Major turnaround management challenges faced in process industries.

Statistics from various agencies indicate that more than 50% of all turnarounds experience significant delays. While the overarching problem lies in planning and preparation, with my experience, specific delays are attributed to the following factors:

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1.??????? Poor scope management

2.??????? Quality issues and poor workmanship

3.??????? Inadequate material/spare parts

4.??????? Inadequate resources

5.??????? Project integration issues

6.??????? Low probability and a highly ambitious schedule

7.??????? Non-transparent and non-collaborative tracking, monitoring, and control

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1.?Successful turnaround relies on timely identifying the right scope. Sudden scope variations during execution are mostly due to the poor scope management throughout the turnaround life cycle. The Turnaround scope (Work List) is a collection of work to be performed on various assets in a processing facility. Scoping is a critical process that involves strategic planning, meticulous management, and a comprehensive understanding of the plant's needs.

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2.?The primary cost of delay associated with turnarounds arises from the unplanned loss of production due to emerging quality issues during start-up. Most of these quality issues can be attributed to poor workmanship (resulting in re-work) and joint integrity issues, especially with untouched joints. Implementing plant mechanical integrity-focused quality control and joint integrity programs, supported by industry learnings and best practices, is crucial to addressing this challenge.

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3.?During turnarounds, critical equipment like compressors, pumps (without standby options), and proprietary process equipment undergo major maintenance. Thorough evaluation of spare parts is crucial during planning, considering delivery times and costs. Due to the infrequent handling of this equipment, expertise levels may be minimal. Front-end planning, involving effective collaboration with experts and OEMs, is essential for identifying and procuring optimal spare parts.

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4.?Blaming contractors for Turnaround failures or delays due to inadequate resources is common. Often, the scope passed to contractors during the contracting process is vague and insufficient, leading to poor resource estimates and high turnaround costs due to scope uncertainty. To mitigate this, providing a high-quality scope with a base estimate of resources and ample time for the contractor to identify and mobilize resources is crucial during contract awarding.

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5.?Adding capital project work to the turnaround scope introduces complications. This additional scope, often provided by a project team with limited collaboration with the turnaround planning team, leads to misalignment in approaches. The turnaround team encounters integration challenges, being accustomed to its own practices, a key factor in turnaround failures. The lack of clarity in execution scope for approved projects and last-minute changes due to the 'suit at site' approach exacerbate the issue. Achieving better team integration, along with clarity in scoping and planning, is necessary to avoid such delays.

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6. Most turnaround schedules have a limited lifespan, often ending abruptly after the turnaround begins. The primary cause is its disconnection from the field, attributed to a lack of ownership and discipline from the execution team. Practical difficulties arise when attempting to follow overly ambitious and low-probability schedules prepared without consultation/validation from execution experts and neglecting practical aspects of the work. To address this issue, schedulers must actively collaborate, validate the schedule involving right stake holders and conduct schedule risk analysis using industry best methods to mitigate uncertainties and associated risks.

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7. When the schedule becomes irrelevant during execution, reporting gets derailed. Manual reporting undermines the base, accountability, and transparency, making it challenging to identify delays and underlying causes. To mitigate this issue, establish an integrated collaborative real-time platform. This ensures team alignment, timely issue identification, and proactive measures to avoid or minimize impacts. Moreover, the actual site-captured data serves as valuable insights for continuous improvements in subsequent Turnarounds.

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In conclusion, addressing Turnaround Management challenges requires a comprehensive and collaborative approach. Coordinated planning efforts, incorporating best practices and continuous improvement through real-time data insights, are essential for effectively resolving the intricate challenges.

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Please feel free to share your experiences and any pressing issues you have encountered in Turnaround Execution.

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Article has been authored by Anil Sasi , PMP ( Head Turnaround Excellence @ Maximl )