3 Ways to Treat Project Chaos

Get a grasp on how project devolves into chaos and see 3 sure fire ways to treat them and defeat project chaos.

3 Ways To Treat Project Chaos

In large Oil & Gas and EPC projects there is a ton of money on the line. The difference between a successful project, and an unsuccessful one is often the effective organization of the projects from FEED to Handover. The right project management infrastructure can help teams deliver capital projects with normal amounts of cost growth and schedule variance (typically ~10%). Alternatively, there is project chaos. And in an industry that has a median cost growth of 24% and median schedule slip of 20% – this is the most common scenario. Effective project management requires the right systems and infrastructure to support it but that’s just a drop in the bucket. Effective project management can reduce cost growth by 58% and schedule variance by 50%. Yes, project chaos is avoidable.

So how do you get from project chaos to order? You’re in luck, this is our specialty, and there are 3 key ways to treat project chaos.

Stop using emails, spreadsheets and homegrown systems to manage projects. Have you ever wasted time digging through an email chain looking for critical information, or poured over somebody else’s spreadsheet trying to find what you need? Most folks have and those are just small examples of how ineffective spreadsheets, emails, and homegrown systems are. So quit using systems that provide little organization, accountability, and visibility – they allow project management chaos to flourish.
Get all of your teams working in the same system. Centralize. Collaborate. Have you ever been roadblocked by rouge teams, partners, or contractors using a different system? This happens in almost every project, and can be a tough situation to navigate. By implementing an effective, web-based project management system you can provide the most up-to-date data to all project stakeholders, in a single system. When the end game is reducing project chaos – you need to get everything in one place and everybody working in one system.
Enforce standardization. Ever encountered confusion due to multiple numbering systems or naming conventions? If you have, you know that this inconsistency makes it hard to track progress, report, and find the data you need. An effective project management system will allow you to track and enforce your numbering system, as well as partners, suppliers, or owners. To prevent project chaos and enforce standards, start using an application that has defined numbering systems and naming conventions. You might not realize how much project chaos is weighing you down.

If you, or someone you know is experiencing project chaos – please contact ProjecTools as soon as possible. Symptoms include: lack of reporting, cost growth of more than 10%, schedule slip of more than 10%, premature graying in management, lack of return customers, and many more.

The side effects of successful project management with ProjecTools include: more sleep at night, promotions, an increase in profitability, more time, and more effective reporting.

ProjecTools Product Information

ProjecTools Client Spotlight

September 24th, 2015|0 Comments

ProjecTools Client Spotlight "I don't see how companies can manage projects like [...]

Standard Project Management Features

September 2nd, 2015|0 Comments

ProjecTools subscriptions provide valuable standard features that support projects. ProjecTools standard features are available to each user to complement core application functions and business processes. Utilize the modules below to increase top-down visibility, communication, accountability

Security and Reliability

September 1st, 2015|0 Comments

Users need a secure, reliable environment to access project information and perform work. All applications and client data resides in a private cloud network with data replication and failover to geographically diverse datacenter equipment. ProjecTools provides 99.5% Network Availability

Construction Project Management Services

August 31st, 2015|0 Comments

ProjecTeams is proven for flexible on-site or remote project deployments. Each ProjecTeam specialist has deep work history with a career of improving project execution, information management processes, with tools that make projects efficient, timely, and profitable.

ProjecTools Resources

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Spreadsheets and Email as Project Management Tools

March 9th, 2017|0 Comments

Projects have too many moving parts and too many players to be trusting critical data to spreadsheets and emails. You need a spreadsheet reduction strategy.

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Project Management Assessment

November 15th, 2016|0 Comments

Project Management Assessment Assess your project management practices against the best project execution teams in the Capital Construction, [...]

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Document Management Software ROI

October 5th, 2016|0 Comments

Document management is massively important for engineering and construction projects. Take the approach and use the tools that add the most value.

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Aligning Document Control and Cost Control

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Align Document Control with Cost Control and create seamless progress and earned value reports to stay on budget and improve cash flows.

ProjecTools Videos, Demos, and Webinars

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Optimizing Review and Approval Processes for Engineering

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Let’s talk about review and approvals, and closed-loop systems, and how to execute the review and approval processes for engineering and commercial...

