Used Vizop in a Four-Week HAZOP and LOPA Workshop – PTT Thailand (Case Study)

Peter Clarke | 29 July 2026

A HAZOP software application can look impressive in a product demonstration. But the real test comes when it is used for weeks in a live workshop, under the pressure of hundreds or thousands of inputs from engineers, scribes, and facilitators.

For a HAZOP and LOPA application to be genuinely useful, it needs to deliver consistently:

• Fast response — even when thousands of inputs are being entered and edited.
• Stability and resilience — workshops cannot afford software that regularly crashes or loses data.
• Easy navigation and search — users need to find existing scenarios, devices, SIFs, and recommendations quickly.
• Reliable access — particularly for an online application where the entire workshop depends on connectivity.
• Efficient data management — from node lists and SIFs to HAZOP worksheets, LOPA studies, and action items.
• Easy data import — existing project information should not have to be recreated manually.
• Report-ready output — reports should be generated quickly and in a format that requires minimal further work.

So, how does Vizop, xSeriCon’s HAZOP and LOPA application, perform in a real-world workshop?

Recently, xSeriCon’s Vizop HAZOP and LOPA application was put to that test during a four-week workshop for PTT Thailand, one of Thailand’s leading energy companies.

Vizop Gets a Four-Week Workout at PTT Thailand

Vizop was used throughout a four-week HAZOP and LOPA workshop for a gas processing plant in Thailand.

The project involved a revalidation HAZOP for a 20-year-old plant, meaning the team already had an existing HAZOP study to work from.

Rather than manually recreating the study, we first transferred the existing HAZOP worksheet into Excel. From there, the complete worksheet—including existing recommendations—was imported into Vizop in just a few clicks.

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The result was a smooth transition from the previous study into the new project.

The client also required a new LOPA study covering more than 100 Safety Instrumented Functions (SIFs). The previous LOPA study had been conducted using Risk Graph, so once again, being able to import existing information was important.

Vizop’s import functionality allowed us to bring across much of the existing SIF information, including:

• Sensors
• Final elements
• Initiating events
• Consequences of failure
• Independent Protection Layers (IPLs)

This significantly reduced the amount of information that needed to be entered manually.

Minimal Training. Maximum Productivity.

One of the objectives behind Vizop’s design is simple:

A new user should be able to start working with it almost immediately.

For this workshop, the HAZOP chairman was provided by xSeriCon, but the workshop scribe came from ERM Thailand and had never used Vizop before.

To put the software’s usability to the test, we provided just a 30-minute online introduction to the basic functions before the workshop began.

Within minutes of starting, the scribe was comfortably navigating through the application, entering data and using Vizop’s productivity features.

For a software application used in intensive HAZOP workshops, this matters. Time spent training scribes is time that cannot be spent on the study itself.

The Feature That Made the Biggest Difference

Vizop includes a number of features designed to make HAZOP studies faster and easier.

For example, users can click on a device tag in the worksheet and jump directly to that device on the P&ID.

But during this particular workshop, one feature stood out above the rest:

Automatic LOPA Population

Vizop can create or update a SIF directly from a HAZOP safeguard.

Instead of manually switching between HAZOP and LOPA worksheets and copying information from one to the other, Vizop automatically transfers the available information, including:

• Cause
• Consequence
• SIF sensor
• Final element
• IPLs
• Related HAZOP information

For a project involving more than 100 SIFs, this became a significant time saver.

The LOPA worksheet also provides a direct link back to the relevant HAZOP scenario, making it much easier to move between the two studies.

This is exactly the kind of functionality we want Vizop to provide: less administrative work and more time for engineering judgement.

What Didn’t Work Perfectly?

Real-world testing also means being honest about what needs improvement.

The workshop identified several areas where Vizop could be better.

For example, the team wanted more filtering options in areas such as the SIF and recommendations lists.

There were also some stability issues during the workshop. We traced these back primarily to server configuration rather than the application itself.

Fortunately, Vizop’s automatic saving meant that virtually no study data was lost when the server experienced problems.

And because Vizop is an online application, we were able to address several of these issues during the project rather than waiting for the workshop to finish.

The Advantage of an Online Application

One of the biggest advantages of Vizop’s architecture became particularly obvious during this four-week project.

Because Vizop runs in a web browser, improvements and fixes can be deployed directly to the application.

During the workshop, several minor bugs were identified and fixed, while new features were also developed and deployed as the team’s requirements became clearer.

In some cases, changes could be implemented overnight—or even during the lunch break.

Users don’t need to wait for a new software release, download an installer, or ask their IT department to approve and deploy an update.

This creates a very different development cycle from traditional desktop engineering software.

Real-world feedback can become real-world improvements almost immediately.

We also aim to maintain backwards compatibility wherever possible, so that software updates do not prevent users from accessing their existing projects.

What We Learned

Four weeks of intensive use gave us a much clearer picture of where Vizop is already performing well—and where we still have work to do.

The experience reinforced several priorities for our development team:

1. Improve server reliability

The online server was stable for approximately 99% of the project.

That sounds good.

For a live HAZOP workshop, however, 99% still isn’t good enough.

We are working on improving the server architecture, removing unnecessary layers of complexity and increasing overall uptime.

2. Improve navigation

Vizop’s “navigate back” function is useful because it allows users to return to their previous location in a worksheet.

However, we found situations where it did not always return users to exactly the place they expected.

Our development team is working on making this functionality smarter and more reliable.

3. Preserve imported numbering

When importing existing data, Vizop currently applies new numbering to imported items such as recommendations.

For a new study, this is generally fine.

For a revalidation HAZOP, however, retaining the original recommendation numbers can be extremely valuable because it makes it easier to track existing recommendations throughout the study.

This capability has been part of our development roadmap since the beginning, and work is now underway.

Real Workshops Make Better Software

Perhaps the biggest lesson from this four-week project is that software development doesn’t stop when the application is released.

The best improvements come from watching engineers actually use the software in real projects.

This workshop allowed us to identify small frustrations, test existing features under sustained workload, fix issues quickly, and develop improvements based on genuine user requirements.

That’s exactly how we want to develop Vizop.

Our goal is captured in the xSeriCon slogan:

Make it easier to do things right.

And every real-world workshop helps us move closer to that goal.

Ready to Try Vizop?

Want to see how Vizop can support your next HAZOP, CHAZOP or LOPA study?

Try Vizop yourself with a free trial.

⁠Start your Vizop trial → trial.vizop.app

Learn more about Vizop: xsericon.com/vizop

We’d love to hear what you think—and, just as importantly, what you think we should improve next.