The end of the Beginning

Plant commissioning is possibly the shortest process in the asset life cycle of major assets. It is a critical time in the life cycle and a phase that frequently gets little attention. Never before this period and never again is there such a frenzy of activity and an accumulation of excited people with differing expectations and influences. What is involved in the process? When does commissioning start and when does it end? How do we manage this process it to the best advantage? Is it too late to have any significant positive impact on asset life? Can poor commissioning have an adverse impact on reliability, integrity and life? How do differing expectations, influences and constraints affect the outcomes? Commissioning is the time when you first see the conceptual plant in its physical form and realise what you have got, what you haven’t got and the gap between what you wanted and what you will live with. It’s a time of good news and bad news but also a time when good management can still have an influence on the ongoing asset life cycle.