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The Keys to Successful Document Management

November 23rd, 2020|0 Comments

Let's talk specifically about document management software, and the key factors for clean and organized documentation, accessibility, finding a system...

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Document Management Software ROI

October 5th, 2016|0 Comments

Document management is massively important for engineering and construction projects. Take the approach and use the tools that add the most value.

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Document Distribution and Access for EPC and Construction

August 24th, 2016|0 Comments

Global projects have global teams that need to be in the loop. Cloud technology takes the pain out of giving teams on demand access to project data.

ProjecTools Client Spotlight

“I don’t see how companies can manage projects like ours without ProjecTools”

Carol Jones, Major FPSO Producer

“The staff at ProjecTools has been with us every step of the way. Their unrivaled customer service has been what my staff has needed.”

Madelaine Blair, Engineering and Construction Company

“ProjecTools cut the time it takes us to prepare a procurement package from six weeks to one”

John Mock, International EPC Company

“ProjecTools Engineering & Commissioning provides a smooth flow and saves a lot of wasted time”

Jennifer Roberts, Commissioning Services Company

“Our company realized early on that ProjecTools would be a great partner to assist us in growing and enabling our EPCI global management information systems.”

Bryan Foushee, International Offshore Engineering Company

“I have spent the last several months working with the ProjecTools product and team. I can easily say that both are “top-notch.”
The ProjecTools software impressed me most with how thoroughly thought out it is. Functionally, it is a powerhouse project management suite for capital projects. The workflows between each of the modules are tightly integrated and backed by some serious industry experience. Each action that is taken sets the dominoes for all needed future actions so that an entire project falls in to place. Furthermore, the software was developed with a high degree of standardization throughout the user interface which sharply decreases the time it takes to become proficient with the product.
What has struck me most, though, is the team behind the ProjecTools software. Everyone I have dealt with has shown a dedication to listening to the end-user and creating a high quality software offering. They welcome feedback, even (and perhaps more so) when it is critical. It is apparent that there is a pervasive culture at ProjecTools that is centered on building quality for the customer.
My hats go off to the ProjecTools team for both what they do and who they are.”

David DeArmond, OIL & GAS Technology Company

“I highly recommend that clients reach out to this company for innovative ways to improve project reporting and tracking.”

G. Matthews, International Engineering Company

“Our company chose ProjecTools over another application we were using because ProjecTools application is way more powerful and for our global teams working together better.”

Lori Lacey, International Supplier for O&G

“I know that ProjecTools will help to move our growth along.”

Olvie Beltran, Water Treatment Technology Company

“ProjecTools provides a single, convenient location to store pertinent project information that can be accessed from any location at any time and is extremely simple to use.”

Kaley Sandel

“ProjecTools time and stores all necessary project information in one spot”

Charles Baker, Engineering and Construction Company

“I am a new ProjecTools user, and so far my experience has been great. I would recommend this product to my colleagues working for other companies in the oil and gas industry.”

Katy Kovar, Oil & Gas Company

Air Liquide

Air Liquide is an international company focused on supplying high quality gas and gas related technology to many industries.

Audubon Engineering

Audubon Engineering is a full-service project solutions provider for the domestic and international oil & gas, petrochemical & refining, and power generation markets. Audubon Engineering provides the power and flexibility of comprehensive engineering and service disciplines through a unique combination of in-house professionals, affiliate companies, and industry alliance resources.

ProjecTools engaged with Audubon Engineering three years ago implementing ProjecTools Documents. As a result Audubon Engineering reported a reduction in hours managing documents, audit times and time to transit on projects. Along with these impressive reductions came increases in document accuracy, accountability, consistency and overall quality of work. Audubon Engineering’s success with ProjecTools Documents inspired them to implement ProjecTools Cost Control and Procurement.

Audubon Engineering continues its aggressive growth using ProjecTools scalable applications.

Audubon Engineering has offices in New Orleans, Houston and Covington with a workforce of nearly 350 experienced professionals.

Visit the Audubon Engineering website for more information.

