Procedures and Practices - Challenges for Decommissioning Management and Teamwork

The mental and practical approach to a decommissioning project is often not the same at all levels of an organization. Studies indicate that the early establishment of a decommissioning mindset throughout an organization is an important and frequently overlooked process. It is not enough to establish procedures, if practices and mental approaches are overlooked; and for decommissioning projects that are more often than not dominated by one of a kind problem solving, procedure design is challenging, and new requirements are put on communication. Our research considers stakeholder involvement in these processes in the wider sense of the term; however the main stakeholders in focus are regulators and the work force that will perform or lead the tasks related to decommissioning. Issues here treated include: Decommissioning mindset and the manifestation of mindset issues in decommissioning projects, including challenges and prospective solutions; trust building and trust breaking factors in communication and collaboration relevant to transition and decommissioning; new technologies for collaboration and communication and how these may impair or empower participants - experiences from several domains. This paper is based on work done in collaboration with the OECD NEA Halden Reactor Project. (author)