2023 Technical Conference Presentation
Bifurcation of Demand and Supply (Schedules vs. Production Systems)
Overview
Current project management practice focuses primarily on what to build, when to build and who will do the work. Schedules depicting what work needs to be done by who, and when it needs to be done, establish overall expectations and are used as the basis for reporting and forecasting of project progress. Ignoring the other element of the equation, the supply side, specifically the project production system or how the work will be done, results in the inability to effectively predict and control project outcomes. Understanding that there is a production system and that it will dictate project behavior including cost, quality, duration and use of cash, along with using Operations Science to understand and control its behavior, is key to delivering projects in accordance with desired outcomes. However, not all projects take this into account resulting in less than optimal performance. The purpose of this paper is to define what a project production system is (and is not) and how it compares and contrasts with schedules, while introducing a framework for effective management of project production systems.
Presentation
Authors
Roberto J. Arbulu
Project Production Institute
Roberto Arbulu has more than twenty years of experience in the delivery and optimization of energy, industrial, technology, and infrastructure capital projects and has worked with numerous owner operators and service providers across North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and the Middle East. He is the author of technical publications in journals and conference proceedings that focus on project production system optimization, control, and project supply chains including the application of methods such as Project Production Management and Virtual Design & Construction (VDC).
Todd R. Zabelle
Project Production Institute
Todd is the Founder and President of Strategic Project Solutions, Inc (SPS). Zabelle has more than thirty years of experience in the delivery of complex and critical capital projects ranging in size from $500K to $55 billion. He is the Founder & CEO of Strategic Project Solutions, Inc. is the Founder & CEO of Pacific Contracting, a founder and equity partner in the Lean Construction Institute (LCI) (prior to making it a not for profit), and founder of the Project Production Institute (PPI). He is also a Forbes Featured Author.