Our software is under active development and new versions are being released regularly. We continue to make the software more user-friendly and add new features. Curious to find out which features are new in your software version and how to use them? Open the releases below and learn how to get the most out of your license.
In this release, we’re excited to introduce an upgrade to our POST Observation API, allowing seamless integration of external data directly into observations for enhanced third-party collaboration. Additionally, we’ve improved the user experience by refining button labels in the BowTie Editor Dialogs for greater clarity and ease of use.
The POST Form Answers in Observation API is an enhancement of the existing public Observations POST API. This update allows users to directly integrate form responses from third-party systems into BowTieXP Enterprise observations, making external data easily accessible within the platform. The "answers" field in the API remains optional to ensure compatibility with previous versions. If you provide new answers, they will overwrite the existing ones, while submitting an empty array will clear the current answers. If no answers are sent, the current data will remain unchanged. The API now includes a validation step for dependent questions to safeguard data accuracy. Any observations with invalid answers will not be imported, and the errors will be logged. However, other valid observations will still be processed without issue.
In response to ongoing user feedback, we have implemented a targeted update to enhance the clarity of button functions within the BowTie editor dialogs. Previously, the text on these buttons did not consistently reflect their intended actions, leading to potential confusion. Users were previously presented with the following options:
To improve clarity and align with Wolters Kluwer UX guidelines, these buttons have now been updated to:
This adjustment, though minor, is expected to significantly enhance the user experience by providing more intuitive and descriptive options.
On this release of BowTieXP Enterprise, we are thrilled to introduce a range of enhancements aimed at elevating your experience with our BowTie Suite. Central to this release is the introduction of the highly anticipated Manage Lookup Tables in the BowTieXP Enterprise. With this feature, users gain control over lookup tables, enabling seamless addition, deletion, editing, and color assignment of items in the web editor in BowTieXP Enterprise.
Emphasizing user-centric improvements, we have also introduced the POST and PATCH Action APIs, empowering clients to create and update BowTie actions via API. Those APIs can create and update BowTie actions on third-party tools and other software applications.
Additionally, the Cancel Checkouts in BowTieXP Enterprise feature enhances user flexibility by enabling direct cancellation of checkouts within the web editor.
In our ongoing pursuit of delivering more functionality to the web-based BowTie editor, we are excited to introduce the Manage Lookup Tables feature. This enhancement focuses on providing users with comprehensive control over reference data within the BowTieXP editor, enabling efficient management of lookup tables through intuitive actions.
The Manage Lookup Tables feature enriches the BowTieXP Enterprises editor with a user-friendly interface for interacting with reference data trees. Key functionalities include the ability to add, delete, edit, and assign colors to items within lookup tables, empowering users to tailor reference data to their specific needs seamlessly.
Access to the enhanced functionalities, including cut, copy, and paste operations, is contingent upon user permissions. Specifically, only users with appropriate permissions can utilize these advanced features. All other users can view the lookup table in read-only mode, ensuring data integrity and consistency.
It's important to note that the Advanced Lookup Table Management feature is not enabled by default. To activate this feature, users are encouraged to reach out to our support team or designated contact person.
Users can seamlessly integrate the POST Action API into their applications, extending the capabilities of BowTie Enterprise. The Swagger documentation provides detailed insights into the API's implementation, ensuring a smooth integration process.
Continuing our commitment to enhancing the BowTie Enterprise experience, we are pleased to announce the introduction of the PATCH Actions API. This new feature augments our API suite, empowering users to update BowTie actions seamlessly, in alignment with our strategy to provide comprehensive API support for BowTie management.
The PATCH Actions API extends the functionality of BowTie Enterprise by introducing a PATCH method specifically designed for updating BowTie actions associated with various entity types, including hazards, threats, consequences, barriers, and escalation factors. This enhancement enables users to dynamically modify existing BowTie actions, ensuring data accuracy and adaptability in their operational environments.
Users can integrate the PATCH Action API into their applications, extending the capabilities of BowTie Enterprise. The Swagger documentation provides detailed insights into the API's implementation, ensuring a smooth integration process.
We are excited to introduce the Cancel Checkouts feature to BowTieXP Enterprise, enhancing user flexibility and experience within the web editor. This feature addresses the need for users to cancel their checkouts directly within the web environment, streamlining the editing process and eliminating the dependency on the BowTieXP desktop application.
The Cancel Checkouts feature empowers users who have checked out their BowTie diagrams to cancel their checkout directly within the web editor. This functionality enables users to continue editing their diagrams in the browser without the need to switch to the desktop version, promoting a smoother and more efficient editing workflow.
By providing users with the option to cancel their checkouts within the web editor, we aim to enhance the overall user experience and eliminate common pain points. Users no longer need to rely on the desktop application to undo accidental checkouts, reducing frustration and improving productivity.
The ability to cancel the checkout is available only for users who create the checkout, users cannot cancel the checkout of other users from the BowTieXP Enterprise.
Due to the nature of this update, our team is ready to help and support you in this upgrade. If you are a BowTieXP Enterprise users, you've been added to our mailing list. You will receive in the coming days of this release the necessary information to facilitate your upgrade. In the meantime, you can contact us using the below email adresses and read our FAQ for this upgrade.
In this year's last release, Enablon Bowtie introduced several impactful features to enhance user experience and streamline processes.You can now “Saved Favorites”, add attachments to your reviews and enhance your communication during employee onboarding. We are also saying goodbye to our app replaced by our new Audits API, and we’ve improved the design of BowTie Editor.
The new "Saved Favorites" function was created to improve our navigation, providing you with the ability to mark and access your frequently-used pages effortlessly. In parallel, the addition of attachments to hazard reviews empowers you to create more comprehensive and collaborative hazard review reports, meeting regulatory compliance needs. Furthermore, enhancements to user onboarding include the customization of messages for non-license users and ensuring that Single Sign-On (SSO) users receive welcome emails, collectively creating a more cohesive and positive onboarding process. In addition, we are sunsetting our Native Mobile app in order to better answer your needs and align with our strategy. We have created great alternative that doesn’t require any downloading, introducing our new Audits API. Lastly, the BowTie Editor undergoes a visual transformation with a new styling update, aligning with the Wolters Kluwer design system to elevate the platform's aesthetic without affecting functionality. This release reflects Enablon's commitment to continuous improvement and user-centric design.
Our current navigation system can be challenging for users to locate specific pages quickly. To address this issue, we are introducing the "Saved Favorites” feature to enhance user navigation and provide a more streamlined experience.
The "Saved" button is already an integral part of our Enablon platform and is designed to align seamlessly with the overall Enablon user interface.
With the introduction of the new Saved Favorites function, users gain the ability to mark their favorite and frequently accessed pages, ensuring convenient access within the navigation drawer. This feature enhances user experience and navigation efficiency.
It's important to note that, due to technical limitations, the BowTie Editor/Viewer cannot be added to the list of saved favorites. However, we are continually working to enhance and expand the functionality of this feature to provide the best possible user experience.
