Enhancing Readiness in the Middle East
This was a capital project and operational readiness engagement involving an entire country getting ready for their biggest project ever.
“They were instrumental in getting our Readiness Program (across the entire refinery) off the ground and embedded. It’s still in play long after they are gone, and it’s been recognized as best in class.”
— Deputy Project Manager
Context/Challenge
In 2018, a Middle Eastern refinery embarked on a transformational megaproject aimed at doubling profitability and reducing environmental impact within a tight 4-year timeline. However, both the project and the base business faced significant challenges, including operational readiness to incorporate such an enormous change into business. Complexities included:
- Scale: This change would not only be the biggest change in their 90-year history but have a significant impact on the development and GDP growth of a country. For them, it was like their “moon landing,” incredibly ambitious with so many stakeholders, inter-relationships and impacts to ongoing operations.
- Contract/Ways of Working: A joint venture was formed between three different companies, with engineering and design being split among their respective home countries and being coordinated in yet a different country – the project site.
- Readiness: Our initial assessment revealed that outside of those familiar with the concepts of Readiness (Operations and Maintenance), the rest of the business was neither aware nor prepared for the execution of the project.
Approach
Our involvement focused on assessing capital project readiness through our Readiness framework. We were engaged to:
- Design and implement a comprehensive, enterprise-wide Readiness program.
- Partner with the client to navigate the complexities of change in megaprojects and ensure that the organization is ready.
- Coordinate external and public relations, communicating the social and environmental impacts of the megaproject.
- Foster high-performing teams and increase employee engagement.
- Mentor and coach young, local talent to embed skills and competencies within the organization.
- Achieve objectives within 24 months and successfully hand over the readiness program to the client.
We also worked with our client to implement effective communication frameworks (what we call Operating Rhythm) and enhance stakeholder engagement.
Result
- A 4x increase in awareness of the program and its frameworks, enhancing communication and stakeholder engagement.
- A 3x increase in preparedness for construction and operation, including training, quality control, and systems protocols.
- Establishment of a robust governance structure with 21 designated Readiness leaders overseeing 1250 critical enterprise-wide activities.
- Enhanced collaboration, accountability, and alignment throughout the organization, driving positive change.
- Achieved 95% progress on over 1250 critical activities essential for project success within 18 months.
- Recognition of our readiness program as an industry best practice by external auditors and insurers.
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