In the energy industry, there is talk of "lessons learned" everywhere you turn. However, the true measure of a lesson learned is changed behavior -- doing things differently so the same mistakes will not be made again.
Instead of "reinventing the wheel" at every turn, industrial sites should theoretically be able to use plug-and-play components that only need to be dusted off and tweaked for a particular turnaround. In other words, there should be an easier process for turnaround planning and implementation, if all the lessons claimed to be learned have actually been absorbed.
But in turnaround preparation, there are a multitude of variables that can impede the integration of lessons learned. For example, Theunis Myburg, portfolio manager for maintenance, reliability and turnarounds for LyondellBasell, observed that companies all have different IT tools and different processes.
"Insist from your IT organization that they provide you with some sort of plan document that shows what IT tools are going to be used on your turnaround, how well-prepared the turnaround is to execute against those tools, and what support processes they have in place for you during execution," Myburg said on a panel focusing on how to create consistency to better predict costs and schedule at the Downstream 2019 Exhibition & Conference held recently in Houston. "What are the things you have, and how well prepared are you? Can you fix it if it breaks, and how quickly?"
Jeff Spigener, turnaround manager for INEOS, added, "You've got to get all levels of the organization involved in this, from every group. Procurement, project controls, inspection -- all of these groups have to have some input and be part of your organization. If you leave one of them out, it can be catastrophic."
"You've got to get everybody pulling in the right direction, from CEO on down, for these types of events," Spigener said . "What you're reporting and what you're asking for has to be tailored to which group it is. I can't emphasize how important that is."
Putting project controls first
Before the turnaround is underway, however, it is first essential to "plan the plan," which must fit within a specific timeline and lay out all the activities that need to be done, from the planning event through orchestration, execution and closeout.
Associated with that plan are project controls, and according to Robin Harris, global turnaround estimating and cost control lead for Phillips 66, one of the first places where project controls become a vulnerability is the misunderstanding that they should be implemented after the initial plan.
"Project controls start at the inception of the event," she said. "We're part of scoping and building the plan of estimating."
Further, Harris said, project controls should not be used to report.
"Anybody at the end of the day can read a schedule curve and tell you if you've been running ahead," she said. "Project controls should be used to steer the ships so you start steering the ship as soon as you take off. You need that guidance, change management and functionality all the way through the lifecycle of the turnaround."
It's hard to "steer a ship back on course" during an event, Harris noted.
"You kind of have to watch it happen after that, right?" she said. "All you can do is report where you are. I would definitely recommend making sure you get project controls involved at the beginning of the lifecycle of the turnaround."