The process of creating and reviewing hazards, including bowties and risks, is often an ongoing, collaborative effort involving multiple contributors. This iterative approach results in the continual improvement of diagrams, which serve various purposes, including the development of safety cases for regulatory compliance. The addition of attachments to hazard reviews aims to provide users with a more comprehensive hazard review report.
To create a more comprehensive hazard review report and support the collaborative nature of the hazard review process, we are introducing the ability to add attachments. This feature empowers users to enhance their hazard reviews by including relevant documents and files.
This feature empowers users to maintain an evolving and complete hazard review report, enabling them to meet their regulatory compliance needs and foster effective collaboration among team members.
In response to valuable feedback and a commitment to refining user onboarding experiences, we're introducing two significant enhancements:
Non-license users can now directly contact administrators by clicking on the link added to the screen. This feature addresses the feedback received from clients, providing a more supportive onboarding experience.
Simultaneously, the welcome email for SSO users has been streamlined to ensure that all users, regardless of the creation method, receive a warm introduction to the platform. Administrators can confidently customize welcome emails. These enhancements collectively aim to streamline onboarding processes, enhance user communication, and create a more cohesive and positive user experience.
After careful consideration, we've decided to bid adieu to the BowTieServer native mobile apps for iOS and Android. While it has served us well, we believe in moving forward with solutions that better meet your evolving needs. As of now, the app is no longer available for download, and we have stopped all support, maintenance, and sales activities.
We have a seamless alternative in place to ensure you continue to enjoy the fantastic functionalities you've come to expect. Introducing our robust and scalable Audits API. The Audits API integrates other software applications with BowTieXP Enterprise audit functionality.
Additionally, you can now access BowTie Enterprise Audits directly from your mobile device browser, providing you with unparalleled convenience and flexibility.
In our ongoing efforts to enhance the visual appeal and user experience of the BowTieXP editor, we are implementing a new styling update. This initiative is driven by the goal of aligning our UI with the Wolters Kluwer design system and modernizing the look and feel of BowTieXP Enterprise.
The following components within the BowTie editor have undergone styling improvements to adopt the Wolters Kluwer design system seamlessly:
1)Top Action Bar: The top action bar has been refined for a more polished and cohesive appearance.
2) Editing Popups: Stylistic enhancements have been applied to editing popups, contributing to a modernized aesthetic.
3) Icons: Iconography throughout the BowTie editor has been updated to align with the visual elements of the Wolters Kluwer design system.
It's important to note that these changes are purely cosmetic and do not impact the functionality of the BowTie Editor.
If you are on BowTieXP Enterprise v11.3 or higher, you don't require to insert a new activation code when updating the software. If you are planning your upgrade with a v11.2 or lower version, please reach out to [email protected] to get a version 12.3 code.
In case your BowTieXP Enterprise is hosted in the Enablon Cloud, reach out to your main contact to get more information and plan the upgrade accordingly.
In previous versions of the report, only the Hazard name was displayed. However, a challenge arose when multiple bowties shared the same Hazard name but had different Top Events. This made it difficult for users to differentiate between them.
To address this issue, we've introduced an enhancement that adds the Hazard Code to the Top Event Name display in the header of both Global and Local reports. This enhancement streamlines user experience by allowing easy identification of these instances without the need to navigate to the details page.
In response to increasing demands from our clients to enhance the sharing and integration of observation and incident data with external systems, we are excited to introduce the Observations API in this release. This new API empowers you to effortlessly exchange essential observation details, further streamlining your incident management workflows and fostering improved data quality and analysis.
The Observations API provides a convenient GET method to retrieve observation details, enabling you to share crucial information with external systems. This feature caters to a range of use cases, from basic observation information to advanced observation data including attachments and follow-ups. By incorporating this API into your applications, we aim to enhance your operational efficiency and solidify our presence in your application ecosystem.
The Observations API is divided into two distinct types of endpoints to cater to varying requirements:
This endpoint facilitates the retrieval of comprehensive observation details, including:
Additionally, you can employ filters based on Observation's Status name, Question ID, and Answer to refine their data extraction.
Through this endpoint, you can retrieve in-depth observation insights, encompassing:
With the Observations API, you can:
We are excited to announce a significant development in response to the numerous requests and growing demand from our valued customers and prospects. We are working diligently on an integration between Enablon IMS (Incident Management System) and INXP (IncidentXP). This integration is set to take both solutions to new heights, offering an unprecedented level of efficiency, data integrity, and user experience.
With the convergence of Enablon IMS and IncidentXP, we are responding directly to industry needs and user feedback: learning from incidents. Often, companies fail to learn from incidents because they don’t identify the root causes and therefore, are not addressing them. By combining Enablon IMS, expert solution for reporting incidents, and IncidentXP, expert solution for root cause analysis, we aim at providing a very comprehensive solution for fighting incidents root causes.
Our Minimum Viable Product (MVP) integration is designed to meet your immediate needs and provide a foundation for a richer and more integrated experience in the future. It a seamless workflow that spans from incident registration in Enablon IMS through to in-depth analysis within IncidentXP, and ultimately, back to the incident registry, with all pertinent data intact. The following features highlight the core components of this integration:
We are committed to enhancing your incident management and root cause analysis processes, and this integration marks a pivotal step forward in achieving that goal. By leveraging the strengths of both Enablon IMS and IncidentXP, we're fostering a more comprehensive and cohesive experience that empowers your teams to navigate incidents and their analyses with unparalleled efficiency and accuracy.
If you are on BowTieXP Enterprise v11.1 or higher, you don't require to insert a new activation code when updating the software. If you are planning your upgrade with a v11.0 or lower version, please reach out to [email protected] to get a version 12.1 code.
In case your BowTieXP Enterprise is hosted in the Enablon Cloud, reach out to your main contact to get more information and plan the upgrade accordingly.
In this service pack, you will notice that the usability of the BowTieXP Enterprise Eidtor is improved. We also added a new widget to display risk metric widgets. Read more about these and other technical and functional improvements below.
The Bowtie Editor in BowTieXP Enterprise offers you a convenient web-based bowtie builder, but it relied on BowTieXP desktop to create a new bowtie from scratch. With the 12.1 release, you can now create a new bowtie (hazard) directly from the Bowtie Editor, and therefore removing the step in BowTieXP desktop.
You can simply click the “New Hazard" button and specify the Hazard, Top Event, and select the Bowtie group. This creates a new bowtie diagram, and you can continue completing the diagram in the Bowtie Editor.
The alternative way to start a new bowtie - from the Hazards Register (in Reports) - will remain unchanged.
You can now double-click on a bowtie shape’s (e.g., barrier) name to change it, making this interaction much easier and intuitive than the previous method that required opening the editing pop-up.
A second usability improvement is that you can now get the editing pop-up appear by double-clicking on the shape (e.g., threat) itself. Previously, the pop-up could only be opened via the pencil icon.
