corvative

Doingcause cause and effect, contractors, double-loop learning

The self-defeating operator

When a project is in trouble, the first thing some operators do is blame the contractor. Perceived causes Perceived causes If a project is running late, has issues with build…

Changecancellation, claims, closure, planning, social licence

Case study – Project cancellation

How do you respond when your project is suddenly shelved? Here is a short case study. A project in East Africa has been unexpectedly cancelled at short notice following the…

Planningfront-end loading, management plans, planning, pmbok, project execution plan

Principles Project execution planning is an iterative process. The exact path depends on the contracting strategy selected. But there are some rules. Corvative’s project execution planning approach is standards and…

Planning, Shapingfront-end loading, planning, studies

Writing study reports

Every project is answerable to its stakeholders: regulators, investors, owners, community groups and others. Study reports present the complete technical, commercial and environmental case for a project at the appropriate level…

Doingpayment

Extended payment terms: Good news for global firms

In July 2017, I wrote a widely-read article on extended payment terms stating that extended -- and, arguably, unfair terms -- were not only bad for business but seemed to…

Initiation, Scopeauthority, consultant, management, principal, scope, services, work

Scoping management services

Most project engineers consider themselves competent to write the technical scope of work for a work package. But scoping the provision of project, study or engineering management services requires different…

Change, Control, Doingclient, cognitive bias, complexity, contractor, fundamental problems, perceived causes, quality, symptomatic solutions, unexpected side effects

Down the rabbit hole – How cognitive bias leads to failure

The resources industry is going through hard times. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all pulled together? Sadly, many operators and clients still prefer to blame the contractor for their troubles. But clients…

Shapingcomplex, lifecycle, procurement

The complex procurement lifecycle

It's common to have a narrow focus in procurement. People specialise in areas such as logistics, market analysis, bid management, and metrics. It's easy to lose your sense of the big…

Control, Selectioncredit, payment, payment terms, terms, trade, trade credit

Extended payment terms: who really pays the price?

In tough economic times, businesses large and small look for ways to manage their cash flow more effectively. When money is tight it’s common for firms to seek to widen…

Doing, Planningpmbok, procurement, procurements, project, review

Book review – Project Procurement Management: A Guide to Structured Procurements

Most suitable for single procurements or small projects There are not that many books out there for the project procurement practitioner, so I was pleased to find…