Abstract
The continuous and rigorous endeavor in identifying key project successes or failures has been one of the most celebrated effort within the fraternity to advocate good project management implementation. Although the delivery method is unique from one project to another, perceivably there is no right or wrong formula that ensures outright success. It is often regarded that having an exceptional project manager leading a team that pays attention to collaboration between the project team and the contractors or manufacturers, guarantees a successful project delivery.
What is rarely looked upon is the contribution of the operations and maintenance personnel embedded as part of the team, which plays a vital role to the smooth and seamless transition from the task-oriented project, to the product-oriented operations and productions phase. Early involvement of this sort enables majority of the pain points anticipated during commissioning, start-up and finally during the handover period to be addressed much earlier during detailed engineering and construction phases.
The accomplishment of the recently completed Spheripol and Spherizone polypropylene units as part of the giga-project Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) which is located within the Pengerang Integrated Complex (PIC) in Malaysia, gives us the best insight on how project delivery can improve and flourish by putting the emphasis on small things that matter. Standing at USD 27 billion, PIC, the largest downstream investment by PETRONAS in Malaysia, consists of an integrated refinery and petrochemical complex, supported by several facilities which includes a raw water supply and treatment plant, an air separation unit, a cogeneration plant, a deep-water terminal and a regasification terminal. Like other plants complexes, it also has its own centralized utilities facility. Not many would think that setting the operational elements and getting the operations personnel involved as part of the team prematurely, will minimize technical gaps once the facility starts its operations. However, this unique approach has proven to be effective and successful for a major integrated project like RAPID.
The operational elements mentioned above include progressive participation and deployment of operations and maintenance personnel during front end and pre-award of execution contracts, assurance reviews (engineering, constructability and safety) and mechanical completion walkdowns. This gradual involvement evolves into a full leadership role during commissioning up until the process of starting up the plant. This study will show how the close collaboration between projects and operations teams, towards the successful delivery and integration of RAPID polypropylene plant can never come too early.