Widgets on the personal dashboard in BowTieXP Enterprise can be a great tool to get quick access to information that is most relevant to you as a user. It is now possible to add the Risk Overview - which represents an aggregated risk profile - as a widget to the dashboard. Previously, you could only get that aggregated view of risk in a pie chart, but we understand that seeing it in the context of a matrix is sometimes more useful. You can now choose between a pie chart, or the matrix!
If you are on BowTieXP Enterprise v11.1 or higher, you don't require to insert a new activation code when updating the software. If you are planning your upgrade with a v11.0 or lower version, please reach out to [email protected] to get a version 12.1 code.
In case your BowTieXP Enterprise is hosted in the Enablon Cloud, reach out to your main contact to get more information and plan the upgrade accordingly.
With version 12 of BowTieXP and BowTieXP Enterprise, you can now benefit from improvements to the 'Systems' entity. In addition, BowTieXP Enterprise includes improvements to the audit overview report and usability enhancements, such as the ability to switch from BowTieXP Enterprise to other Enablon modules. Version 12 will be available for deployment or upgrade from April 1st, 2023. Learn all about the new features below.
Version 12.0 of BowTieXP is a maintenance and stabillity release cycle. It offers new enhancements keeping up with new developments taking place in BowTieXP Enterprise. BowTieXP 12 offers additional fields to the ‘Systems’ entity in BowTieXP and BowTieXP Enterprise. In addition, we updated the BSCAT method with the new SCAT9 causal factor list according to DNV in IncidentXP. Please find more information about the 'Systems' entity and the updated BSCAT method below.
Bugfixes:
The Systems entity in BowTieXP is most often used to model hardware barrier elements, and therefore is the sibling of the Activities entity, which is often used to represent human barrier elements. In previous versions of BowTieXP, the functionality of Systems was somewhat limited in comparison to Activities.
We have listened to you, and you can now find the same fields and functions on Systems and Activities.
These additional fields and functions have been added:
You will also find the added fields in the barrier overview report, whereas previously they were only visible for Activities.
To conclude, you can now break your barriers down into human and hardware components, that both have the same level of functionality. This means, you can get to a better understand of how your barrier functions are delivered, and what you need to manage to make sure barriers are in a fully functional state.
The Audit overview is a popular report that shows the distribution of positive and negative answers to audit and inspection questions per organizational unit. This is useful to find underperforming sites, or to see trends in certain barrier types requiring more attention.
Previously, the report was missing a roll-up capability to higher organizational unit levels. Take for example the following simple hierarchy:
If you had survey results for Rio and Sao Paulo, but not directly relating to Brazil, there would be results visible on the cities, but the country level would show no results.
In version 12.0, you will now be able to switch on the aggregation function, so that the results of Rio and Sao Paulo are aggregated to the level of Brazil, thus showing you the combined results for both underlying organizational units.
As with BowTieXP Suite releases, you will find small usability enhancements that make your life a little easier. In version 12.0, you can now set your review recurrence to every 5 years, to complement the existing recurrence options. In addition, we updated the BSCAT method with the new SCAT9 causal factor list according to DNV in IncidentXP.
As the BowTieXP Suite is a part of the Enablon platform, you can now use the App switcher to switch between BowTieXP Enterprise and other Enablon products. This makes for a more unified user experience and easier navigation.
When upgrading your existing BowTieXP software to version 12.0 you do not need a new activation code. When opening the software you will get an upgrade notification. The same applies for your BowTieXP Enterprise v11.3.
If you are on BowTieXP Enterprise v11.0 or lower requires you to insert a new activation code. If you are planning your upgrade, please reach out to [email protected] to get a version 12.0 code.
In case your BowTieXP Enterprise software is hosted in the Enablon Cloud, reach out to your main contact to get more information and plan the upgrade accordingly.
Please note that Enablon Bowtie Suite supports 2 major software versions at any time. Per the release date of version 12 on 1/4/2023, we stop support for version 10.4. The supported versions will be version 11 and 12. Patches will be delivered on the latest service pack of those major versions.
In this service pack, you can integrate your other software applications for surveys/inspections with BowTieXP Enterprise, anonymize incident reports, and bulk edit actions and recommendations. Version 11.3 will be available for deployment or upgrade from December 24th, 2022. Learn all about the new features below.
With this new functionality, customers can use APIs to integrate other software applications with our audit/inspection functionality. The Audit API supports the following functionalities:
You can find this list of API methods on the Swagger page in the application.
In the past, the name of the observation reporter was visible to all users with access to the observation details. With version 11.3, the name of the observation reporter is visible only to the group of people that are authorized to see the name. The possibility of anonymized reporting of incidents can encourage users to report observations.
Since Version 11.2 we introduced the multi-select feature. In 11.3 you can multi-select actions and recommendations and edit them in bulk.
As always, the new version contains various security patches, bug fixes, and minor usability enhancements. Please refer to the technical release notes attached to the installation package for all details.
Upgrading your existing BowTieXP Enterprise software to version 11.3 will require you to insert a new activation code if you are upgrading from version 11.0 or lower. If you are planning your upgrade, please reach out to [email protected] to get a version 11.3 code! If you are upgrading from version 11.1 you are good to go.
In case your BowTieXP Enterprise software is hosted in the Enablon Cloud, reach out to your main contact to get more information and plan the upgrade accordingly.
BowTieXP Enterprise version 11 service pack 2 (11.2.) has arrived and will be available for deployment or upgrade from September 30th. Improve your productivity using the new multi-select and action bar functionality by simple making a subset of items and applying one of the available actions. Quickly reopening a large number of fill-outs? No problem! Reassigning 10 actions at once? Go ahead! This and a lot more is possible with the new functionality in BowTieXP Enterprise.
Learn all about the new features below.
The largest change and biggest introduction in release 11.2 is the new multi-select and action bar feature which can be summarized as a collection of many smaller, more specific productivity improving features. With the introduction of multi-select it will be a lot easier to manage data in BowTieXP Enterprise as it will require less clicks in order to achieve the same result. This intuitive new feature covers the most common user actions and now allows them to be performed in bulk. Once the selected action is executed you will receive both success and failure feedback so you exactly know what you need to do. The full list of added functionalities:
Whether you are navigating through fill-outs, observations, actions or any other list, you will be able to filter down the list and select one or multiple items and only export that specific selection to Excel. No more large data dumps of all records and unnecessary actions to clean up the Excel. Check the tutorial.
Deleting obsolete or old data and keeping your system clean is usually considered one of the most annoying tasks. It doesn’t feel productive, it is monotonous and therefore often happens less than required. As of BowTieXP Enterprise 11.2 this is part of the past. Apply a filter to the list you want and make select a subset of items after which you can delete them all at once. The feedback mechanism will notify you of any errors and all successful actions. Learn how to do this in the software.
Taking or reassigning ownership of observation follow-ups has never been so easy. Simply filter down the list of observations, make a relevant selection and quickly take or reassign ownership of the follow-ups. Learn more.
Reopening a large number of completed fill-outs or completing a large number of open fill-outs one by one is part of the past. No more waste of time as of BowTieXP Enterprise 11.2 you are able to quickly select relevant fill-outs and either reopen or complete them at once. Check out the tutorial.
