Commissioning connects mechanical completion with safe, repeatable production. It is more than turning equipment on: each milestone should have a responsible owner, measurable acceptance criteria, and evidence of completion.
Seven commissioning stages
- Confirm site readiness: foundations, access, utilities, environmental and safety requirements.
- Verify delivery and installation against approved drawings and equipment specifications.
- Complete electrical, mechanical, controls and safety pre-start inspections.
- Run controlled startup and resolve alarms, interlocks and sequence issues.
- Execute site acceptance testing against documented acceptance criteria.
- Demonstrate process capability, operator training, maintenance readiness and spare-parts coverage.
- Obtain operational handover approval and document remaining risks.
Common handover mistakes
Watch for unclear ownership of open issues, undocumented test exceptions, missing as-built drawings, and performance criteria that differ from the purchase specification. A single launch tracker can make these dependencies visible.
Preparing for supplier acceptance testing? Start with the free FAT checklist delivered by email. To coordinate milestones, action items and readiness gates across the full launch, review ELS Professional.