SRP Decision Support Framework and Metrics (1B1)

Project Status: Complete
Project Participants: Curtin University of Technology, University of Queensland
Project Leader: David Brereton (University of Queensland)

The project was about formatting and “operationalising” a decision support framework accompanied by a suite of relevant tools (models and metrics, information management and assessment tools, integration and multi-criteria trade-off tools ) pertaining to sustainable resource processing for CSRP members. This required significant review of current practices in industry, research innovation on an international level, and SRP challenges at minerals processing sites.

The decision support framework and tools were trialled in industry case studies, covering a range of decision contexts, and in these cases it was necessary to:

• develop models that were representative of the physical, infrastructural and environmental sub-systems;
• explore how these models inform the values and perspectives of those involved in the decision making process; and
• to integrate this knowledge within the decision support framework at an appropriate level of information detail and complexity.

Businesses recognise financial, technical/plant and skills/capacity sustainability as well, and models of these were required also for the various case studies.

The research objectives were to:

• Provide a detailed analysis of existing decision support frameworks, processes and tools within the industry to support SRP; this includes "staged-gate" processes, scenario planning and sensitivity analyses, risk management tools, project assessment tools, environmental and sustainability reporting, and existing economic modelling approaches.
• Review research on decision support tools for sustainable development beyond those currently employed within the industry, identify suitable tools, and map these onto existing practices within the industry, through interpretation of vision-shaping thinking in Module P1A.
• Develop the necessary quantifiable metrics for decision support for SRP, considering different decision contexts – from strategic to operational, generic and site specific. These metrics should be both meaningful and appropriate.
• Facilitate the implementation of an SRP decision support framework for the sector, based on possible and desired futures, and recognising the work of ICMM, MCA etc. This framework, itself a structured set of decision support tools with appropriate metrics, will be used to facilitate the development of business practice guidelines for strategic planning, technology design and selection, and production operations.
• Detail this framework through selected case studies in years 2 and 3 of the project. To facilitate technology transfer of the framework and associated tools to CSRP members.