Technical Articles

Será que temos medido apenas parte do custo?

Tornamo-nos extraordinariamente sofisticados na gestão do CapEx. No entanto, muitos projetos continuam enfrentando atrasos na produção, instabilidade operacional, retrabalho e dependência de fornecedores, mesmo após a conclusão mecânica.

Se essas perdas são reais, por que elas não aparecem em nossos relatórios?

Este artigo evidencia um dos maiores pontos cegos na execução de projetos: os custos ocultos da transição de ativos que estão tecnicamente concluídos, mas operacionalmente não preparados. O Custo da Falta de Prontidão Operacional (CoNR).

À medida que os projetos se tornam cada vez mais complexos, as organizações precisam ampliar o escopo da gestão de custos para além do CapEx. O verdadeiro valor somente é realizado quando os ativos conseguem operar conforme foram concebidos após o comissionamento e a partida.

¿Hemos estado midiendo solo una parte del costo?

Nos hemos vuelto extraordinariamente sofisticados en la gestión del CapEx. Sin embargo, muchos proyectos siguen enfrentando retrasos en la producción, inestabilidad operacional, retrabajos y dependencia de proveedores incluso después de alcanzar la completación mecánica.

Si estas pérdidas son reales, ¿por qué no aparecen en nuestros reportes?

Este artículo pone en evidencia uno de los mayores puntos ciegos en la ejecución de proyectos: los costos ocultos de transferir activos que están técnicamente completos, pero operacionalmente no preparados. El Costo de la No Preparación Operacional.

Los proyectos se vuelven cada vez más complejos y las organizaciones deben ampliar el alcance de la gestión de costos más allá del CapEx. El verdadero valor solo se materializa cuando los activos pueden desempeñarse como fueron concebidos después del arranque.

Major capital projects are measured not only by whether they finish on time and on budget, but by whether they achieve the outcomes they were designed to deliver. Learn why Commissioning and Operational Readiness are essential from day one and how internationally recognized standards are helping make outcome-based project delivery a reality.

AI will not fix a fragmented and siloed project execution model – it will scale what works and magnify the problems.

This article explains why Outcome Governance must become the foundation for AI-scaled capital project execution, ensuring that speed, automation, and decision support remain aligned to real operational outcomes.

Em um ambiente cada vez mais complexo e intensivo em capital, entregar projetos dentro do prazo e do orçamento já não é suficiente. O verdadeiro sucesso é alcançado quando os ativos começam a operar de forma segura, confiável e sustentável desde o primeiro dia.

Em nosso novo artigo, “Do Controle de Custos à Realização de Valor”, exploramos como a Prontidão Operacional complementa a Engenharia de Custos para fechar a lacuna entre a entrega do projeto e o desempenho operacional, assegurando a materialização do valor esperado.

En un entorno cada vez más complejo y capital intensivo, entregar proyectos a tiempo y dentro del presupuesto ya no es suficiente. El verdadero éxito se alcanza cuando los activos comienzan a operar de manera segura, confiable y sostenible desde el primer día.

En nuestro nuevo artículo,“Del Control de Costos a la Materialización del Valor exploramos cómo la Preparación Operacional complementa la Ingeniería de Costos para cerrar la brecha entre la entrega del proyecto y el desempeño operacional, asegurando la materialización del valor esperado.

¿Por qué tantos proyectos técnicamente exitosos enfrentan problemas al momento de operar?

La respuesta está  en que la Preparación Operacional no es un desafío técnico, mas Sociotécnico.

El éxito operacional depende de la alineación entre personas, procesos, tecnología, gobernanza y cultura organizacional. La  completación técnica por sí sola no garantiza operaciones seguras, confiables y sostenibles.

Complex projects rarely fail because of a single missed task, they fail because interactions, feedback loops, risks, and organizational readiness are not fully understood. This article explores how Donella Meadows’ Thinking in Systems provides a powerful lens for Commissioning, Operational Readiness, and Outcome Assurance.

It explains how the ICxA Outcome Governance Framework translates systems thinking into practical governance, evidence, and decision-making disciplines that support confident outcome authorization

Most projects do not fail at startup. They fail in the transition between technical completion and operational capability.

Organizations continue delivering projects on time and on budget,  yet still face unstable startups, delayed ramp-ups, operational firefighting, rework, and unrealized value once operations begin.

In this article, we explore the concept of the Cost of Non-Readiness (CoNR): the hidden operational and financial exposure created when assets are technically complete, but organizations are not truly ready to operate.

Because technical completion enables startup, yet Operational Readiness enables value realization.

For decades, project success has been measured by cost, schedule, and scope. Yet many projects across asset-intensive industries continue to face operational challenges even after successful construction and commissioning.

Delayed startups, unstable ramp-ups, operational disruptions, and costly interventions highlight the growing need to look beyond traditional delivery metrics. True project success is not only about completing a project, but it is also about ensuring operational readiness and sustainable performance from day one.

Outcome Assurance is the discipline of governing the decisions that matter most in projects. Those that enable organizations to commit, proceed, integrate, accept, and operate with clear accountability and controlled residual risk.

It does not replace project management, engineering, commissioning, or assurance functions. Instead, it aligns them, breaking down silos so outcomes are more reliable, predictable, and less vulnerable to assumption as delivery advances.

Without a doubt, Cost Engineering is one of the most powerful enablers of disciplined capital project delivery. Through structured methodologies such as Class 5 – 1 estimating, Earned Value Management (EVM), and the Total Cost Management (TCM) framework among others, AACE has provided organizations with the tools to deliver increasingly complex projects with a high degree of financial predictability (AACE International, 2015). These practices enhance decision-making, strengthen governance, and enable organizations to allocate capital with greater confidence. As evidenced in many industries, this has successfully translated into tighter cost performance, improved transparency, and more resilient execution environments.

The transition of projects to live operations is a critical phase in an asset’s lifecycle. Large capital projects across energy, infrastructure, transportation, mining, manufacturing, or data centers are usually managed to meet the “iron triangle” of cost, schedule, and scope. Yet even organizations that hit these targets often struggle to turn completed projects into value through efficient startups and safe, reliable, and sustainable operations.

Operational readiness is often misunderstood as a technical milestone.  However, a recurring pattern persists: projects meet their engineering, cost, and schedule objectives yet still struggle to achieve stable and reliable operations despite apparent technical completeness. This paradox reveals a deeper reality: Operational readiness is not a technical problem; it is fundamentally a sociotechnical one.