Construction, commissioning, and startup execution: Problematic activities on capital projects

The commissioning and startup (CSU) stage of industrial capital projects is made up of a large number of discrete activities. These activities are executed across the construction, precommissioning, commissioning, and startup (CCSU) project phases by a host of organizations and disciplines. CCSU activities are often fraught and have adverse consequences which may broadly impact overall project success. This research sought to discover which activities are commonly problematic across industrial sectors, and how these activities are characterized. A better understanding of commonly problematic activities (so-called Hot Spots) will give insight into how best to address problems when or before they arise. Contributions made by this research include a list of 20 of the most common problematic CCSU activities, characterizations of 7 attributes for each of the 20 Hot Spots, an analysis of themes recurring among the characterizations, and a model for implementation of research findings on projects. These contributions will provide perspective on common CCSU shortcomings and guidance on how to remedy them.