Colleagues leaving their position and not being the supervisor of outstanding actions requires a certain amount of administration as a new supervisor has to be assigned. As of version 11.2 this can be done in bulk which will safe significant time for anyone who needs to administer these changes. Learn how to do this in the software.
As an administrator multi-select will also make your life easier. Besides deleting users and groups in bulk the new feature will also allow you to quickly remove a selection of users from a user group. In addition to that you will also be able to run a selection of jobs at once instead of running them one by one. Learn how to remove a user here.
Layers of Protection Analysis (LOPA) is a very popular method to perform semi-quantitative risk assessments. BowTieXP Enterprise contains a fully featured LOPA calculation model, that is adjusted to fit the bowtie method. The ‘Probability of Failure on Demand’ (PFD) of a barrier is one of the key values in a LOPA calculation. It represents the vulnerability of a barrier (i.e. control) and therefore setting a correct PFD can be a study in itself. To support use case where you want to recalculate a PFD in another application, you can now automatically update the current and future PFD of barriers through an API (Application Programming Interface). This prevents you from needing to do update the values manually, which saves time and prevents mistakes.
The features improves the current “Bowtie update API” by adding two additional updatable values to one of the API methods “barrier patch method”. This allows users to utilize the API and update the current and future PFD of a bowtie control directly from another system.
As always, the new version contains various security patches, bug fixes and minor usability enhancements. Please refer to the technical release notes attached to the installation package for all details.
Upgrading your existing BowTieXP Enterprise software to version 11.2 will require you to insert a new activation code if you are upgrading from version 11.0 or lower. If you are planning your upgrade, please reach out to [email protected] to get a version 11.2 code! If you are upgrading from version 11.1 you are good to go.
In case your BowTieXP Enterprise software is hosted in the Enablon Cloud, reach out to your main contact to get more information and plan the upgrade accordingly.
With the release of BowTieXP Enterprise version 11.1 we stopped support for BowTieXP and BowTieServer version 10.2. This does not mean that 10.2 will stop working, but that we don’t release patches anymore. We advise to upgrade to version 10.4.x or later to be assured of working with the latest features, get bug fixes and security patches.
The general rule is we always support 2 major versions of the bowtie software. From June 10 2022 this means we will support version 10.4.x and version 11.x.x.
In this service pack, the license mechanism has changed, and you can use the new feature switch to simplify the UI (user interface) for users and grant feature access only where required.
The 11 series of BowTieXP is a maintenance and stability release cycle. It offers new enhancements keeping up with new developments taking place in the BowTieServer area. BowTieXP 11 has a new file format that is backward compatible with older versions of BowTieXP.
BowTieServer 11 is a true game changer. In this new release, you will find the first ever fully functional web-based BowTie Editor. You can also start using two new APIs; one for updating bowtie element properties and another for reading and extracting actions from the database. Lastly, the new user-based ownership of hazards and barriers now allow you to transfer accountability of them to actual people using BowTieServer. This helps bridge the gap between bowties as abstract models of risk, to more operational models that represent how risk is owned and controlled on your sites.
Imagine that the bulk of your users no longer have to install and use BowTieXP desktop for most of their bowtie editing needs. How easy would it be to drive adoption of the bowtie model and software, if users could just log-in to BowTieServer and build bowties in their web-browser? With the new BowTie Editor module, that becomes possible! There are many (potential) bowtie practitioners, for whom BowTieXP desktop might be too deep in features, and who fall into the 80/20 category. They could do 80% of their work, with 20% of the functionality… That thought among others, has driven our development choices with regards to the BowTie Editor.
In summary, this new module allows you or your users to:
Note: The BowTie Editor is available as a separate module. Please feel free to reach out to your CGE point of contact for more information or a commercial offer.
In the past, bowties have been used as abstract models that represented a risk and how it was controlled in an organization. These bowties did not represent a specific physical location, but were applicable to many locations with more or less the same processes, risks and control measures. Since those days, many companies have matured in their bowtie approach and their bowties now closely reflect an actual physical location. Think about a bowtie representing “Storing H2S gas in Tank 401 in Terminal 3” instead of a generic bowtie about “Storing H2S gas in tanks”.
A need that has emerged from this evolution of bowtie, is to assign accountability of risks and controls to actual people, either on corporate or site level. The newly released ownership of hazards (bowties) and barriers allows you to link BowTieServer users (your staff) to the risks and/or barriers that they own and are accountable for.
A brief overview in terms of functionality:
The Bowtie Update API lets you integrate BowTieServer with other software applications. The API exposes the properties of all 8 bowtie elements for updating (PATCH method). Imagine updating the effectiveness of a barrier automatically, or changing the frequency of a threat based on data from another software application. Additionally, there is a ‘Create Bowtie’ (POST) method available that can be used to generate a new bowtie (hazard and top event shapes only) initiated by another application. The other application will receive a unique ID (GUID) and a URL to that bowtie back. This means you can now link a bowtie in BowTieServer to a risk record in another application.
The combined methods of the new API allow you to further integrate your bowtie diagrams in your (risk related) application ecosystem, and make bowties (and CGE software) an integral part of your risk management.
You probably have other software applications to manage risk and other business areas, and action management is an important topic across the board. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could have all your actions, including the ones coming from your bowtie software, in one central place? The new Actions API makes it possible to extract all Actions from BowTieServer and feed them into any other system. This means you can choose where you want to manage actions, while still creating them in your bowtie software as you are used to. The link between the actions and their source, which could be a bowtie, or an incident stays intact!
In addition to the bigger features and module that are being released, you will also find smaller usability and security enhancements in version 11. They are
The installation and upgrade steps for BowTieServer have been changed compared to version 10.2 and lower. This is because BowTieServer now runs on .NET Core. The installation manual has been updated accordingly, so make sure the IT department carefully reviews it to understand the new process.
What is new in BowTieXP and BowTieServer version 10.4? Scroll down to find out what functionality is new and which issues we are solving for customers.
BowTieServer 10.4
The CGE product and R&D team has worked hard to launch version 10.4 in September. In this new release, you will find a brand-new navigation sidebar, unified action management and various small usability improvements. Furthermore, a lot has happened ‘under the hood’ to be ready for future technical innovations.
In BowTieServer 10.4 you will find a brand-new Navigation sidebar. Immediately noticeable is the new modernized look and feel that is fully aligned with the Enablon platform UI and UX to support further integration efforts in the future. However, if you are a BowTieServer stand-alone user, you will also like it for its looks, new functions, and an updated logical structure of the menu items.
The Home button quickly takes you to your personal dashboard, where you will find relevant information about your risks and controls. If you want to review your account details, permissions, or the software version you are running, the Account button is there to show you everything. Most importantly, the Apps button takes you to the module navigation structure where you will find your bowties, reports, action register and many more.
You can choose to set the sidebar menu to expand and collapse, or you can pin it to keep it always open for quicker navigation between pages.