Houston Offshore Engineering

Houston Offshore Engineering provides expert engineering, procurement, construction, and installation services. They support offshore oil and gas and engineering projects. Houston Offshore Engineering projects range from conceptual studies, which help maximize value early in field development, to complete detailed design and construction support. Houston Offshore Engineering clients include major and independent oil and gas companies, drilling contractors, engineering contractors, fabricators, and transport and installation contractors.

Houston Offshore Engineering is also participating in four different approaches to alternative energy solutions. The projects include floating offshore wind turbines, an ocean thermal energy conversion device for offshore Hawaii and a confidential energy conversion device for the Gulf of Mexico.

Houston Offshore Engineering deployed ProjecTools Documents and Procurement to facilitate managing offshore engineering projects.

Visit the Houston Offshore Engineering website for more information

Water Standard

WATER STANDARD is an award winning global water treatment specialist and recognized leader in delivering innovative desalination, water-based enhanced oil recovery and produced water solutions to the Water and onshore and offshore Oil & Gas Industries. The company uses proprietary designs and processes employing proven technologies incorporated into modular offshore and onshore customized water treatment systems. WATER STANDARD has recently been very active in the design and development of a number of groundbreaking offshore EOR projects.

WATER STANDARD’s H2OCEAN product line positions them as a global water treatment specialist committed to providing innovative solutions for the world’s growing water needs.

WATER STANDARD’s strategic partnerships and affiliations with leading marine, water technology, offshore services and chemical manufacturers provide superior products and services. WATER STANDARD provides products and services to super majors, majors, and national oil companies across the world.

Water Standard is based out of Houston, Texas.

Visit the WATER STANDARD website for more information

Arena Energy

Arena Offshore was established in 2002 and has locations in The Woodlands, TX and Lafayette, LA. Arena Offshore is affiliated with Arena Energy which is located in the Woodlands, TX.

Arena’s expertise is oil production and recovery in mature fields of the Gulf of Mexico. Arena’s streamlined model has allowed them to reduce operational overhead while maintaining appropriate focus on safety and environment.

Arena Offshore uses ProjecTools online project management software for Document Management and information management for Arena Offshore projects.

Murphy Oil Corporation

Murphy Oil Corporation is an El-Dorado, Arkansas based global oil exploration and production company with American onshore and global offshore exploration and production. Murphy is a growing worldwide producer of crude oil and natural gas in the United States, Malaysia, the UK, Republic of the Congo, among other places worldwide.

The Houston-based Murphy Exploration & Production Company uses ProjecTools document management application (ProjecTools Documents) to manage design and technical documents for the development and construction of Murphy’s exploration and production projects.

ProjecTools provides the software infrastructure to manage the engineering and design lifecycle with Oil & Gas-friendly workflows. Additionally, the ProjecTools application provides on-demand, cloud access to all project stakeholders (including partners, suppliers and other contractors).

AXON

AXON Energy Products (AXON), through its subsidiary, AXON Rig Concept and Design, uses ProjecTools’ Engineering and Commissioning modules to manage the lifecycle of their design-built drilling package projects. AXON’s general scope includes the FEED phase to construction and final commissioning. The engagement between ProjecTools and AXON will likely expand as the company is rapidly growing its project list. Along with implementing ProjecTools Engineering and Commissioning modules, AXON has utilized ProjecTools’ Product Services Team for onsite consulting and training services.

AXON is a growing visionary in rig concept and design, specializing in engineering and project management services geared towards drilling package design and construction projects. The rig concept and design group is one of AXON’s six divisions, including Pressure Products, Well Intervention Products, Drilling Products, Downhole Products and Tubular Products. Specifically, AXON is well known for providing a wide range of oil and gas products and services, using its expertise and responsive delivery time. With a heavy presence in the Gulf of Mexico, AXON is a global company represented in countries such as North America, Western Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Burrow Global

Burrow Global, LLC is a full service engineering, procurement, construction, and facility services firm with specialties in process automation, industrial buildings, plant commissioning and start-up. Our premium quality, high value services and commitment to safety combined with our broad industry experience and comprehensive expertise make us the global provider of choice for many major companies.

