ATLAS (Shift) Operations Documentation and Training

1. ATLAS (Shift) OperationsDocumentation and Training Stephanie Zimmermann S. Zimmermann, ATLAS Post-LS1 Operations Workshop

2. Shift Training 1 Questions asked to systems: • What did your shift training consist of? • If you ran shift training sessions, how often did you organize them? • If you ran shift training sessions, what was their duration? • Did you require trainees to pass any kind of test or exam at the end of training to become qualified as shifters? If yes, what type of test? • Once shifters were qualified, how long was the qualification valid? • In case you required re-qualification, what did the re-qualification consist of? In view of post-LS1 operations: • Are you open to moving (part of) the shift training to being web based? Would you see advantages in doing so? • Would providing a common core training to all shifters covering common tools and basics like DCS concepts, FSM, alarm screen features, TDAQ IGUI basics, etc. be useful in your opinion? S. Zimmermann, ATLAS Post-LS1 Operations Workshop

3. Shift Training 2 What did your shift training consist of? (15 answers from all systems except OPM/Slimos; TIL, LAR, LUCID and the ID systems provided separate replies) Muon+trigger (SIR), ID • Systems with an instructions session in 2012 running: SL, TIL+LAR+Lucid, PIX (question and answers session), SCT, Run Control, ADC  covers about half of the ACR shift tasks Systems running instructions sessions with a trainer: • How often ? LAR/TIL/Lucid: 1/week. Run Ctrl: 5-6 times/year. SL: 3-4 times/year. ADC: as needed • Duration of the training session ? LAR/TIL/Lucid: 1-2h. Run Control: 4-5h. SL: 1 day. ADC: 2-3h. S. Zimmermann, ATLAS Post-LS1 Operations Workshop

4. Shift Training 3 Did you require trainees to pass any kind of test or exam at the end of training to become qualified as shifters? If yes, what type of test? • Positive answer from • Muons: Integrated test at the end of the SIR web training course (SIR: CERN framework used also for the safety courses) • Run Control: Test in SIR • LAR: multiple choice questionnaire, results not recorded • SCT: Driving test with an expert after the last shadow shift Once shifters were qualified, how long was the qualification valid? • Essentially all systems replied there was a limit to validity of shift qualification, based on the time since last taken shift • Time of validity varied from 2 months after last shift (ADC) to 1 year (Trigger, SCT, TRT) – answers not always 100% consistent between sub-dets covered by the same shifter S. Zimmermann, ATLAS Post-LS1 Operations Workshop

5. Shift Training 4 Validity of shift qualification continued: • Many system stated that while having a “expiration” of shift qualification requiring shifters to be re-trained, this was not systematically/formally enforced and/or checked … “a lion without teeth”  Make it an action item to provide central tools to do so ?  Coupling to shift booking/OTP database ? S. Zimmermann, ATLAS Post-LS1 Operations Workshop

6. Shift Training 5: Post LS1 Would providing a common core training to all shifters covering common tools and basics like DCS concepts, FSM, alarm screen features, TDAQ IGUI basics, etc. be useful in your opinion? • The overwheming answers from systems was „YES“. Reasons given were • Avoid duplicating efforts • Make sure everybody in the ACR speaks the same „language“, ie terminology • Knowing the larger picture and connections helps in understanding problems of one own‘s desk --- especially for „monitoring only“ shifters: DQ, Luminosity, ... • DCS reply was less definite: „Depends what would be “common” about it. If it is only the trainer who is common, maybe not. Probably common training would only make sense if one would be able to demonstrate procedures and tasks which involve all tools. E.g. “simulating” a typical shift or a LHC fill with the real tools in a test environment.” Are you open to moving (part of) the shift training to being web based? Would you see advantages in doing so? • Almost al systems strongly were in favor of a web based test as part of shift training/qualification. • W.r.t. to providing the training itself web-based, most systems are open to it/welcome it/already have it, but opinion vary as to whether it can and should replace hands-on sessions completely. (hesitancy by RunCtrl, DCS, L1Calo) S. Zimmermann, ATLAS Post-LS1 Operations Workshop

7. Documentation 1 Questions asked to systems: • What main means of documentation did you use for shifters? • Was your documentation usually up to date or did you have difficulty maintaining it? • Who was in charge to update your shifter documentation and keep it up to date? • Can you comment of effectiveness and maintainability in your experience for your chosen means of documentation? • Do you think a common documentation repository would increase quality and avoid repetition and out-of-date information? S. Zimmermann, ATLAS Post-LS1 Operations Workshop

8. Documentation 2 What main means of documentation did you use for shifters?(16 answers, all systems except OPM/Slimos) ID LAR Twiki Whiteboard Custom/ Database Non-Twiki Web pages (html,...) Twiki Manual Printed Manual Was your documentation usually up to date ? (16 systems answered, partly multiple selections of neighbouring answers) complaints from time to time largely obsolete always mostly S. Zimmermann, ATLAS Post-LS1 Operations Workshop

9. Documentation 3 • Whowas in charge to update your shifter documentation and keep it up to date? (16 systems answered, multiple selections possible) • Effectiveness and maintainability for the chosen means of documentation? • General consensus that Twiki worked well/ok, allowed a wide community to contribute to documentation, no realistic alternative to it. Exceptions: Lumi (“marginal”), L1Calo (“ok for lack of better option”) • Twiki whiteboard found by many systems especially useful for last-minute updates • Main problems with Twiki: • Tends to grow in an uncontrolled fashion with many people adding pages, info in too many different places • Very difficult to search, especially if info is spread over different pages • Problematic to keep info reachable, risk of obsolete pages floating around for ever S. Zimmermann, ATLAS Post-LS1 Operations Workshop

10. Documentation 4 Do you think a common documentation repository would increase quality and avoid repetition and out-of-date information? • General answers were „rather not“, „could be useful only if a large amount of dedicated manpower is allocated to it“, „problem is not the documentation system, but the maintenance of the content“ ... Exceptions: DQ („yes“), TIL („for common tools“), LAR: („yes“), Lucid („yes“) S. Zimmermann, ATLAS Post-LS1 Operations Workshop

11. Conclusions -- Training • Conclusions – Shift Training: • There appears a broad consensus that shift qualification should expire after a certain period without a person having been on shift. There is a lack of tools to efficiently check and enforce this though. • There is broad consensus that having a (web based) test in order to qualify for shift operations would be very useful and should be introduced. • Most systems are open to moving part of the shift training to a web based format, if not done already so. The web training can probably not in all cases replace a hands-on session with an expert/trainer. • Essentially all systems are in favor of having a common training covering operations basics for ALL shifters, independent of their shift task. This would in particular help to have everybody speak the same terminology and cross-desk knowledge. S. Zimmermann, ATLAS Post-LS1 Operations Workshop

12. Conclusions -- Documentation • Conclusions -- Documentation: • Twiki should definitely be kept as primary documentation scheme, need to ensure longterm availability and support • Search option across pages ? • Systematic clean-up of obsolete, orphaned pages and outdated links should be done before restarting operations – Tools ? • Separate Twiki Whiteboard per system found very useful, should be kept (may have to re-arrange to fit merged/revised shift scheme) • Common documentation repository found not too useful – forget about the idea! S. Zimmermann, ATLAS Post-LS1 Operations Workshop

13. Outlook Discussion S. Zimmermann, ATLAS Post-LS1 Operations Workshop