Tailings Conformance

Sample Past Project: GISTM Implementation

Large Copper Producer

  • Client's Challenge

    Following the launch of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) in 2020, a major copper-producing mining company swiftly implemented foundational elements such as appointing Responsible Tailings Facility Engineers (RTFEs) and assigning Accountable Executives. With nearly 70 Tailings Storage Facilities (TSFs) slated for assessment, the challenge lay in fostering a unified understanding of the standard's goals, ensuring a consistent interpretation, and devising a scalable approach facilitated by innovative ways of working. Recognizing the need for a dedicated resource, the client sought external support to align the core team, coordinate internal stakeholders, bridge the gap between corporate guidance and on-site implementation, facilitate program communications, and drive the development of conformance evidence.  

  • Our Contribution

    De-risked the implementation:

    By developing site-specific GISTM implementation plans aligned to critical path activities, with clear deadlines and ownership of tasks. 


    Promoted visibility and accountability:

    By implementing project management controls and actively tracking and following up on action-items.


    Facilitated alignment and coordination:

    Across multi-disciplinary teams and external consultants, including 3rd Party validator team by defining business processes for evidence creation, reviews, and completion of self-assessments.


    Positioned client strongly for the future:

    By establishing a repeatable approach for conformance activities through August 5, 2025. For example, developed a dynamic and complete evidence tracker that organizes the list of 100+ evidence to promote site teams’ clarity and sets expectations for all 77 GISTM Requirements.

  • The Outcomes

    Achieved independent auditor verification of full conformance for 9 TSFs across 2 mine sites.


    Created capacity for client personnel to focus on their core responsibilities through dedicated GISTM resourcing.


    Supported planning and execution of 15+ external engagements with project affected people, emergency agencies, and 3rd party auditors.


    Developed 2-year GISTM implementation roadmap for remaining 20 sites targeting conformance or safe closure of TSFs by August 5, 2025.

DotConnect's P3S™ Methodology

Our methodology seeks to answer key questions to drive your organization's readiness* for third-party verification of GISTM Conformance.

*This methodology seeks to enable readiness along three dimensions: Business Readiness (readiness of governance and operating/interaction models), Systems Readiness (readiness of tools, evidence, and data), and People Readiness (readiness of RTFEs, EoRs, Environmental & Social Managers, HR, Legal, etc.)

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Key Question: What do we need for conformance?

Get started with a solid plan! In this step, the goal is to identify the core team with cross-functional expertise, the evidence needed for each requirement, the critical path, and develop the baseline approach and tools.

Key Question: How will we stay organized?

We're ready to get going on the conformance journey! At this point, the goal is to develop and begin implementing the mechanisms that will keep us organized until the end of the journey. Among other things, the staging work entails developing and compiling evidence/document hierarchies and conformance narratives for each evidence being considered, and establishing program management controls to track progress of conformance efforts (e.g., trackers, cadence of meetings across cross-functional teams, etc.).

Key Question: How will we connect our evidence to the Standard?

This is what we've been waiting to do - conduct the self-assessment. At this point, we will score each requirement, making sure that the latest versions of documents are being used as evidence, and articulating their relevance for individual requirements. 

Key Question: How might we capture internal alignment and feedback?

We're done with the self-assessment! Now the effort turns to crafting the cross-functional 'conformance story' in collaboration with the core team, reviewing the contents of the self-assessment with key internal stakeholders, and formalizing sign offs wherever required by the Standard.

Key Question: How do we elevate the auditor experience?

You've done it all! Now work on making sure that all the good work is accessible to the third-party validator/verifier. This means enabling a seamless mechanism to transfer files/evidence, and driving understanding and accessibility of internal processes and tools.

We can help coordinate the efforts of your cross-functional teams that need to work across traditional boundaries of disciplines ...

FACT #1

Most GISTM requirements demand technical expertise

Many GISTM requirements demand conformance evidence in the form of technical documentation (e.g., risk assessments, geotechnical studies, monitoring reports, OMS manuals, Design Basis Reports etc.), developed solely by the Tailings organization within mining companies (or developed in collaboration with the Engineer of Record and/or technical consultants)

FACT #2 

~38% of GISTM requirements demand 'Tailings +'

A number of GISTM requirements demand conformance evidence that demonstrate how the mining company incorporates other disciplines and expertise (beyond technical/engineering)  into Tailings Management (e.g., the Knowledge Base should capture information about each facility, whilst also capturing information about the local social, environmental, and economic context)

FACT #3

~50% of requirements demand multidisciplinary evidence

Conformance evidence for a number of requirements are sourced from other corporate and site entities outside Tailings, such as Finance, Legal, Human Resources, Social Performance, Health & Safety (example documentation: Financial Capacity for Asset Retirement, Whistleblower Protection, etc.)

Accelerators & Resources

DotConnect Conformance Platform (DCP)

The DotConnect Conformance Platform (DCP) digitizes the P3S™ Methodology and helps mining companies reduce their reliance on inefficient shared spreadsheets, disjointed file-sharing solutions, and static PowerPoint presentations. 

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GISTM Implementation Maturity Matrix (GIMA)

Use DotConnect's GIMA Matrix to evaluate your company's maturity with respect to GISTM conformance demonstration.

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Overview of the Tailings Standard

Learn more about the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) through a brief overview.

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