Burrow Global Construction, LLC, has 30+ year tradition of high quality and safely executed projects by providing construction management, EPC and turnaround execution to industrial clients throughout the southern United States.

Burrow Global Construction includes:

» Procurement
» Fabrication
» Construction
» EPC Projects
» Industrial Buildings
» Turnaround Management & Execution
» Preparations for Operations

Burrow Global uses ProjecTools Document Management Software to centralize project documents, effectively manage revision workflows, and facilitate timely, secure document distribution. Burrow also uses ProjecTools Procurement Software and Cost Control Software to ensure construction teams have the proper equipment at the right time for the right prices.

ProjecTools Software Support

Quality support can be a life saver. We get that, so e have a talented staff of support professionals that are ready to respond to client requests 24/7. It doesn’t matter if users email, call, text, or skype – the ProjecTools Support Team is ready to respond and solve in a timely fashion.

Email support@projectools.com to get in touch with a ProjecTools Software Support.

ProjecTools Software Support Team gives world-class technical assistance and personalized guidance to help you quickly resolve issues, optimize the effectiveness of your project management teams and tools, and maximize business impact. With a staff of highly skilled and dedicated support professionals, ProjecTools is dedicated to your satisfaction and helping you achieve the highest levels of efficiency and the pinnacle of success.

Capital Project Challenges

Capital Project Challenges and Consequences

Oil & Gas, Energy, and Capital construction projects are among the most complex in the world. They deserve more attention to detail than spreadsheet-based project management systems can give. That is why it is important to address the most fatal capital project challenges and consequences before they cripple your projects.

Engineering-centric projects (Oil & Gas, Engineering Procurement Construction, Architecture, Capital Construction, Aerospace, Etc.) face constant change and a competitive global market. To stay current and drive growth, companies must overcome relentless capital project challenges and consequences, including:

Lack of a Standardized, Enforced Workflow

Operating with inefficient processes and lack of accountability within projects causes increased man-hours, schedule slippages and the inability to identify and track project issues. ProjecTools allows users to enforce workflows across disciplines such as procurement, commissioning, etc. The end result is that managers and executives can efficiently track performance down to individual user’s tasks, generate invaluable reports (late action, discipline progress, status, and earned-value) to prevent financial loss, keep schedule, and maintain accountability.

Inaccurate and Incomplete Data

Poor communication and lack of organization are core capital project challenges that prevent success. Missing data, incomplete data and inconsistent reporting errors produce confusion, project delays, and lost credibility with clients as consequences. ProjecTools enforces workflows and ensures no steps are skipped or repeated unnecessarily and allows users to communicate consistently with clients. A central document repository and system-enforced processes prevent information mismanagement and loss. Leverage previous project knowledge, structure and experience to develop effective, efficient, repeatable processes with ProjecTools.

Inability to scale

Spreadsheets and siloed departments lack the flexibility, scalability and consistency required by today’s Oil & Gas asset owners and operators. These limitations lead to profit-killing mistakes that devastate reputations and paralyze company growth. ProjecTools provides scalable and proven project management tools to satisfy even the largest and most demanding client needs.

Poor Access to Information and Data

Today’s complex projects span the globe with team members and contractors in multiple locations and time zones. The consequence of using an outdated system that can’t accommodate is delayed access to project information and missed deadlines creating serious obstacles to successful project completion. ProjecTools web-based system gives users real-time access to the project information they need whenever they need it.

Capital Project Management Trends

Technical complexity and increased government regulation require companies to be more vigilant than at any time in history. In this era of costly litigation and skyrocketing compensatory and punitive judgments, firms must be able to

Capital Project Management Trends

Oil & Gas, EPC, Rngineering, Construction, Architecture, and Infrastructure projects are changing. You can either adapt and prosper or get left behind.

Capital project management trends include increasing technical complexity and increased government regulation. This requires companies to be more vigilant than at any time in history. In this era of costly litigation and skyrocketing compensatory and punitive judgments, firms must be able to prove each team, supplier, and subcontractor has performed responsibly and consistently throughout execution.