To help you quickly get used to the new structure and understand where to find functionality, hereby a summary of the changes:
BowTieServer brings you a major improvement in terms of action management. In the past you needed to work with two different kinds of actions, the BowTieXP (sticky note) action and the BowTieServer web action. You could find both types of actions in BowTieServer and even though both were called actions, they behaved differently and allowed for different functionality which was confusing at times. For example, you would use one type to create a to-do item on a bowtie while you needed the other type to assign ownership to a specific user. This resulted in the need to create multiple actions to manage everything like you envisioned.
In BowTieServer 10.4 this problem belongs to the past. The two different action types have been merged in terms of looks and feel but also in terms of functionality. Under the hood there are still two types of actions but as a user you will be able to do the exact same thing regardless of where you are creating an action. For example, when adding an action onto a diagram you will be able to assign an owner and supervisor as well update the other users by leaving a comment.
A brief overview of changes in terms of functionality:
Besides the changes on the Actions, you will get a smoother experience with every functionality related to actions. Widgets, notifications, reports, overviews, and registers have all been improved to make it easier for you to work with the new actions. From now on you will be able to manage your actions in a more intuitive way which will save you a lot of time and effort.
A lot of work has been done ‘under the hood’ of BowTieServer. The main change is the migration from the .NET framework to the .NET Core framework. This will not be noticeable by you as an end user but does set the product up for accelerated future innovation. Additionally, you might experience improved performance while using BowTieServer, for example with faster load times of pages.
Note: the installation and upgrade steps for BowTieServer have been changed because it now runs on .NET Core. The installation manual has been updated accordingly, so make sure the IT department carefully reviews it to understand the new process. Find the installation manual (login required).
What’s new in BowTieXP 10.4? The 10.4 series of BowTieXP is a maintenance and stability release cycle. It offers new enhancements keeping up with new developments taking place in the BowTieServer area. BowTieXP 10.4 has a new file format that is backward compatible with older versions of BowTieXP.
What is new in version 10.2? Find it on this page. It describes what we have focused on, what functionality is new and which problems we are solving for customers.
In BowTieServer version 10.2, a couple of new features and functionalities are introduced. Additionally, a handful of minor changes are implemented. An important focus during the 10.2 development cycle was on integrations with Enablon platform applications to deliver value adding joint solutions.
The major features we introduce are believed to have immediate impact and will add value for many clients. With less time between major releases in the future, we will probably introduce less new features per release. However, as there will be more frequent releases, there will be more flexibility for us to adapt to your needs.
Below, the main new features in 10.2 are described. The remainder of the minor additions are summarized in the form of bullet points.
Since the introduction of contextual and performance data on bowties (e.g. system statuses, incident or audit data and qualitative data like criticality) there is an increasing need for managing bowtie elements from the owner perspective. The barrier review feature starts to answer to that need. In the usual process for most companies, barrier or control reviews are an integral part of assuring their integrity and managing risks.
Until now, this was partly covered by a basic hazard review feature, which serves as a reminder for the hazard owner to periodically review a specific hazard/bowtie. The barrier review enhances this functionality, by starting a workflow in which individual barriers of a bowtie can be reviewed. During this review, events related to that barrier that occurred since the last review will be presented. For example, in how many incidents the barrier was involved and it performed. By assessing the mutations from different perspectives (e.g. audit data, incident data, maintenance data) the reviewer can determine whether the effectiveness of the barrier should change. The user can then change the applied value and leave a motivation in form of a remark on why the value has been changed.
This allows for a more structured approach when reviewing hazards and will significantly save time. A potential practice would be to have barrier reviews at a set interval (e.g. quarterly) and have a hazard review at another frequency (e.g. yearly). That way, the quarterly barrier reviews can serve as input to the yearly hazard review.
The reporting section within BowTieServer is a popular one. Many register reports such as the hazard, threat, barrier or consequence register are very useful to filter down data and start analyzing. In the past, all users had to work with default columns, forcing them to take a narrowed approach when analyzing. From 10.2, every user can now create list profiles. Similar to display profiles on a bowtie diagram, the list profiles allows to exclude columns which are irrelevant and include other relevant columns. List profiles also save applied filter settings, enabling to quickly switch between presets of data showing only the relevant columns. This significantly improves efficiency and saves a lot of time. Created list profiles are automatically shared with other users, reducing the amount of duplicate work.
Action management in BowTieServer is closely related to keeping overview of the progress on actions and sub actions. Especially in the case of incident management, when an improvement plan is considered the highest layer of actions, the problem becomes evident that a lot of sub actions lead to a loss of overview. The addition of the follow-up action overviews solves this problem with an hierarchical view on action and sub-action trees. You can expand the highest layer of actions and see all underlying sub actions, including essential information such as the due date or progress. This allows for a better overview and more control over action management.
As of version 10.2 it is possible to connect BowTieServer to two Vision Platform applications, specifically the Barrier Management and Risk Management applications. The integrations focus on leveraging bowtie diagrams (through the WebViewer component) within the platform applications.
The integration with Risk Management – called BowTieXP Enterprise – allows users to select bowtie analysis in the risk register and perform an analysis in BowTieXP. Afterwards, the bowtie is available in the web-based front-end of Enablon Risk Management.
Through the integration with Barrier Management – called Dynamic BowTie – it is possible to link barrier elements (SCEs) to bowtie barriers. In BM, barrier elements can be connected to data points coming from various sources (e.g. SAP, OSIsoft PI). By configuring data point tolerance ranges and receiving periodic data updates, the barrier elements will turn green, amber or red and in turn influence the current status of barriers and thus the total risk (i.e. bowtie).
Video – New features in BowTieServer version 10.2 and how to use them
The 10.2 series of BowTieXP is a maintenance and stability release cycle. A lot has happened under the hood to prepare for the future. New fields, reports, and usability features have been added. Though, the amount of new features is on the light side we did decide to release a BowTieXP 10.2 as a major release in order to keep this aligned with the release of BowTieServer 10.2. During this development cycle most attention has been directed towards BowTieServer.
Below you can find the main new features in 10.2 described. The remainder of the minor additions are summarized in the form of bullet points.
In the past versions of BowTieXP you could provide a code value for some bowtie elements such as the barrier or hazard/top event. From 10.2, you can add a code value to the remainder of the bowtie elements (threats, consequences, escalation factors). This creates more consistency in terms of functionality but also allows you to use the code field as an extra reference point when communicating, cross-referencing or filtering.
BowTieXP now supports the Arabic language. As an Arabic native speaker this will simplify your interaction with the software. As Arabic is a right-to-left language it is important to state that, though it is included in BowTieXP now, it doesn’t fully change the user interface to right-to-left. In terms of usability it now compares to solutions such as Microsoft Word. The translation is related to the menu and user interface itself, but not to the values of the test file. However, this should still make your life easier if you are an Arabic language user.
