Every single project is unique. Yet any project’s success depends, among others, on two main key-factors:
“definition & preparation“
In an asset’s life-cycle, now whether it is a factory or a bicycle, a building or a birthday-cake: defining what the asset should look like, taste or do in terms of performance must be clearly defined, and the design must be feasible, agreed upon by all stake-holders and ‘frozen’ in the earliest stage (front-end loading) of this asset’s life-cycle, prior to moving on with the actual realisation of the asset.
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
Benjamin Franklin
When ordering a birthday-cake, you would first define and align with the bakery what the requirements are for the size, flavour, color, layout, writing on top and – of course – the delivery date. The bakery will then buy the appropriate ingredients and starts baking the cake when it is suitable to deliver as aligned, fresh and on time! Not (properly) aligning with the bakery, will surely result (at least) in a huge disappointment.
Yet, in the world of industrial projects, it happens all too often, that the front-end loading stage was not properly completed, the design hence not ‘frozen’, causing a negative outfall on the project’s budget, ETA, quality and safety. In some extreme cases, the project even comes to an abrupt, unfortunate early halt.
Now, the importance of definition is one, but correct and complete preparation of the execution-phase after the definition is the other! And that’s where we come in!
Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.
Bobby Unser