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Project management can be described as the application of the following tool kit:
1. a definition of the scope of the project,
2. an agreement among the participants regarding the distribution of risk and responsibilities,
3. an attempt to predict the cost and other resource requirements, and
4. a timeline or sequential road map indicating how the project will be accomplished.
When applied to construction within an operating plant, these basic requirements are very different from what would be found in a more normal greenfield project. Therefore, in order for construction within an operating plant to be successful, the project must be executed in a completely different context from the normal. The following guidelines will help those who are about to undertake a project within an operating environment to understand these differences and create a team structure and execution plan with the highest probability of success.
The essence of the difference is most apparent in the construction process. Construction within an operating plant has these unique limitations:
moving site boundaries,
limited laydown or fabrication areas,
restricted or inconsistent working periods,
extraordinary communication requirements and safety issues,
unusual design requirements, and
innovative construction techniques.
Preferred Sequence to Design and Build Within an Operating Plant
The following guidelines are presented as a sequential checklist that is important to the success of the project. As will become apparent, this type of project is schedule driven, not scope driven, and the initial emphasis on scope definition has to be preceded by an early understanding of the working relationships and the schedule window opportunities.
Statement of Desired Outcome
This rather simplistic idea has a deeper, more profound importance to the working relationship between the ongoing operations of a plant and the intruding construction workforce. Contract clauses such as "minimal disruption to operating facility" can be a real pitfall unless the context of this agreement is developed fully with the involved parties. In most cases, the cost of any lost plant production greatly exceeds potential inconveniences to the contractor and their associated costs. Is it anticipated that the construction forces should be totally transparent to the ongoing operations, or is this a shared relationship of inconveniences with incentives to achieve a common goal? Maybe the construction effort will be totally...