From time to time, new needs arise from the market or current needs become more clear. As a result of that, reports also change or even new reports are added. In version 10.2 of BowTieXP, you will be able to use a new report called “Compliance frameworks” which, as the name suggests, prints the overview of the available objectives and linked barriers. The second report (a very niche one) relates to audits and shows fill outs related to organizational units which are not linked to the selected bowtie group(s). The third one is reporting on systems and shows you the barrier context related to those systems. Other report changes that may impact you are:
In this 10.0 software version, the new concept called Global/Local is the main upgrade feature. Most changes within BowtieXP, AuditXP and IncidentXP were focussed on further improving functionality, usability and visual appeal. Even more time was spent on getting the desktop (client side) software work better in combination with BowTieServer. LOPA has been enhanced feature-wise and is technically much easier to install than before.
The new concept for the global/local feature entails that it is now possible for an organization with multiple sites (e.g. -potential- BowtieServer clients) to create a ‘parent’ or ‘corporate’ bowtie and have (slight) differences on local ‘children’ derived from that global bowtie. This new feature enhances organizations to establish a more centralized risk management approach.
TIP: Start off with creating a complete global bowtie including all its reference data and such, thereafter, derive its children from that point. The software supports the process best in this particular order.
Technically, local bowties can be linked to their global counterpart through the hazard as well as the barriers. It is possible to have one parent-child layer within the concept as of now, which means that one global bowtie is the ‘parent’ of one layer of local ‘children’. On the global bowtie/barriers you are able to see aggregated information of the local bowties (e.g. the properties of barriers).
Within your bowtie groups it is possible to sub-structure on global/local versions of the same bowtie (see ‘Additional Tree view customizability’ for more information on this topic).
As organizations grow and mature, both within the use of bowtie and in the risk management approach, the need to communicate through the whole organization and keep oversight becomes bigger. The global-local concept allows enterprises to connect global (prescriptive or guiding) bowties to their local counterparts (representation of the local situation).
Enterprise management can now spot local deviations for all locations from one centralized place and see how that reflects to the global guidance. This allows for quicker analysis and an easier way to allocate the right resources to the right spot within the organization. With this new concept feature it is now possible within BowTieServer to:
As of this software version there is more flexibility in the visual grouping of Hazards, Incidents and BowTie Groups within the tree view.
This new grouping structure is fully compatible with BowtieServer for incidents already; if you check your case file in, this info will be included in your Webviewer. For bowties/hazards this is the case when specifically sorting on organizational units.
NOTE: It is as of yet not possible to save your grouping settings within a template.
A more flexible visual grouping of Hazards, Incidents and BowTie Groups in the Tree view is enabled. It is now possible to group bowties by Bowtie Group, Organizational Unit or Global Bowtie. This enables users to look at their bowties through different grouping angles and restructure data in an easy manner.
TIP: Because of the different possibilities in grouping your bowties, it is recommended not to link a specific organizational unit to a global bowtie (see ‘Global/local bowtie differentiation’ for more information on this topic).
Hazards’ risk assessment values can now be configured automatically to fill in the most severe values of a hazard’s consequences.
NOTE: The ‘most severe values’ of the risk matrices is based on the software’s default settings, thus using the right lower corner of the matrix to describe the ‘highest’ combination of both impact and probability.
Plot plans are available now in more detail and with more options. This allows users to be more specific in defining hazardous (sub)areas or equipment. The plot plans can now be edited in BowTieServer and can have (clickable) zones.
For instance, hazards are now enriched with having a plot plan location. They can similarly be used in observation questionnaires and forms to depict in more detail where, or on what part of a picture, an observation occurred.
It is now possible to copy/paste elements between the timeline and analysis diagrams. This is enabled for all method diagrams offered in IncidentXP. Press ALT to drag and drop elements from the timeline into an analysis diagram through the Tree view.
The Incident manager reports can now be stored in the BowTieServer database instead of only being available through a local (desktop) client site. This allows users to share and use a corporate template for all incidents worldwide.
NOTE 1: When uploading a template report make sure that the Keywords field says “IncidentXP”.
NOTE 2: You can only include one template report that will be used by the software. By default, whenever more reports are stored in the database, the software will generate a report with the most recent added template.
It’s now possible to define customizable forms, of which you can add multiple forms to a single observation. These forms can be used to register things like injuries or damages.
There is a second set of risk assessments available in the Observation overview, depicting the actual as well as the potential risk (what could realistically have happened in a worst-case scenario).
Furthermore, permissions and managers can now be configured per observation type, allowing for confidential observation types. Last but not least: in the workflow statuses more options have become available such as ‘Assigned’ and ‘Investigated’ to allow more detail in the follow up process.
There can now be multiple observation types for audits. Besides that, custom questions are now also supported for audit observations.
Administrators can now configure the dashboard for all users.
To make it easier for clients to start working with the LOPA plug in, improvements have been made that allow the plug in to be activated automatically when installing the software. Having a built-in plug in allows for easier data transfer between BowtieXP and BowTieServer, and also has advantages for API integrators.
It is now possible to add default ‘LOPA values’ through items in the Lookup Tables.
When LOPA defaults have been properly setup, estimated LOPA results can be displayed already at the BowTie diagram creation / workshop stage. In assigning the fore mentioned qualitative bowtie categories, an immediate educated LOPA estimation will be shown quantitively.
It is now also possible to customize the LOPA terminology as well as the numeric format for the user interface. Also defining whether to use a ‘Strict’ or ‘Non strict’ variant of the LOPA calculation can be determined through optional LOPA settings.
NOTE: The new LOPA module uses a slightly different data model than the old plugin. Old case file data needs to be converted to the new data model by a built-in conversion routine. Clients with an existing LOPA license will need to contact [email protected] for a new activation code and further instructions.
As of now it is possible to check out specific Incident grouping and Organizational Unit filtering through selecting it in the check-out screen. It is also optional to hide lesser used nodes for a cleaner selection screen.
In this version, some minor changes have been made to BowTieXP, AuditXP and IncidentXP. Most of these changes are so they work better in combination with BowTieServer. Many changes have been made to BowTieServer.
System & parts have been changed. In BowTieXP it is now located in the tree view under system groups for easier integration with BowTieServer. Additionally, a 3rd option has been added: ‘unknown’. If the status of a part is ‘unknown’, you can still simulate its effect on the rest of your system.
In BowTieServer an easy integration of the tag item status is made possible through development of a new API. Next to that the system status tree has been added within the Systems report.
Audit results can now be aggregated. You can now group multiple questions into one group, and then link that group to a barrier. Instead of adding questions one by one onto a barrier, drag-and-drop the question group.
Audit context-sensitive questions, which were deprecated earlier, have now been fully removed as they are incompatible with question aggregation.
Audit results for a specific organizational unit are now only shown if that organizational unit is actually related to the bowtie. The previous situation led to unexpected audit results, e.g. Generic quality questions for USA showing up on Europe bowties.
A survey ‘type’ has been added: ‘quick-scan’ or ‘in-depth’ are the default values, but you can create other types as well.
