Shutdowns and turnarounds are typically the single biggest expense a site will have year after. With that being said, one would expect every effort to be made to ensure they go off without a hitch. But that's not always the case. Whether it's a 15-day, $3 million shutdown or a 45-day, $100 million turnaround, the challenges faced when preparing are all too often the same. The following article will examine three "simple" things that, if started early enough and working in conjunction, will greatly reduce the potential impacts that misalignment can have.
John Natarelli, Project Manager, T.A. Cook Consultants Inc.
1.Front-end loading (FEL) phase deliverables: Whether the FEL phase starts as early as 36 months in advance (for a high-complexity event with significant capital work) or as few as 12 months in advance (for a low-complexity event with no capital work), a set of key activities and milestones must be in place to guide preparation. Without clear deliverables, no single person within the organization will have any idea of the true status of event preparation.
To combat this, some organizations have implemented a milestone schedule, which clearly defines not only what is due but also when it is due. While this sounds good, it can still be tricky and leave room for subjectivity. It's one thing to know the what and when, but it's another to understand what the deliverable actually is. What constitutes it being complete? An Excel spreadsheet with a list of activities and due dates is simply not enough. A document that provides additional detail and explicitly defines a completed activity is required.
2.FEL organizational structure: The most important position within the event team is the event manager. Some people may argue that this position is not needed for some smaller shutdowns. I, however, will strongly disagree with those opinions. The event manager is the glue that holds all of the parts together (even though in many cases none of the parts actually report to them). This person has the ultimate responsibility for the event being ready to execute on the agreed upon date. This one person must manage, at a high level, all of the intricacies that go into the event. This involves constant follow-up with several different departments, including Operations, Inspection, Projects, Planning, Scheduling, Procurement, Material Planning, HS&E and QA/QC.
While one person cannot be expected to follow up with every individual who has a hand in event preparation, the event leader must speak with department designees on a regular basis. So, in addition to having an event leader in place, most (but not all, depending on size or scope) events will need at least one accountable person (to ensure deliverables are completed) from each department listed above.
3.Communication: While email is all too often the preferred method of communication, it's not the one that guarantees all team members are on the same page. This only happens when face-to-face conversations occur. Only a few formal meetings are required to make this happen:
a. Event kickoff meeting: One-time meeting that provides the event leader with an opportunity to make sure the team, regardless of size, is aligned on event goals, deliverables, deadlines and accountabilities.
b. Event team meeting: Regularly held meeting, led by the event leader, used to discuss deliverables that are either due, coming due or overdue, as well as associated action plans.
c. Event Steering Committee meeting: Regularly held meeting used to elevate issues and leverage upper management support when needed.
These three meetings alone, when held on time and with rigor within the FEL phase, will be enough to guide the team in the right direction. (Keep in mind that additional risk and scope meetings will also need to be held.) In closing, being good in one of these areas alone will not sufficiently prepare a site for a turnaround. However, when all three are combined, deliverables will be clear, accountabilities will be known, and progress can be accurately reported, ensuring that all stakeholders are aligned and supporting the same goal.
For more information, visit www.tacook.com or call (281) 362-2716.
