A NYSE listed industry leader in battery resource recovery was struggling to control capital expenditure across their portfolio of EPC projects
Fast-paced growth from a start-up position meant teams were devising their own ways and means of delivering these complex and ground-breaking projects. This resulted in projects being delivered with low levels of control and governance leading to over-budget, over-schedule and poor-quality outcomes.
Laminar worked closely with stakeholders to develop and introduce a bespoke, best-practice suite of processes and procedures. We agreed a hierarchical approach to the suite of Project Controls documentation which aims to aid with the digestion and readability of the information. We wanted people to enjoy reading procedures that are commonly regarded as ‘boring’ or ‘dry’ to make adoption easier.
Sat at the top of the suite, the ProjectControls Policy explains the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ - providing high-level context of the core Project Control disciplines. “what is involved with scheduling” “why is the schedule so important?
Below the policy document, we produced a number of discipline-specific procedures explaining the how, when and who foreach discipline. “How do I process a Change on my project?” “Who can approve aChange on my project?”
Underpinning the procedures are process maps - a visual representation of the key actions required by each stakeholder.A five-minute read that provides a clear, easy-to-follow set of instructions.
And finally, the toolkits containing the templates, apps, and software recommendations needed to complete the process in a consistent manner across the international portfolio. Making repeatability easy and improving the quality of records.
Our workshop-heavy approach was used to gain input, balance opposing opinions, resolve conflict and ensure the right people are involved in shaping the processes they will be ultimately responsible for.
The Project Controls Team soon gathered ‘followers’ after the first batch of improvements were introduced into the business. Early adopters showcased examples and spread the word throughout the business.
The Project Controls team was used to having to ‘pull’ information from projects and remind teams to follow business protocols and chase people to update control accounts, whereas now, people are coming to the Project Controls Team to learn how they should be operating, asking to use the new process and procedures, and ultimately, working more closely with each other to establish stronger levels of governance and control.
Projects delivered since the introduction of our processes and procedures have seen considerable improvements in performance. Confidence of CAPEX forecast has improved rapidly.
