Broader Requirements for Resource and Energy Projects?

Over the past year, there has been a concentrated focus within the project management world on the topic of requirements management - because studies have shown that inappropriate requirements is the leading cause of project failure.

New guidance has been developed and can be found on the PMI website, however there are a few categories of requirements not discussed that should be considered when it comes to projects within the natural resources and energy sectors. Some may also apply to large-scale linear and municipal infrastructure where numerous community stakeholders could have an impact on the outcomes of environmental assessment approvals.

This article discusses the consideration of said requirements, the associated risks and opportunities, and a compelling case for the reasoning provided.

Karen ChovanDecember 7, 2015Enviro Integration Strategiesrequirements, project management, approvals, risk managementComment

Sustainably sourced metals?

I've always held the belief that mining is really a large-scale exercise in waste management (with the added benefit of gaining value from the ore being extracted!)...as natural ore deposits diminish in concentrations and we are having to dig deeper and deeper to access natural ore bodies, will we find a flipping point where recovery from man-made waste streams will become more economical than extracting from the earth?

I think so, and it will come sooner than we think!

Karen ChovanOctober 5, 2015waste monetization, metal sources, reclaiming value Comment

Stakeholders or Clients?

When determining the requirements and the risks associated with your project, how do you regard and engage with each of the stakeholders you identify? How seriously are you treating the risks and concerns they raise? I'd like to convince you that the way you think about and treat those stakeholders, and the value you place on their inputs, can have a significant impact on the outcomes of your project.

Don't just keep doing things the same way, step outside the box...

Why Sustainability is Critical for your Project

So you have your next big project - to plan, to design, and/or to manage. What are your first thoughts in relation to?

Scope? Constraints? Risks? Stakeholders?

Methodology? Technology?

Would you agree if I suggested that sustainability could tie into any and all of those areas, no matter what industry you are in? Both as a driver (aka, requirement) and as an opportunity (cost savings, schedule optimization, environmental performance improvement)?

Karen ChovanSeptember 1, 2015Comment

Integration for your project's success

Have you ever worked on a project where it seems the project design team just can't understand the requirements set out by the environmental assessment (EA) team? And on the flip side, the EA team doesn't understand (or maybe care) that their requests will impact the project schedule and cost, or that it's too late in the process to change something they are suggesting?

Collaboration

Collaboration seems to be a word thrown around quite a bit. But what does it really mean and why do it? How successful is the practice being implemented? And what avenues are there to do so?

Karen ChovanMay 1, 2015Enviro Integration Strategiescollaboration, sustainability, innovation, miningComment

Environmental Protection & Assessment Learning Opportunities

A new course has been developed by ECO Canada, for newbies entering the world of environmental protection and environmental law. Or maybe just for those who want to know a bit more about the regulations associated with protection of the environment and human health. Why not check out a free preview of one of their modules?

Regaining Lost Value

There are two things that could have major impacts on improving the viability of mining projects:

1. Planning, developing and operating projects with the end-use, full closure design in mind (building it to progressively enable closure shortly following the end of operations of a mine), and

2. Flipping evaluation of a potential development on its head - evaluate the worth of the entire property - with value placed on every component of the system - including the overburden and "waste" materials being excavated and moved in order to reach that desired, valued ore. This is monetizing the waste streams that every operation generates - at the front-end planning and assessment phase.

Are grand goals really just wishful thinking?

People often think that grand goals, major change initiatives - especially the ones that require collaborative action from multiple people around the world - will never come to fruition. They believe they are just too far-reaching, too unattainable - and so they don't even try - to believe, to contribute, to promote progression toward that goal.

I am not one of those people. I believe that all goals are attainable, and all it takes is a starting point and a few passionate souls...

Karen ChovanMarch 23, 2015Enviro Integration Strategiesgoals, industry, collaboration, change, environmentComment

Change

Seth Godin's new book "What to Do When it's Your Turn" provokes internal debate around how things are typically perceived, and how we might alternatively flip that around in order to actually move forward and do something with it. He writes,

"Usually when we say "it's your turn," we mean that it's your turn to be picked, to be the next one, the person who fits in more than any other. The next pop star on the cover of Seventeen, the next news anchor, the next plant manager. Or the next customer at the deli. This is the model in which you wait for change to happen to you.

Articles

Scope? Constraints? Risks? Stakeholders?

Methodology? Technology?