aeSolutions agrees with the findings of the Construction Industry Institute (CII). The CII has done extensive research on improving project success. Through quantitative analysis of 62 projects, as noted in Analysis of Pre-Project Planning Effort and Success Variables for Capital Facility Projects, they found that the front end loading (FEL) “effort level directly affects the cost and schedule predictability of the project.” The CII described a staged approach to projects, where engineering is divided into two phases; front end loading and detailed design. The CII documented that front end loading of capital facilities “is an extremely important function in determining the ultimate outcome of a project.” They found that as the level of front end loading tasks increases the:
Project cost performance from authorization decreases by as much as 20%,
Variance between project schedule performance versus authorization decreases by as much as 39%,
Plant design capacity attained and facility utilization improved by as much as 15%,
Project scope changes after authorization tend to decrease
Likelihood that a project met or exceeded its financial goals increased
The CII defines a front end loading package for a capital facility as “the process of developing sufficient strategic information for owners to address risk and decide to commit resources to maximize the chance for a successful project.” They concluded that the “design work hours to be completed prior to project authorization should be from 10% to 25% of the total design effort depending upon the complexity of the project.”
aeSolutions fully endorses the development of a front end loading package for all safety instrumented system projects. aeSolutions defines the following tasks as being part of a typical Safety Instrumented System Front End Loading (SIS FEL):
Hazard identification
Conduct HAZOP
Risk assessment
Perform LOPA
Develop SIF list
Develop SIS design basis support report
Develop lifecycle cost analysis
Develop interlock / safety instrumented function list
Develop sequence of operations
Conceptual design specification
Redline P&ID’s
Develop system architecture diagram
Develop E-stop philosophy
Develop testing philosophy
Develop UPS philosophy
Develop bypassing philosophy
Develop wiring philosophy
Develop SIS logic solver specification – Bill of materials (BOM)
Develop approved instrument vendor list / Procure plan for SIS
Develop SIL verification report
Develop control panel location sketch
Develop control philosophy specification
Summary safety report
Construction estimate, total installed cost (+- 20%)
When total lifecycle costs were compared for two design options on a large Burner Management System (BMS) program, it was determined that significant savings can be achieved for a 1oo1 sensor architecture (versus 2oo3), regardless of which cost basis was used for a nuisance trip.
aeSolutions stands behind the concept of SIS FEL and believes the project contained within this case study on front end loading is a good example of the benefits and overall success of a phased/gated approach to project execution.
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