Building Options at Project Front-End Strategizing


Book Description

How do project teams overcome differences to adopt a design plan that strikes a balance between short-term affordability and long-term adaptability? In the book, Building Options at Project Front-End Strategizing: The Power of Capital Design for Evolvability, Guilherme Biesek and Nuno Gil cite research indicating the need for a formal framework to develop front-end strategies that ensure cost-effective management of the project through future change. Biesek and Gil found limitations in the current practices and theory for management of capital projects, and turned to real options reasoning and design literature. Project teams often resort to real options reasoning, because investment in design flexibility is similar to buying options. If future changes are minimal or favorable the options can be exercised to adapt the design economically. In the event the future is not favorable to the project, a limited investment has been lost.




Proceedings of Government/Industry Forum


Book Description

Recurrent problems with project performance in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in the 1990s raised questions in Congress about the practices and processes used by the department to manage projects. The 105th Committee of Conference on Energy and Water Resources directed DOE to investigate establishing a project review process. Many of the findings and recommendations in this series of reports identified the need for improved planning in the early project stages (front-end planning) to get the project off to the right start, and the continuous monitoring of projects by senior management to make sure the project stays on course. These reports also stressed the need for DOE to act as an owner, not a contractor, and to train its personnel to function not as traditional project managers but as knowledgeable owner's representatives in dealing with projects and contractors. The NRC Committee for Oversight and Assessment of Department of Energy Project Management determined that it would be helpful for DOE to sponsor a forum in which representatives from DOE and from leading corporations with large, successful construction programs would discuss how the owner's role is conducted in government and in industry. In so doing, the committee does not claim that all industrial firms are better at project management than the DOE. Far from it-the case studies represented at this forum were selected specifically because these firms were perceived by the committee to be exemplars of the very best practices in project management. Nor is it implied that reaching this level is easy; the industry speakers themselves show that excellence in project management is difficult to achieve and perhaps even more difficult to maintain. Nevertheless, they have been successful in doing so, through constant attention by senior management.




Offshore Process Safety


Book Description

Methods in Chemical Process Safety, Volume Two, the latest release in a serial that publishes fully commissioned methods papers across the field of process safety, risk assessment, and management and loss prevention, aims to provide informative, visual and current content that appeals to both researchers and practitioners in process safety. This new release contains unique chapters on offshore safety, offshore platform safety, human factors in offshore operation, marine safety, safety during well drilling and operation, safety during processing (top side), safety during transportation of natural resources (offshore pipeline), and regulatory context - Helps acquaint the reader/researcher with the fundamentals of process safety - Provides the most recent advancements and contributions on the topic from a practical point-of-view - Presents users with the views/opinions of experts in each topic - Includes a selection of the author(s) of each chapter from among the leading researchers and/or practitioners for each given topic







Practice Standard for Project Configuration Management


Book Description

Most projects present teams with challenges relating to time, cost and scope. Careful management of these project elements allows projects to be completed successfully. In order to guide a project's direction, project managers utilize the process of configuration management. Project configuration management is the collective body of processes, activities, tools, and methods used to manage certain items during the project lifecycle. Configuration management is implemented to actively guide the direction of the project and support communication that will facilitate successful completion. Due to the increasing complexity of projects and greater competition among companies, the knowledge of configuration management techniques is more important than ever.




Effective Front-End Strategies to Reduce Waste on Construction Projects


Book Description

This volume outlines a progressively staged process focused on fostering a more effective, more efficient, and greener global construction industry. The research-based book commences with an evaluation of eight methodologies identified after a worldwide literature and compliance review. It is followed by a more detailed report on four of these options, with the ultimate objective of independent selection within the construction engineering community of a single most appropriate methodology as the approach for further, more-detailed investigation. The eight methodologies were selected against six key performance indicators developed as assessment criteria and include knowledge management, lean construction, construction contract procurement practices, optimal work duration on site, construction site waste, rationalization of construction safety regulations, sustainable construction labor force, and portfolio project development. A primary outcome of the selected methodology being a triple bottom-line benefit to key stakeholders, commercially and also to the ecology, along with the community at large. Front-end construction waste strategies to serve as best practices to minimize waste generated by construction projects was the methodology selected for detailed research. The text also covers the primary sources of construction waste. The book is ideal for civil and construction engineers as well as project developers; managers and public sector waste management specialists.




Sustainable Urban and Regional Infrastructure Development: Technologies, Applications and Management


Book Description

"This book aims to bridge the gap in the current literature by addressing the overall problems present in major infrastructure in society, and the technologies that may be applied to overcome these problems"--Provided by publisher.




Improving Project Management in the Department of Energy


Book Description

The U.S. Department of Energy has been at the center of many of the greatest achievements in science and engineering in this century. DOE spends billions of dollars funding projects-and plans to keep on spending at this rate. But, documentation shows that DOE's construction and environmental remediation projects take much longer and cost 50% more than comparable projects undertaken by other federal agencies, calling into question DOE's procedures and project management. What are the root causes for these problems?




Capital Projects


Book Description

A real-world framework for driving capital project success Capital Projects provides an empirically-based framework for capital project strategy and implementation, based on the histories of over 20,000 capital projects ranging from $50,000 to $40 billion. Derived from the detailed, carefully normalized database at preeminent project consultancy IPA, this solid framework is applicable to all types of capital investment projects large and small, in any sector, including technology, life sciences, petroleum, consumer products, and more. Although grounded in empirical research and rigorous data analysis, this book is not an academic discussion or a conceptual dissertation; it's a practical, actionable, on-the-ground guide to making your project succeed. Clear discussion tackles the challenges that cause capital projects to fail or underperform, and lays out exactly what it takes to successfully manage a project using real-world methods that apply at any level. Businesses report that 60 percent of their projects fail to meet all business objectives, and IPA's database shows that projects' final average net present value undershoots initial estimates by 28 percent. This book provides concrete, actionable solutions to help you avoid the pitfalls and lead the way toward a more positive outcome. Avoid the missteps that make capital projects fail Learn the specific practices that drive project success Understand what effective capital project management entails Discover real-world best practices that generate more value from capital When capital projects fail, it is almost always preventable. Inefficiency, underestimated timelines, and unforeseen costs are the primary weights that drag a project down—and they are all avoidable with good management. Capital Projects gives you the insight and practical tools you need to drive a successful project.




Building Smart, Resilient and Sustainable Infrastructure in Developing Countries


Book Description

Building Smart, Resilient and Sustainable Infrastructure in Developing Countries contains the papers presented at the International Conference on Development and Investment in Infrastructure (DII-2022). The contributions cover a wide range of topics related to infrastructure issues on the African continent: Sustainable Infrastructure Development Smart Infrastructure and Cities Quality and Resilient Infrastructure Education, Empowerment, Gender Equity, Wellness and Development Environmental and Waste Management/Facilities & Real-Estate Management Infrastructure, Investment and Finance- Trends and Forecasts Infrastructure: Shock Events, Procurement, Project Management, Health & Safety Infrastructure: Economic, Social/Environmental Sustainability Digital Innovation and transition in the built environment Building Smart, Resilient and Sustainable Infrastructure in Developing Countries evaluates innovations, empowerment, growth and sustainable development of infrastructure development in Africa, and aims at administrators, academics, and professionals.