Chemical Plant Relocation: Reviving a Troubled Initiative

Background

A large chemical company was looking to close a plant in one location and relocate lines of business to two different plants. However, the execution was going sideways: the project scope was incomplete, the capital estimate was underfunded, and the execution timeline was unrealistic. The executive owner of the project reached out to Empirical for support and to get the project back on track.

Objective

The client looked to partner Empirical professionals with the executive project owner to first review the full scope of the project, and then develop a multi-phase funding and execution plan for Board approval.

Methodology

Empirical’s team included two senior operations and project management partners with years of real-world experience; the duo worked hand-in-hand with the executive owner.

Key steps included

Project Review: Empirical conducted a complete review of the project’s goals and the company’s internal stage gate processes for large capital investments and developed an appropriate plan.
Estimate Development: Using both experience and estimation calculations for each phase of the project, Empirical developed a comprehensive estimate.
Team Communication: Empirical created a regular communication cadence with project stakeholders to allow complete visibility for every level of the project. This also included pulling together the disparate parties involved (while getting them out of their silos) and holding the team accountable to the new timeline. A RACI assignment was created for the entire project.
Quick Solutioning: As issues arose, Empirical worked with stakeholders to develop and implement solutions to keep the project on track.