Root cause analysis elements can now be linked to barriers in BowTieXP. The BowTieXP Incident filter can now show failure percentages and will color based on the failure/success rate.
Action tracking is now fully integrated between the desktop software and BowTieServer. When going to e.g. Reports > Hazards and a bowtie, you can find a new tab called ‘Actions’.
Using the ‘Add’ button, you can make new actions that will be displayed on the hazard of the bowtie. This will make it much easier to continue your incident analysis in BowTieServer, after having started in BowTieXP.
Additionally, there are now also 2 new reports: ‘Actions on bowties’ and under Incidents ‘Recommendations’.
Most of BowTieServer is now translatable in multiple languages. Thus far the interface has been translated to Dutch and French, but companies can add their own languages and add their own translations to them Terminology can be managed in Server and translated like in BowTieXP. Observation questions can be translated too, so that users get questions asked to them in their own language.
The web viewer has been renewed and feels much smoother now and is more user-friendly with a search function on the left, to make it easier to find the bowties you’re looking for. Additionally, barrier grouping is now also available if saved in the display profiles.
To be able to view changes you have made in bowties over time, it is possible to use a slider at the bottom of the web viewer. Click the small clock icon and slide left to right to move in time. On the left-hand side of the slider a specific date can be entered manually.
It is also possible to select audit or incident information by toggling these options within the filter pop up. Define specific surveys, organization unites and/or dates to see only results that fall into your filter set.
In the observations module you are now able to review a follow up. Additionally, you can create a set of custom questions for the follow up stage to get additional information about an observation. Another improvement is that there is much more flexibility when configuring a workflow.
The HAZID module has been simplified. It is much easier to build bowties now, even for smaller bowties. It only takes 3 short steps to make bowties now:
Additionally, a review button has been added here, see also the next paragraph. A HAZID session is never truly finished as it could require yearly reviews.
Reviews can now be done using the review button under HAZIDs or by going to the review section on a bowtie.
Reports > Hazards > a bowtie
A person can be assigned, who will then get notifications to review those items that were assigned to him.
General usability improvements all around:
In July 2017 we have launched the latest releases of BowTieXP 9.0 and BowTieServer 3.0. These releases have many changes, relating to the following topics:
In the Treeview you have the opportunity to group your incidents by date – e.g. by year, quarter or month.
This feature allows you to make multiple selections on elements in your diagrams to which you would like to make identical changes. Example: set criticality on 15 random barriers at once, or edit the text on 7 occurrences on the same barrier. This handy time-saving feature from the Advanced edition is now to be made available on all editions. Which can come in handy on the case overview functionality as well.
Since BowTieXP v2.2 and BowTieServer v8.2 you have been able to work with CGE’s compliance frameworks feature. For instance, ISO27000, COSO, API or JCI standards could be installed and elements from the standards linked to specific barriers, with a view to tracking and demonstrating compliance. In the release, these frameworks are more easily accessible.
In this release of BowTieServer it is possible to capture observations as an integral part of your verification process – or as a separate means to capture observations, complaints and any other type of occurrence that needs attention ‘first hand’.
Once the observations are registered, this release of BowTieServer allows you to manage and monitor the actions and recommendations that are a result of the registration of incidents, audits, ad-hoc observations, etc.
For many years BowTieXP has offered a standard way of accessing data in the .btf files by means of the API. This release of BowTieServer and BowTieXP allows you to now also access BowTieServer data via other systems, and, with care, even change data stored in BowTieServer. This allows you to integrate valuable functionality and data in BowTieServer with your existing systems.
In the release you can find new functionality that allows you to have your personal ‘landing page’ as you would like to have it.
Ever since the first release of BowTieServer we have offered the possibility to capture and manage your incidents in a ‘scenario-based’ manner. This release offers more flexibility in the manner in which you prefer to record incident data.
If your organization has a preference for a hosted service, CGE can host BowTieServer for you ‘in the cloud’. You can choose the plan that fits your requirements.
This release of BowTieXP focuses mainly on a new Incident Manager and TOP-SET integration. It combines the well known rigor of a TOP-SET investigation with the flexible tools of IncidentXP. There are of course also smaller enhancements like the direct edit on all diagrams and a new Hazard Type field.
If you double click any text field in a diagram shape, you can now edit it directly without opening an editor window. This greatly enhances the speed of editing. We promise you won’t know how you ever lived without it.
IncidentXP now includes an incident manager which guides a user through all the steps of an investigation. This easy to follow process will help a user make sure a thorough investigation process is done. At the end of the incident process, a standardized report can be generated. This report can be based on a company template that adheres to the company standards.
TOP-SET is an incident investigation method which we have integrated into IncidentXP. At the core of the method is a simple Root Cause Analysis tree which you can now use to analyse incidents. Following the TOP-SET method has three main phases: Plan, Investigate and Analyse. In each of these phases, IncidentXP can assist you in the process.
Audit results will now be aggregated on barrier families to make it possible to see audit results for a complete barrier family and then split those results out into the underlying barriers.
Work BowTies now has an operation selection which automatically selects the right BowTies, instead of manually selecting each hazard. A risk matrix is also added to risk assess the Work BowTie analysis and there is a new optimised report for operational use which includes a list format instead of the traditional BowTie view.
New features in BowTieXP version 8.2 are related to:
The audit functionality in BowTieXP/AuditXP and BowTieServer can be used ‘stand alone’, and in combination with a ‘barrier model’ (‘bowties’ describing your core business processes from a barrier based risk management perspective). The audit functionality will be extended so you can use it both for operational audits and external compliance audits. BowTieServer will also incorporate a library of Standards and Regulations that you need to comply to. The Wiki module enables you to incorporate all your controlling documents that you have for compliance purposes. The module assists you in decomposing these documents, and link these to the applicable controls in your business processes.
The software will allow you to include the complete audit trail: (external) Compliance Frameworks, Control Objectives, Maturity Levels, (internal) Controlling Documents and Procedures, Controls/Barriers, Activities, Audits and Recommendations. All these elements “live” in the same barrier model, which is the basis of the software.
Furthermore, you will be able to maximize your audit efforts. The software allows for Risk-Based Audits. This approach will help you to set priorities and to allocate your valuable resources (time, people, money), because the barrier model shows the controls/barriers from a risk perspective. And the software allows you manage your audits in such a way that you can ‘audit your audits’. This allows for a more systematic approach to which you can rely on work that is done by people in the operations. The audit functionality includes audit plans, approval processes and evidence gathering.
The holistic approach allows you to do your compliance and audit activities in an efficient manner.
It also allows you to make a link between the different ‘worlds’ of Compliance, Risk Management, Operations and Audits.
And it allows you to look more to a barrier based approach, by creating bowties to describe your critical processes in a barrier based manner.
In the upcoming release of IncidentXP, the Tripod-Beta incident analysis model will be updated to the latest convention. Furthermore, various usability tweaks have been made that make it easier to construct the diagram. Some new customizable reports have been added with clear graphics which help prepare an incident report. With this update, the Tripod-Beta diagram in IncidentXP is once again fully up-to-date and ready for the future.
