Programmable Logic Controller Programming - A Proposed Protocol for Procurement and Development, with Special Relevance to Training and Education

An industry survey conducted by the authors has found that Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) Programming in Ireland is very "ad hoc", especially regarding training and documentation standards. Three Experiments conducted by the authors are presented which show the advantages of using well thought out documentation in hardware and software maintenance. Two case studies are presented which illustrate the problems arising from indifferent PLC Programming Design. PLC training is reviewed and results show that documentation and requirements elicitation are not treated with high priority. Recommendations are made regarding program design, documentation and training.