The AB/BDI Group has launch during the past years several actions (Rendez-Vous, Meetings, Working Groups...) to insure that its objectives and deliverables correspond to the needs and constraints of the PS, SPS, and future CNGS and LHC Beam Instrumentation or, to follow LHC Quality Assurance definition that "our instrumentation is built according to its design goal, on time and within budget and that it can be operated, maintained and improved to the entire satisfaction of the users community, in a cost effective manner" [QA Policy].

These actions can be classified into the following areas:

The BDI Mandate

Due to the diversity (more than 30 different instruments) and the rapid and constant evolution of beam instrumentation, the BI Group is responsible for the 'whole' instrument (cf. BDI Mandate). BI range of activities spans from accelerator physics (machine optics, particle tracking, polarization, beam physics) over detector technology (gas chambers, electromagnetic pickups, silicon detectors, optical detectors) to electrical, mechanical and software engineering.

This wide spectrum allows us to operate, maintain and improve efficiently our numerous instruments.

The BDI Internal Organization.

The BDI Group is divided in Sections corresponding to the different kind of instrumentation proposed plus one in charge of all the software necessary to develop and operate these instruments.

In addition, 2 working groups have been set up.

• The Specification Board:

This team consists of a AB/AP representative, a AB/OP representative and 3 BDI members. They are in charge of the identification and publication of the needs and constraints of the LHC machine in the domain of Beam Instrumentation.

• The Technical Board [SLI -- LHC]:

This team consists of the AB/BDI Group Leader, the AB/BDI Section Leaders, the AB/BDI Project Leaders and the AB/BDI linkmen. They have to insure that the LHC Beam Instrumentation is built according to the specifications given by the 'Specification Board'', on time and in a cost effective manner.

Finally, small teams are created for each LHC Projects. Each project leader is de facto a member of the Technical Board and has to regularly report planning, budget and progress of the project in front of it.

The Communication with our Users (AB/AP, AB/EA, AB/OP...).

To give an overview of its activity, AB/BDI also publish twice a year a newsletter presenting the last results and the current developments of the Group.

To present more in details our instrumentation and future developments, AB/BDI organize once a year a forum gathering AB/AP, AB/BDI, AB/EA and AB/OP: the BDI Day

Finally, BI requests for each major instrument in development a dedicated linkman in AB/OP, AB/AP and/or AB/EA who feels responsible of the satisfaction of his/her own community with regards to this instrument. In addition, a representative of each community is regularly invited to report globally on our instrumentation during our Section Leader Meetings.

Communication with our Providers (AB/CO, EST, IT...).

The AB/BDI Software Section is in charge of the software tools necessary to develop, control and operate the instruments. It relies on services (software and hardware development environment, third party software, middleware, timing...) provided by other CERN entities but tries whenever possible to keep AB/CO as single speaker and to be actively involved in their major related projects (the LHC Controls Project, the Future Front End Working Group, the SPS2001 Project, the Middleware Project, the CESAR project....).

The AB/BDI policy in this domain is clear and explained bellow:

1. Use the standard solutions provided by AB/CO whenever possible.

2. When no standard solution is available, check with AB/CO if one could be provided on time.

3. If no standard solution can be provided within the timescale, develop one.

The Participation in the Committees and Working Groups related to its domain of activity.

AB/BDI participates in the Committees and Working Groups related to its domain of activity. The list of these Committees and related linkmen can be found here.

The Participation in the LHC Quality Assurance Plan.

AB/BDI has a Quality Assurance Representative for the LHC Project.

The BDI QAR is de facto a member of the BDI Specification and Technical Teams. This gives him the possibility to be regularly informed of the different developments and to insure that the relevant Quality Assurance directives are correctly implemented in the Group.