A relatively recent addition to the Tripod-Beta method is the inclusion of the Inadequate Barrier. A rare type of failed barrier that is used when a barrier functioned as intended by its design, but was unable to stop the sequence of events. It indicates an issue with the design specifications. Furthermore, it is now also possible to add a full causation path to a missing barrier.
As any Tripod analyst will tell you, creating a Tripod-Beta incident analysis diagram is an iterative process. Sometimes new facts found in the investigation will shed new light on the incident and will require the analyst to rethink the diagram. This means that the diagram needs to be reordered, drawn together or pulled apart. With some new usability tweaks, the user is now more in control over the layout of the diagram. Shapes can be freely distributed in the diagram space and with simply cutting and pasting movements, diagrams can easily be rearranged. Rearranging groups of preconditions and underlying causes can make it easier to see how they are connected.
Full graphical cut-out reports have been added. This report breaks up a Tripod diagram in its individual Trios and discusses the failure modes of each represented barrier. These reports can be customized with company logo’s, title pages, table of contents and custom chaptering like a regular Word document.
Most of the upcoming changes in BowTieXP version 8.0 are related to barriers:
Bowties are great for communicating risk-related information. Sometimes however, bowties can become quite large, making it more difficult to get their message across easily. BowTieXP already has expand levels, collapse buttons and various filters to help you navigate through the diagram and present the bowtie step by step. In BowTieXP v8.0 a new powerful feature will be added to this suite: Barrier Families.
A Barrier Family contains multiple individual barriers. The individual barriers can be collapsed into barrier families and expanded back to the individual barriers. Barrier families can be used to indicate the higher level, more generic plan or procedure that contains the individual barriers. For example:
Barrier families can also be used to indicate a form of barrier type and be able to navigate through the bowtie per barrier type. This example is illustrated with the picture below. Which barrier categorization is most suitable depends on the way you want to present your bowtie. When discussing a line in the bowtie, you might want to start first with all the threat prevention barriers and then all the threat control barriers. Alternatively, you might want to discuss critical barriers first or you might want to differentiate by your own categorization of barriers. Barrier Families provide the user with a tool to navigate visually through the bowtie in a flexible and adjustable manner.
Technical barriers usually consist of systems that are made up of multiple parts. Currently, a new feature set is being developed in BowTieXP to display the system status below barriers as online or offline. The status of the system is determined by the status of its parts and the business rule or criteria for online status. As this feature set is still under development, the following short description provides a snapshot of the status and workflow as of July 2015.
BowTieXP will be expanded in the following ways:
Below screenshots of the Beta version of the software which show that in the Treeview a new data element has been added: Parts. This data element corresponds to the ‘tag’-items of an external maintenance management system. The Parts can be imported directly from your maintenance system.
These Parts can then be linked to Systems. In this way a ‘logical’ hierarchy can be built and maintained, representing a view that corresponds to the functioning of barriers in major process safety hazards. Once the Parts are in the system and linked to Systems, business rules need to be added to define what it means for the system if 1 or more Parts are offline. This online/offline status can then be visualized below the barriers.
In version 8.0 it will be possible to track the effectiveness of barriers per organizational unit. This means that in addition to the overall expected effectiveness value of a barrier, the actual effectiveness can now be adjusted per organizational unit. For example, the barrier ‘Airbag’ in a car can have an expected effectiveness ‘good’, but for the organizational unit ‘Amsterdam’ the actual effectiveness may be classified as ‘poor’ since that organizational unit is behind on the maintenance of the airbag systems in their company cars.
In BowTieXP it is already possible to have document links to external (procedure) documents on the internet, your intranet (e.g. Sharepoint) or your file system. In the upcoming release of BowTieXP we will extend the capabilities of the existing barrier descriptions. The long description field on barriers (and all other long description fields in BowTieXP) will support rich formatting (e.g. making text bold). This allows the user to enrich the description by for instance adding emphasis on parts of the information.
For even more advanced contextual information management, there is a functionality in BowTieServer which allows you to create Wiki pages. These pages can be assigned to bowtie elements and to much more.
For even more advanced contextual information management, there is a functionality in BowTieServer which allows you to create Wiki pages. These pages can be assigned to bowtie elements and to much more.
In 2015 a number of clients have decided to migrate from Thesis to BowTieXP. For this purpose, CGE has decided to improve the Thesis import and to add functionality to BowTieXP to match the expectations of existing Thesis users.
The import functionality for Thesis files has been extended, so that work that has been done in the past with Thesis can be re-used in BowTieXP.
The functionality of the LOPA (Layers of Protection) plug-in has been extended and improved.
Click here to read more about the LOPA plugin.
The major changes in BowTieXP 7.0 are centered around BowTieServer. In the background, the software has had a makeover that makes it ready for the future. But besides that, other features have been added as well. In this article, you will find an overview of the latest additions.
To interact with BowTieServer, the BowTieServer explorer has been introduced. Users browse the contents of the BowTieServer from BowTieXP and download diagrams in read-only mode, or edit mode depending on their BowTieServer permissions. This way, users can view, generate reports, edit and save new diagrams to the Server.
To keep track of all BowTie diagrams, it can be useful to collect them all in one case file (.btf file). That way, the case file becomes a BowTie library for the organization and all diagrams are stored in the same place. Because not all BowTie diagrams stored in this library are relevant to all departments, it is now possible to define organizational units (e.g. departments, sites etc.). The organizational units can then be linked to BowTie Groups that are relevant to them.
It was already possible to create display profiles. These custom display options could be used to quickly show your preferred linked information (e.g. a predefined profile showing you: Effectiveness, Job Title and Activities). When many BowTie files are collected in the same case file, there may also be a need for more display profiles. To maintain the overview, the display profiles can now be linked to specific BowTie Groups. For example, the BowTies for the Upstream BowTie group can have different profiles compared to the Downstream BowTie Group.
In BowTieXP 7.0 some new reports have been added by frequent demand. Amongst others, it is now possible to generate a report containing all diagrams. Also, to improve readability of added information, it is now possible to generate a report which makes cut-outs per Threat / Consequence arm.
When rolling out barrier-based audits in a larger organization, it is likely that different departments will be using different audit questions and surveys. When the collection of questions grow, the need to separate these questions and surveys grows as well. In BowTieXP 7.0, it is now possible to have multiple audit databases in the same case file.
In larger organizations, it can be helpful to compare the audit and incidents statistics of different sites. This allows a company to benchmark within their own company and see where additional effort is required. To make these comparisons easier, an organizational unit filter has been implemented. This allows the user to show the data of a specific Organizational Unit on the Bowtie.
When analyzing complex incidents with the Root Cause Analysis technique, the resulting trees can become very large in size. Instead of keeping the whole causation tree in one diagram, it may be better to split some of the bigger branches to a different diagram. This may improve readability but can also facilitate group work. Each group of investigators can work on their own branch of the incident. A clickable linking icon can be shown on the diagram to move to the linked RCA tree.