Superior risk management is attained through standardized and controlled processes, which provide precise auditable results. Any authorized member of your team can use ProjecTools to access and report project information. Whether your project spans multiple countries or just one, is on land or offshore, uses dollars or euros, ProjecTools software gives you the tools to efficiently and successfully manage today’s complex project landscape to deliver superior quality, safety, and profitability.

Globalization is another capital project management trend that greatly affects the quality, schedule, and profitability of projects. Project managers are leveraging teams spread across the globe because they are great in terms of diversity of experience, problem solving and initial cost estimate. These project managers are finding a major gap in the strategy, however. The gap arises from the fact that globalization of teams, professionals, and supply chain has outpaced the tools that integrate these teams. This is making way for costly situations where engineers are working on the wrong things, suppliers are working from superseded revisions, and progress and status reporting is left to the individual units. These are what we call siloes. The result of these siloes is confusion that creates rework, duplicated effort, delays, overruns, change orders, and other profitability killers.

ProjecTools software is the only capital project management software in the AEC/PPM market that was built to specifically address complexity, risk management, and globalization challenges. The system does so by integrating all project information and teams into a single system to eliminate the siloes, confusion, and disorganization that hurts project performance.

Leverage ProjecTools industry expertise to buck the capital project management trends and mitigate risk to stop losing profit to avoidable project management challenges.

Request a personal demo of ProjecTools – the most reliable, efficient project management tool that understands capital project management trends.

Killing Project Cost Growth

By using better defined engineering specifications, estimating teams have a better idea of what things will cost. The overly aggressive schedules have caused hasty estimating which leads to cost growth. By simply using more mature engineering data, estimators

Killing Project Cost Growth

With more competitive contracts, aggressive schedules, and rising costs there is a growing need to curb cost growth.

View PDF Version

Cost growth can kill profitability (Want an example?). With more competitive contracts, aggressive schedules, and rising costs there is push for killing project cost growth. According to Independent Project Analysis (IPA), complex projects like FPSO conversions and ground-up builds are experiencing a median 15% cost growth. Along with that, these projects are delivered 18% past schedule – which leads to less profit, ugly penalties and cranky clients.

Luckily, there are some relatively painless things that top performers do to get cost growth under control. According to an IPA study, some companies have cut cost growth in half by simply basing cost estimates on well-defined engineering/design, reporting regularly, getting teams communicating, and monitoring cost in a project cost control application.

Base cost estimates in reality

For example, in an IPA study, projects with poorly defined engineering at authorization were reaching 68% cost growth. When compared to projects with the best practical engineering definition which were experiencing 1-10% cost growth, it was apparent that engineering definition was playing a role in cost growth. As stated by IPA, “Skimp on engineering definition at your own peril.”

Regular cost reporting at discipline levels

IPA says projects practicing “Biweekly and comprehensive formal progress reporting” experience 10% cost growth (Median) when compared to 25% cost growth (Median) in projects that don’t. While it may be difficult to believe consistent reporting alone can cause a 60% cost growth reduction, it is reasonable to correlate regular and cross-departmental reporting to effective project management practices.

It can be argued that the ability to produce regular, consistent reports is what is impacting cost growth. In other words, the ability to produce these consistent reports indicates quality cost management infrastructure and sound project management practices, which is really driving down cost growth.

Get teams communicating

Again, IPA tells us that having an integrated asset team where key stakeholders have clearly defined roles, and well-planned interaction with each other can reduce cost growth by 65%.

The study suggests that key project personnel need to interact with each other in a structured manner because “More informed decisions enable more predictable results.”

Use cost-centric project management software

It’s not terribly difficult or expensive to incorporate all of the project management attributes that impact cost growth for complex capital projects or any projects for that matter. There are affordable applications on the market that are built to control costs for Oil & Gas and EPC, deliver consistent reports, and get teams working together. The ROI on many applications is astounding if they can reduce the typical cost growth. For example, reducing 25% cost growth to 24% cost growth on a $100,000,000 project would save $1,000,000 dollars. While all cost management software is not created equal, it’s certainly worth looking into.

Thanks for taking a look at ProjecTools mini white paper on reducing cost growth. If you would like to see more about how ProjecTools applies the principals in this paper request a demo and see how ProjecTools Cost Control will help your company manage project cost, report cost, and integrate key teams.