Views on Capital Project Management which may not be in text books
Project Engineers are key to capital projects but the role is rarely acknowledged in project management publications
They possess both project and engineering skills which I found were not covered by any one professional body’s professional development information
Professional Planners are essential to any complex project where detailed plans are required but I experienced a wide range of ability
I provided estimates to various organisations associated with End-Users. For example Insurance companies and the Valuation Office
I found most capital projects had two types of fire protection which Designers had to address
One straight forward, one not so straight forward
An EPCM contractor once convinced me to use Lean principles as a core strategy for a capital project
The project started in 2016 when LEAN was the latest management tool being pushed by consultants
In the last few years I found the reporting of Leading KPIs in monthly progress reviews very useful
Finding vendor standard equipment which meets the required duty and is safe for use is usually the ideal scenario for equipment purchasing (both technically and commercially)
I found the most useful checklists in capital projects were those that defined in detail the key stages of project completion when responsibilities are usually passed from one party to another
During my career piping design developed from hand draughting to 2D computer aided design to 3D computer modelling but always seemed to take longer than planned
Vendors and Construction contractors (usually subcontractors managed by the EPCM contractor) that build and then deliver the asset are key to capital projects
It is vital that Clients create relationships with these subcontractors to ensure the build quality and ensure willingness to provide assistance with emerging issues during commissioning and operation