A Project Management-Based Approach to Commissioning

1. A Project Management-Based Approach to Commissioning

2. Commissioning or startup of an industrial facility is more than just detailed testing of every piece of equipment. • The commissioning program needs a project management-based approach to plan and implement all phases of commissioning in a proper manner. • Commissioning is surely an important stage in the lifecycle of any project. • However, when you evaluate the regular project literature, you don’t cover commissioning in detail. • This can be one reason why commissioning is usually considered as an afterthought on most of the projects, i.e., the building commissioning firm is involved towards the end of the project in order to ensure that the equipment function properly. But such an approach may fail to deliver the project on time and/or within budget. • Commissioning needs to be included in every phase of the project, following a project management-based approach, to make sure that every step of detailed equipment testing is successful.

3. 1 Schedule Management

4. The schedule of the project is the most powerful tool for the commissioning team that describes priorities and the effects of delays on the rest of the team. • The in-service date is the most crucial milestone in relation to the any project and the commissioning team is responsible to meet this date when the project ends. • This can be achieved only if all other teams, preceding commissioning, deliver their part of the project when required to facilitate the commissioning sequence. • Any delay in the design phase may impact the construction as well as commissioning. Mechanical completions and installation that aren’t in order or delayed may effect system commissioning negatively. • A substantial number of small deliverables and details are required at the appropriate time to ensure that all elements of the project are readily available when required to make the new facilities functional. • The commissioning schedule must to be developed (possibly using an advanced commissioning management system) early on in the project so as to communicate priorities to the project team. • During the commissioning phase, it is crucial for the commissioning management company to review the project schedule while providing periodic updates to all the key stakeholders.

5. 2Cost Management

6. The commissioning cost is not a major fraction of the entire project’s budget. Typically, commissioning costs are below 5% of the total project’s budget, ranging between 2% and 3%. • Having said that, the cost of any delays during the commissioning phase can be substantial. For this reason, the commissioning phase must be planned to perfection. • Commissioning costs includes the following: • Labour Costs: The costs of hiring workers for the commissioning phase. The size of this team is way smaller in comparison to the size of the construction workforce. The costs involved also is just a small chunk of the entire project’s budget. • Equipment Costs: The costs of deploying specialised equipment for testing. Some pieces of test equipment may have high procurement costs with a long lead time. However, these costs don’t make a significant portion of the whole project’s budget. • Material Costs: Includes incidental costs or the costs for first-fills to start equipment the very first time. This, again, is not a substantial fraction of the entire project’s budget. • As mentioned earlier, the cost of delays during the commissioning phase can be massive. All activities prior to commissioning as well as tests that are performed during commissioning needs to be considered during planning and implementation. • If the commissioning phase has been poorly planned and implemented, your project-specific costs may easily spiral out of control.

7. 3Stakeholder & Communication Management

8. Project scrutiny is most extensive in the commissioning phase. All stakeholders would be seeing that the end of the project is nearing and they might be hopeful about having the new facilities in service at the earliest. • While construction or design activities may have been allowed to miss the schedule, no stakeholders would ever tolerate any slip in the in-service schedule. • During commissioning, communication management is important to handle the expectations of all stakeholder and also to make sure that they are getting the necessary information on the activities that are being performed during commissioning. • Commissioning activities may get better if all stakeholders understand what they should expect during the commissioning phase, what the possible risks are, how risks are going to be mitigated, and what contingency plans will be implemented to ensure the progress of commissioning in a smooth manner. • Periodic updates will ensure that stakeholders are aware of how testing is in progress. • Quick updates on failed tests incidents will give stakeholders peace of mind that all problems are disclosed on time and open for discussion.

9. 4Risk Management

10. When planning and implementing project commissioning, risk management is an important facet to keep in mind. • It is not just about creating a risk register and then, reviewing it on a monthly basis. Risk management should ideally be part of your day-to-day work schedules and decisions. • All project-specific decisions should balance schedule, scope and budget, to ensure that the risk remains low at all times. • A risk register is usually prepared during the design phase of the project. The risk register consists of all the risks known that can be discovered as the project progresses. • It is reviewed on a monthly basis along with the addition of new risks, assessment of current risks to determine their severity and impact, and addressal of those risks that are transforming into problems. • The commissioning management services company must be involved in the initial stages of the project to identify and analyse potential risks to commissioning while assisting the project team in creating risk mitigation plans for the success of commissioning.

11. 5Scope Management

12. The scope of any given project is defined at the start of the project. • There will be ongoing modifications to the scope of work with the identification of new challenges. • Any changes to schedule, budget or scope must follow the contractual change management process. • However, project commissioning is not the right time to execute changes to the work. • Nevertheless, there may be a few changes that are needed to fix problems. • But, scope creep is a commissioning-specific risk that needs to be monitored closely to ensure no delay to the work.

13. 6Quality Management

14. Commissioning can be referred to as a specialised quality assurance process for third-party inspection of installation and design. • The commissioning phase verifies that the technical requirements as well as quality of the contract are fulfilled before handover to the project owner – and the role of the commissioning team is crucial in all the project quality processes. • Interstingly, the construction-specific QA/QC process is quite different from commissioning. • In fact, both quality processes need to remain separate and be handled by different teams. • Construction quality is a critical factor that determines the commissioning success. • Without the implementation of a solid quality management system (QMS) by the construction team, any risks due to inappropriately installed equipment are postponed to commissioning. • When problems are discovered, each will consume time to be fixed, which may cause delays to the in-service date.

15. 7Resource Management

16. Prior to the commissioning phase, the commissioning manager find out the workforce requirements so as to implement every phase of commissioning. • This is done during the initial stages of the project to involve staffing-related estimations in the budget of the project. • It is to be noted that specialised skill sets may be required to perform several roles within the team of the commissioning services and management company involved in the project. • Hands-on commissioning experience is a superb opportunity to learn. • Senior members of the commissioning team may guide their juniors through the various phases of commissioning, gradually allowing them to become the experienced members of the team.

17. 8Procurement Management

18. Procurement of the required test equipment in the commissioning phase is quite straightforward. • The test equipment is identified beforehand and bought with ample lead time to make sure that it reaches the site when required. • Procurement of the major plant equipment is even more important, and UK-based commissioning management company involved in the project commissioning team can assist with this. • During the project’s procurement phase, site test requirements need to be outlined within every procurement contract. • Procurement contracts describe the technical requirements for every piece of equipment and also outline the testing to be done at the facility before the equipment reaches there.

19. 9Integration Management

20. Integration management is an important facet of every project, particularly because it is related to commissioning. • Sadly, the project management documents do not cover this important topic at length. • It is basically about setting up the project, which includes project plan, project charters, project schedule, and so on. • A seasoned project manager understands that the project initiation process to create schedule, budget and scope are just the initial steps. • But, these are as important as the implementation of the plan in order to keep the project within the budget, schedule, and scope.

21. Final Words

22. The scope of commissioning extends beyond performing equipment tests at the end of the project. • For the commissioning phase to be successful, you require a solid project management approach to commissioning that addresses all the topics discussed above. • With appropriate planning and mindset to eliminate potential risk early on in the project, you can successfully complete commissioning on time and within budget. • Never aim to leave commissioning for the end of the project and make sure to have an integrated approach to commissioning across all stages of your project.

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