Improving Project Delivery
Clarice Kinsella is a project manager for Burns & McDonnell with almost twenty years of experience in the power industry. She leads development and execution of large-scale fossil fuel and renewable energy projects and consults with clients on capital projects management and delivery.
Utilities excel in operations, but project management may present a significant challenge for utilities learning to adapt to the industry's rapidly changing landscape. As infrastructure, technology, and consumer demands evolve, utilities are managing new, more complex, and ever-changing types of projects. Renewable energy and aging infrastructure that require ongoing maintenance or replacement can also mean a significant investment. At the same time, providing high levels of reliability is as critical as ever.
With more projects to manage and a continuous focus on capital expenditure, it is increasingly important to execute each project on budget and on schedule. Having a project management office (PMO) in place can help improve project delivery by: Identifying and enforcing priorities; Implementing best practices; Optimizing resource allocation; and Eliminating redundancies.
Several factors make this an opportune time for utilities to establish a PMO.
Loss of Institutional Knowledge
As employees retire in greater numbers, the power industry faces a loss of institutional knowledge. Traditionally, success in the industry depends very much on employees with the experience or established professional relationships within the organization.