CSI Academy · Self-Paced Course
O-PAS Fundamentals
Foundation knowledge for engineers, managers, and operations leaders new to Open Process Automation. Video-led, self-paced, with a knowledge check at the end of each module.
Curriculum
What you will learn
Why Open Process Automation
The business drivers behind OPA — vendor lock-in, lifecycle cost, interoperability. Why owner-operators are including O-PAS compliance in RFQs today.
- The legacy DCS problem
- Total cost of ownership across 25 years
- The operator's case for open standards
The O-PAS Standard — Structure and Scope
How the standard is organised, what it specifies, and what it deliberately leaves open. Reading an O-PAS conformance profile.
- O-PAS v2.1 parts and their relationships
- Conformance levels and profiles
- What O-PAS does and does not mandate
Reference Architecture
The three-layer OPA architecture — field, control, and information — and how components interact across the standard's defined connectivity framework.
- Distributed Control Node (DCN)
- Advanced Computing Platform (ACP)
- Connectivity Framework and OPC UA
Interoperability and Portability
How O-PAS achieves interoperability between components from different vendors, and what portability means in practice for control applications.
- Interface standards and profiles
- Application portability across DCN vendors
- Multi-supplier integration patterns
Security Architecture
Cybersecurity requirements within O-PAS and how the standard aligns with IEC 62443 for industrial control system security.
- IEC 62443 security levels in OPA context
- Zone and conduit model
- Authentication and access in open systems
Brownfield Migration Fundamentals
How to approach migrating an existing DCS plant to an OPA architecture — assessment, phasing, and risk management.
- Migration readiness assessment
- Phased cutover strategies
- Legacy I/O and field device integration
Building the Business Case
How to quantify the value of OPA for your facility and present it to leadership. Lifecycle cost modelling, TCO comparison, and risk framing.
- TCO model: OPA vs proprietary DCS
- Sensitivity analysis for brownfield sites
- Presenting to CFOs and executive sponsors
Getting Started — Pilot and Procurement
Practical first steps: scoping a pilot, writing O-PAS requirements into an RFQ, and identifying capable suppliers and integrators.
- Pilot scope and success criteria
- O-PAS conformance clauses for procurement
- Evaluating vendor conformance claims
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O-PAS Fundamentals
Format
Self-paced video · knowledge check per module
Duration
6–10 modules · self-paced
Standard
O-PAS™ v2.1
On completion
Certificate of completion · CPD credit eligible
Questions
trevor@csi-automation.com
Looking for certification?
O-PAS Fundamentals is the foundation for the CSI Academy EPC Certification program — three tiers built for I&C engineers and project leads.
View EPC Certification →CSI Academy
All training programs
From fundamentals to practitioner certification — built by the engineers deploying OPA in production.
O-PAS™ is a standard of The Open Group. CSI operates under a commercial license from The Open Group. Views published by CSI do not represent positions of The Open Group or the Open Process Automation Forum.