Think back, why was it that when H.B. Ray was Nuclear VP, things ran well, what has changed??
THAT is the greatest question. Really.
Consensus from the new leadership, INPO, and consultants is that the plant didn't change at all. Kept doing things just like when SALP 1 for years in the 1990s. No decline, just kept doing what worked.
What changed was the status quo. The bar changed. What used to be handled with a find/fix now gets a CR, prompt investigation, review board, effectiveness review, and OE writeup. SONGS kept doing the find/fix, and is now in the ditch.
Consider RP for a minute. In the 1990s it was SALP 1 / INPO 1 behavior to put it back if you found a magenta tool outside the RCA. Now it is a mid-level human performance error demanding investigation, corrective action, trending, prompt mgt action, etc. No activity on the tool. Would you really call a plant that just put it back today "broke?"
Yes.