardise Initiating an MOC across all engineering modifications benefit from greater consistency, improved governance and a more complete audit trail for future reviews.
Related Resources
Authoritative External Reference
For internationally recognised guidance on functional safety management throughout the safety lifecycle, including Management of Change activities for safety instrumented systems, see the IEC 61511-1 Functional Safety standard.
