Renewable energy strategies for the food & beverage industry can be quite complex and full of uncertainty. However, once the unique needs and location of a particular manufacturing site are understood then the strategy can become self-evident when the different options are examined in the context of technological maturity and payback. Step 1 – Understand … Read more
The project is signed and it’s big and complicated! You’re not responsible for the total business outcome but the project sponsor has made it clear that you are responsible for Scope, Cost and Time (ie. until she says otherwise!). So what do you do with that? Vaguely you know that you should be thinking about … Read more
You’ve been asked to get a project written up and to the board as soon as possible. No matter which way you look at it though the project concept seems exceptionally complex, the scope is ill defined, the technology seems cutting edge and, to top it all off, you have limited internal resources with either … Read more
Complex projects are both exciting and challenging. On one hand complex projects have no precedent and therefore this will be a time of professional growth for all involved. On the other hand complex projects depend on the creation of new knowledge and effective collaboration between subject specialists. This can present significant risk and requires a … Read more
You have made it through to project start-up and, while it feels like the finish line is in sight, there is still the important matter of making the project pay. The financial success of a project is very sensitive to how quickly it starts to repay the capital outlay. For complex production projects, this means … Read more
Project complexity is increasing, particularly in manufacturing, and using project cost as the only indicator of risk is getting less helpful. How then do we take a broader supply chain view when assessing project risk? The definition of risk is different from one business to the next. Also an aggressively competitive business context can make … Read more
There are 3 mega-trends steering the future of project management. At their core is the ongoing shift towards distributed project management. Projects of the future will be delivered by a group of geographically dispersed indivdual contractors and consultants, specialising in a particular discipline. This more distributed approach will be possible because of the very recent … Read more
Driven by a need to arrest the decline in Return On Assets (ROI), businesses must now attempt more brownfield installations where previously they would have supported greenfield projects. Businesses must also consider the use of low cost materials where previously they would not have accepted the potential risks to their operating platform. Projects with these … Read more